Film distribution and marketing

Horror Magazine Analyses

‘Empire’ is a British film magazine that publishes monthly releases and is published by Bauer Media, the leading magazine publisher in the UK. With almost 25 years of the magazine, it still has a healthy circulation of 167,748 in the last half of 2012 and has a readership of over 5 times that. The magazine itself has many features which have become a staple to the magazines content layout and which its readers have become accustomed to, such as classic scenes from a film, top 10’s and news on DVD news and releases. The magazine knows the target audience and therefore includes many interviews with a range of actors/actresses, directors and writers to gain an in-depth knowledge of films for their readers.

On the cover of the magazine is the main protagonist, Hellboy from the 2008 action/adventure film ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ which was made in the USA. Although this film is categorised as a fantasy adventure film, the comics and inspiration for the director came from a sub-genre of horror- Lovecraftian horror which involves the supernatural, extra-terrestrials and other unknown and unexplained characters which feature in many other horror films. Hellboy is a half-human demon who has the appearance of the devil and his appearance is well suited to a horror genre with red skin and horns, to suit the stereotypical appearance of the devil. Acting as a hero throughout the film, his appearance contrasts the usual appearance of a human, attractive male to save people around him and works well as the cover star for Empire magazine.

The colours used on this magazine cover are very traditional for this genre as reds and dark oranges represent a number of features such as blood and flesh, demons, the devil and fire. The colour red has a number of negative connotations such as aggression, anger, fear, rebellion, violence and brutality whereas orange tones such as amber and burnt orange represent tension and aggression. The red shade of Hellboy is quite bright and the backlighting of the photo is a usual look for a horror film picture as darkness creates a sense of suspense and mystery. The black background does convey this message and acts as a contrast for the bright picture and masthead.

The masthead of the ‘Empire’ sign on fire is an interesting and original idea that uses the iconic logo and adds an element of the film it is promoting. With the effects on the masthead, not only does the fire give a reader who doesn’t know the film an indication to the themes of the film but also highlights the lettering which is normally simple red lettering against the black background to make the masthead stand out and more eye-catching to someone walking past the magazine. Being one of the leading film dedicated magazines, the look and masthead of the magazine are instantly recognisable so the main picture of Hellboy can overlap without the readers not knowing what the magazine is.

The typeface used for Empire magazine is quite simplistic and stylish and with the sans serifsand  doesn't look too over complicated or over-the-top. The masthead in the typeface EF Kaffeesatz Schwarz, is quite bold to stand out enough from ordinary lettering and has an unusual look to traditional typefaces. The white text is effective as it stands out well against both black and red although the gold font is harder to read on the red background but acts as a good link between the text and the colour of the bracelet on Hellboy. Although the gold writing doesn’t stand out against Hellboy’s body, the used of dramatic lighting to create shade combines the red with black that creates a spotlight-effect for the writing.

The layout is quite traditional for an average magazine with the masthead positioned in the centre at the top of the page with the photo in the centre with direct eye-contact to the reader. The smaller paragraphs are positioned to the left on the page in the blank space and the barcode is in the bottom left hand corner. This cover uses the similar template in which Empire uses for all of its magazine covers and incorporates the feel of a horror theme with the use of colour and effects on the typography.

‘Fangoria’ magazine is a specialised horror-based magazine which produces an average of 10 issues annually. Since the first publication in 1979, it has explored the commercial and independent film industry that produce many sub-genres such as slasher, splatter and exploitation films. The magazine has a circulation figure of 150,000 per issue and its website has over 3 million hits every month. The magazine was originally thought as a fantasy film based magazine but before launch, the direction was soon changed to the increasing popularity of horror films of several sub-genres. With its increasing popularity of horror-fans looking for in depth content on their favourite films, Fangoria started to sponsor horror conventions in 1985 to attract a further audience and in 1991, started the ‘Chainsaw Awards’ in which the readers voted in various horror categories although the ceremony ended in 1996.

