HORROR FILM MAGAZINE COVER

Empire Magazin

e – Silence

of the Lambs

I have chosen this Empire Magazine cover for the 1991 film, Silence of the Lambs, starring Anthony Hopkins.I decided to analyse this particular cover because it is different compared to their other covers. This could be because it is older or because it is for a horror film

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Masthead – large font – bold colour

Buzz words - persuasiveBlack background – link to horror genre – connotes danger, mystery

Pops of colour – typical of magazine company – doesn’t link to the film genre

Image – fills frame – scene from film – immediately connotes horror because of the mask – suggests torture/a psychotic character

Film title – large font – film takes priority over magazine company title

Anchorage text – line from film - ‘slab’ – suggests torture

MastheadEmpire magazine use the same colour scheme and typography for their masthead throughout all issues of the magazine. However, this is a special edition issue for one of their 500 greatest movies of all time. For this they have use a pink colour scheme to make it stand out from their normal issues. There is no significance of this for the focal film.

Main ImageThe main image shows the main character wearing a mask over his mouth. This is a still from the film and shows a prominent moment. It suggests to the audience that the film involves a psychopath or maybe torture. Using this image allows the audience to get an insight into the main character’s personality.The image covers the masthead, suggesting that the film is more important than the magazine company’s name, and that they want the film to be what draws the audience to it.

Anchorage Text & Buzz WordsThe anchorage text in this cover is a line from the film. It says “Tell me ma’am, when your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you.” This doesn’t seem to make any sense and there is no context, therefore emphasising the idea of someone who’s mind isn’t completely sane. The title of the film is also used. This is almost as big as the masthead, showing the audience that it is the main feature film.The buzz words used say ”100 covers to choose from”. This entices the audience because they have the opportunity to purchase a cover from a wide variety of films, meaning there is a high chance that their favourite film will be there. This is persuasive.

Promoting the FilmThis magazine cover promotes the film successfully because the main image is large and eye catching. This means the film is the focal point of the cover and draws attention to it. Also, the title of the film is in a large, bold font, making it prominent. It is also listed in Empire’s ’100 greatest movies of all time’, showing the audience that it is worth watching.

Little White Lies –

Land of the Dead

I have chosen this Little White Lies cover for the 2005 film, Land of the Dead, starring Dennis Hopper.In comparison with the Empire cover, this one is more animated, which is typical of LWL because they focus on cutting-edge illustration.

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Masthead + company strapline

Image – illustration – fills frame – suggests film genre - zombie

Red background – link to genre – connotes death, bloodAnchorage text – same colours as illustration – linking whole cover to the genre of the film

Anchorage text – quote from director of film

Zombie’s eyes in centre of frame – catches attention

MastheadThe masthead for Little White Lies is the same throughout all of their issues. It is small and understated, with part of a barcode at the top and their company slogan underneath. It is a circle which is unique when compared to other magazines, therefore it stands out. As far as I know, the masthead is always over the image. This shows that the company’s priority is promoting the themselves rather than the film.

Main ImageLittle White Lies use a unique illustration for their main images. This makes their magazines stand out from others and shows the feature film in an individual way. The main image for this issue shows an illustration of a zombie’s head with people holding guns in the background. This suggests that the film is about a zombie attack. The fact that the zombie head is being held by, what looks like, a human hand, implies that the humans win.This image draws focus to the magazine because the eyes are in the centre of the frame and they are looking straight forward, as if at the audience. The colour scheme of red and black is typical of the horror genre as they both connote death and violence. Because red is the prominent colour, it suggests that there is a lot of death and blood in the film.

Anchorage Text and Buzz WordsThe anchorage text used in this cover is about the featured film (“The Land of the Dead Issue”) and the articles inside the magazine. There is also a quote from the director of the film; “my sympathies always lie with the zombies”. There are no buzz words used. This suggests that the cover image alone is enough to draw attention and persuade people to buy the magazine.

Promoting the FilmThis magazine cover promotes the film by making it the central focus of the cover There are no other films mentioned within the anchorage text and the film title is repeated across the cover.

Empire Magazine – The Shining

I have chosen to analyse another Empire magazine cover because it is more like the type of cover I want to create because it includes photography rather than the illustration used by Little White Lies.

Masthead

Main image – fills frame – scene from film – suggests horror because of the psychotic look in his eyes

Anchorage text - line from film – ‘bash your brains in’ – suggests violence

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Film title – font almost same size as masthead – promoting the film

Buzz words - persuasive

MastheadAs with the other Empire cover I analysed, this one is different to their usual covers because it is part of their 500 greatest movies of all time campaign. This has no connection to the genre of the featured film.

Main ImageThe main image is a still from the film. It is an iconic image therefore making the magazine stand out.This image of Johnny shows his psychotic character because of the crazy look in his eye. This gives the audience an insight into his character and suggests that it is a horror film.

Anchorage Text & Buzz WordsThe anchorage text for this cover is a line from the film. It says, “I’m not gonna hurt ya. I’m just gonna bash your brains in.” This shows the audience that this character is violent and psychotic.The title of the film is also used. It is almost the same size as the masthead, showing that it is important.The buzz words, “100 covers to choose from” persuades the audience to buy the magazine.

Promoting the FilmThis cover promotes the film because the image is large and the film title stands out. It is also listed in Empire’s 500 greatest movies of all time.