Horror Poster Analysis - "The Cabin in the Woods"

This poster for the 2011 film “The Cabin in the Woods” features many of the typical genre conventions that I have found in the other posters that I have looked at.

• Despite there not being any characters in this poster, the cabin is still in an isolated setting, indicating that the characters will be too. This is one of the most conventional features of horror movie posters
• The colour scheme is again muted, dark and bleak and there appears to be a real absence of colour on this poster. Dark colour schemes are typical of horror movie posters
• The poster appears to be scratched, giving it a chilling look. This is similar to the “Sinister” poster where it looks as if the walls have been cracked
• Every horror movie poster I have looked at has a release date or says “Coming Soon”, whereas some others from different genres do not. This possibly creates audience anticipation and could indicate an imaginary countdown until this sinister event happens
• The tagline directly references the audience and suggests a new take on some of the conventions of the genre
• The font has a sinister feel to it and appears to be smudged and scratched