On the cover for this issue is Nina Sayers, portrayed by Natalie Portman in the 2010 psychological thriller/horror Black Swan. The movie consists of the story of Nina and her preparation and final performance of the Swan Queen to which she starts to experience unusual visions and traumas as she challenges the roles of the Black Swan and the Swan Queen as well as her competition, Lily played by Mila Kunis. The film itself has many aspects of horror such as disturbing visions and clues of insanity in addition to stabbing with bits of broken glass and various scenes with blood. The appearance of Nina is when she turns into the Black Swan with feathers through her skin and red bloodshot eyes to which the unique appearance works well with the unusual magazine.

The colours used are quite bright and innocent compared to a normal Fangoria cover which is usually covered in blood and flesh. The white, black and red contrast with each other well and brings the attention straight to the eyes, down to the lips and further down to the title of the film which all use a similar colour. Normally, a white background wouldn’t be used if the main image was the same colour but the outline of her head and hair act as a barrier so the audience can clearly see the definition of her face.  The colours from the masthead also fit with the image that gives a finished look.

The Fangoria masthead fits in very well with the genre as the typography used is quite sharp and has a classical look to it. Although the masthead doesn’t have any special effects like the Empire sign with the fire, it does have a slight bevel to create a dimensional effect on the lettering and a very dark block shadow to make it stand out against the white background. It has a recognisable and eye-catching look to it so the audience will be able to identify it easily.

The typeface used on the Fangoria cover is quite simple and again has sans serifs on the lettering to keep it easy to read from a distance. By using this on the title of the main film and the other titles that are included in the magazine, it gives a contrasting look to the masthead which is detailed and the title “Darren Aronofsky’s Dance of Death” again has a different look. This uses a blue/purple tone that shows up against the white clearly and has a horror-like effect with the serifs which has similarities to the masthead.

The layout is quite simple and works well as the face of the woman is the clear feature that the audience need to focus on. The film strip with the other photos is at the bottom of the page so the audience know that it’s a different feature, making it more understandable at a first glance. The ‘Black Swan’ title is positioned in the centre as this is most likely area that the audience’s eyes will be drawn to as the other titles on either side in the red, black  and dark blue almost act like a boarder for the portrait. Fangoria does tend to keep the masthead at the top center position but changes the positioning of the film reel, portrait of the main article and other text around to keep the magazine looking fresh and different each issue as there is only 10 issues annually.

‘Fangoria’ magazine is a specialised horror-based magazine which produces an average of 10 issues annually. Since the first publication in 1979, it has explored the commercial and independent film industry that produce many sub-genres such as slasher, splatter and exploitation films. The magazine has a circulation figure of 150,000 per issue and its website has over 3 million hits every month. The magazine was originally thought as a fantasy film based magazine but before launch, the direction was soon changed to the increasing popularity of horror films of several sub-genres. With its increasing popularity of horror-fans looking for in depth content on their favourite films, Fangoria started to sponsor horror conventions in 1985 to attract a further audience and in 1991, started the ‘Chainsaw Awards’ in which the readers voted in various horror categories although the ceremony ended in 1996.

On this issue is the character Alessa from Silent Hill: Revelation which is the 2012 French Canadian/US film directed by Micheal J.Bassett. The movie tells the story of Heather Mason, portrayed by Adelaide Clemens who is running away with her father from the cult in Silent Hill who is after her as she is the good side of Alessa’s split soul. The girl on the cover is the dark Alessa who is a devil like creature and made from the revenge of the good Alessa after she was burnt alive by the Cult who believed she was a witch. She has a very pale complexion and black eyes which work very well for a horror villain but plays on the innocence of being a child to confuse the viewer.  The photo doesn’t portray her in a ‘bad’ way as she looks quite still and has a slight head tilt to the camera but her appearance alone is enough to tell the audience that she isn’t a normal human which adds complexity to the characters appearance.

Compared to the Black Swan cover, this one is a lot dark and eerie with the contrasting pale skin and black eyes and hair. The only bright colour on the portrait is the red around her eyes to look more demon-like and scary which works against the pale skin. The white title again ties in with skin and stands out against the dark blue and discoloured white dress although it would have stood out more if the title had been on the hair to create a contrast that would have been easier to read. In this issue, the masthead had changed from red to blue while the use of orange, red and yellow stand out against the dark photo but don’t go well together considering it is a horror magazine and the shades are quite bright.

