As Halloween is upon us once again, we're reminded that the oldies are often the goodies. Whether it's choosing a costume for the office party or planning a spooky night in with your favorite horror films, going back to the classics is always satisfying.
The same holds true for design. Just as these scary movies continue to capture audiences year after year, their posters continue to stand out among their successors for their flawless attention to detail and execution. No wonder they’ve firmly embedded themselves in the public imagination.
We've had a scarily good time analyzing some of our favorite classic horror posters. Enjoy...if you dare!
Halloween
The simplicity of this poster is perfection, and it's still quite terrifying as well. Elements like the plain black background really make the image pop and evoke the idea of a monster coming out of the night.
The two images of a killer holding a knife and a nightmarish pumpkin are also perfectly blended and work really well together.
The designer of this poster clearly put a lot of work and thought into it, right down to the last detail. Notice elements like the subtle frame created by the typography, with the H and N slightly larger than the rest of the letters. It's this kind of attention to detail that really makes a design stand out.
Friday the 13th
There are two elements to this poster that are rather unique, and very successful at that. We love the effect the image within an image creates. The group of protagonists in this movie are situated within the silhouette of the terrifying antagonist, which evokes his total control over their lives. It immediately makes them small and vulnerable against is overpowering presence.
Only showing the silhouette of the killer also retains that all-important horror trope of mystery, as the killer is front and center in the poster yet never actually revealed.
We also love the slightly unusual placement of the title, which is skewed to the right underneath the image, so the blood of the killer's knife conveniently drips down onto the '13' of the title, tying the design together beautifully.
From a design-theory standpoint, this skewed title breaks the grid of the poster, which evokes a subconscious feeling of disorder and unease.
The Evil Dead
This poster is unusual in that its grid is largely based on angles, quite literally showing a skewed world. To make skewed angles successful, be mindful to not over-do it, the audience should still be able to easily read any writing in your design.
The title is another clear winner here – the white font stands out beautifully from the colored background, and the angular letters are perfectly matched up. Take a look at how the V in "evil" and A in "dead" are almost perfect mirrors of one another.
Psycho
This poster is particularly noteworthy for its color choices, basing the entire design in the three primary colors (red, blue and yellow). Basic color psychology explains why this works: Red is a color of danger and passion, immediately hinting at the threat emanated by the men in this poster.
The heroine, by contrast, is shown in yellow, a color that is usually associated with warmth and positivity. It's not a bright yellow though, but one with a slightly green hue, which may speak to something wrong or "sickly".
The blue in the background would normally speak to calmness or stability, but based against the other colors works to heighten their impact. Together with the cracks in the title and images, the colors create a sense of disharmony that makes even the poster appear somewhat psychotic.
The Shining
This poster has great composition as it focuses on the rule of thirds. Rather than having the focal point at the center of the poster, the composition is spread into nine sections, making the poster more effective and energetic.
If you have seen the film, take a particularly close look at the typography of the film title: notice how everything is uppercase except the letter "i". Was it intentional? Probably yes, but is it a metaphor for the psychotic breakdown of Jack Nicholson, or is it reminding you of the little twin girls?
Want More?
Love a great spooky design? There's plenty more where these came from:
If Donald Trump Appeared in Classic Horror Movie Scenes
22 Spooky Halloween Graphic Designs
Day of the Ninja: 20 Inspiring Ninja Logos
Written by Jane Murray on Thursday, October 29, 2015
Jane Murray is a freelance copywriter based in Sydney. Apart from writing up a storm for the DesignCrowd blog on anything from logo design to Michael Jackson's shoes, she enjoys reading literary science fiction and hanging out with most animals except wasps. Get in touch via LinkedIn.