The Fangoria masthead is more modernised in this issue as it uses blue and white which looks neat and appealing for a normal magazine but the original red and black Fangoria gives a more clear representation of the genre it is reporting. The blue tones in the masthead bring out the continuing tones in the photo, especially within the white. Unlike the previous masthead, it doesn’t have any bevels or shadows which make the lettering look quite flat on the page.

This issue has many different types of typefaces that make it easier to see the different sections but altogether doesn’t work that well on the page as it doesn’t look very orderly. The Silent Hill title has a cracked effect that is a well-used font in the horror genre and has a ‘weathered’ look to it which suits the nature of the film. The subheading above the masthead uses two different types of font to emphasise that more features are in the magazine while the text in the left hand corner uses a shaky, handwritten style of font along with the ‘Hammer Horror’ in a solid, block font that has a more traditional feel to get across the genre.

The layout again uses a boarder effect with the film reel while the masthead and title act as a top and bottom boarder for the main photo feature that emphasis the character. By using the black hair to frame the face and shoulders, it adds almost a silhouette effect to background therefore making the face stand out as well as making it look centered.

Horror Poster Analyses

‘The Return’ is a Psychological thriller/horror made in 2006 from the USA. The main focus of the poster is the distorted eye which although isn’t proven to be the victim, highly indicates it is a female with the smudged eyeliner and mascara. The handprint in the middle of the eye looks like it is reaching out to the audience to perhaps show that someone or something is trapped.

Being a psychological based film, it is understandable why there isn’t a picture of a killer as the culprit is hidden as a more spiritual based figure. The designer of the poster accurately makes the eye the centre piece as it is associated that that eyes are a window to the soul, which is connected to the plot of the story.

The 2 dominant colours of the poster are black and white, although there are some light shades of blue incorporated to make the poster look more chilling and disturbing. The colour turquoise is supposed to represent communication and clarity of mind, which highly links with the story of the previous victim trying to communicate with the main character. Black has a connotation of being secretive and adding a sense of mystery that is a key factor to the film and many other horror films however white suggests youth and purity and links with the early stages of the character who had visions and self-mutilated as a child, which is supposed to be an innocent time in a person’s life.

The font used on the poster for the tagline and the name of the lead actress has san serifs which indicate an old style of lettering whereas the title of the film is a new, more modern font which gives a clue to the clash of both the past and present. The size of the font is quite small so all the focus will be on the eye while the colours are in keep with the colour scheme to maintain a contrast between the light and dark tones of the poster. The positioning of the text is symmetrical to fit the positioning of the eye and the symmetrical shape of an eye.

The tagline of the film “The past never dies. It kills.” This shows that the film is a collision of both the past and present and that events that happened in the characters past are back to ‘haunt her’, indicating a supernatural or spiritual character which also acts as another victim but also a cause to some of the victims traumas. By saying “It kills”, it also indicates that the previous victim of the killer is seeking revenge which she eventually does through the main character.

The target audience for this film would be mainly male as it possesses almost all of the qualities that are included for a horror film, which is aimed at the male genre. With the main character being a young, vulnerable female actress she is seen as a sexual connotation which heightens the appeal to men yet the film still appeals to a large female audience as the film involves psychology and mystery to even out any ‘gore’ and blood.

‘Shutter’ was made in 2008 from the USA and is a Horror thriller and is a remake of the original film with the same name from Thailand made 4 years before. Even through the photos have a low opacity and are hard to see clearly, the pictures of both victims are in the photos in their everyday lives.  The pictures don’t make the victims look scared or endangered and seem to be the lives before the film started as in the centre there is a picture of their wedding day. These pictures tell the audience how much of an effect the spirit/killer affected their relationship and how happy they were before until the events of the film started.

The image of the main killer is very dark and blurry to maintain a sense of mystery to the character and to keep the audience interested in the unknown identity. The face dominates the page, with the black hair blending to look like an old photograph which leaves little room for features and detail which makes the killer look frightening with the non-human face elements. Although their isn’t necessarily a mask, the black eyes and mouth which have a similar look as if they had been made in graffiti paint that makes the look quite iconic and recognisable.

The colours, like in a majority of horror films are black and white however the poster does feature so lighter colours on the photos and a combination of green and yellows to represent the production of a photography processing. In the centre of the page to the left of the killer, it has shades of red to show the exposure used within the photo as do the cracks and lines in the image.

The font used on the poster is very traditional and ordinary and has visual similarities to the ‘FrankRuehl’ typeface with serifs and a difference in width on the curves of the letters. Although the writing at the top may cover more space on the page, the positioning of the title is just below the centre where your eyes are instantly attracted to by the killer, meaning the title doesn’t have to cover up a large space and attract the attention s this would look too overbearing with the large image. The type colour also contrasts with the darkness of the image and doesn’t need to be really bold as the black and white balance out altogether quite evenly while the blemishes of dark give the lettering a distorted and decaying look, suiting the genre of the film.

The tagline of “The most terrifying images are the ones that are real” gives an indication, along with the title of the film that it heavily involves cameras and photographs and also gives a clue into the psychological aspect of the film and that it’s not just a graphic film with extremities of gore and related content. By saying “the ones that are real” also gives an indication that it may not just be a ghost or supernatural figure and rather a monster/killer.

I think the main target for this film would be men and it does have some disturbing situations and topics in the film where a female audience may be perceived as ‘too sensitive’ for. One of the main female characters, Rachel Taylor who plays Jane Shaw also fits in with the sexual connotations for a female character which further appeals to the male audience.

‘The House of Wax’ made in the USA in 2005 is a horror film and is a remake of the original film which was made in 1953. The poster uses a woman covered in wax as the main feature with wax dripping to attract your eyes down to the tagline and title. The victim has a few sexual connotations through being young and pretty, long hair which hangs to the side of the page and bare shoulders to give the illusion that she is naked or not wearing many clothes. Although there aren’t any emotions or facial expressions, you can clearly see that she’s in danger by being covered in wax and has her eyes shut to show that she is either dead or unconscious.

With the poster being dominated by the picture of the victim, the killer is left a mystery but the use of wax as a weapon gives a clue into the killer’s character and gives hints to the killer’s motives.

This poster does differ slightly from many other horror film posters by using green and yellow instead of white but still in keeping with the genre by using black. The black background adds a sense of mystery and eeriness to it as the audience can’t see what or who is in the background. The colour green is often used to represent extra-terrestrials and the rotting/decaying objects which connects to the story by ‘preserving’ the victims in wax to use in which the killers used to make wax sculptures. The dark tones and shades of the colours will automatically attract a more male audience as they are more masculine compared to light, softer feminine colours for a female audience.

The font used for the main title of the film is quite ordinary and doesn’t have any elements which make it stand out, however with the yellow glow; it does look very similar to a sign for attractions, such as a waxwork museum and being positioned in the middle, directly under the picture accentuates this. The other text for the actor’s names and the tagline has a more traditional look and doesn’t distract from the main photo of the woman covered in wax. With the text being in a brown/beige colour, it surprisingly contrasts well with the black background and balances the poster well with the text at the bottom of the page.

The tagline of “Prey. Slay. Display” connects to the killer and gives the audience a hint of what they do to the victims and what the film will revolve around. It shows that the victims could be watched or stalked and the killers are planning to ‘prey’ on them like an animal and then killing them through the use of “slay”. By using the work “display” already gives the audience an indication that these are not ‘normal’ killers and have alternative motives for the deaths which involves wax from the picture, which is shown to be correct in the plot of the film.

This film would be attracted to a majority male audience through the use of deformed killers and many sexual connotations through the actresses. The main picture which is also female is also more likely to attract a male audience as she fits into the main stereotype of women in horror films of being attractive, vulnerable and needing someone to save her.