Horror Film Magazine Articles

Here is cover for 'Hannibal' from an old Empire magazine.

The cover is dark and mysterious, as you can only see half of the characters face. The character looks evil and he is looking directly at us giving the cover image an immitating. The red eye is a very bold and noticeable colour on the cover, it is also Photoshopped or with a contact lens as no ones eye is really like that, this matches the red in the main title and the mastheads - it is very un natural and surreal and represents the characters evil nature and thirst for blood. Also the colour red usually symbolizes danger which would link as he is the killer and is there for a dangerous character.

The quote 'What's cooking' relates to the film and has a very adverse sound to it. It is written in bold white font so it contrasts with the black background making it stand out more. It also links with the film as Hannibal was a cannibal which would mean he would eat his victims thus ‘What’s cooking?’ could suggest, who are his next victims, what are his next victims like, has he killed recently etc. It would also draw in audiences who have either seen Hannibal or know about him because they will know about the cannibalism and will relate it to that. Also the fact we can only see half the face suggests he is hiding, although he is killing he also has to be in hiding.
'Bloody valentine' suggests the idea of love and death intertwined as one messed up idea. And the idea that some killers kill loved ones and relatives.

Here is a cover for Entertainment Weekly promoting the classical musical remake of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber. The film is not classed as a horror but the storyline does have a strong element of horror.

The colours on the cover blend well with each other the grey background is dull but relates to the colourless time in which the movie was set and Sweeny Todd’s emotionless attributes as he kills without seeming to feel any emotion towards them, the grey emphasis the idea of a bleak story and a bleak character with a bad past and bad present.

The masthead is in a bold blue font at the top of the page making it stand out from the dark background and catch the readers eye. The image on the front is sinister and scary - the makeup shows the character with an extremely pale face making him look drained and ghost, which seems to link with the character as he is rather like a ghost as he is there but not really noticed by many and kills without being caught. Also there is red under the eyes which makes him look more human, but tired looking, suggesting not getting much sleep and having extremely hard work. The expression on his face is menacing and angry, making the character seem like a villain - his dark hair is messy but full of volume making him seem slightly eccentric and all over the place, it also makes him seem a little like a mad scientist with the look.

His costume is very old looking reflecting the time where the film is set. He wears black showing darkness and sorrow, which is the general nature of the film. The actor name is also written in bold letters - as it is a popular actor it may encourage people to buy the magazine or see the film in which their favourite actor is starring in also he is well known for doing good films and being with Helen Bonham Carter and the films being directed by Tim Burton, the trio are seen as an extremely good group, so anyone who hears about the film will assume it is going to be extremely good. 

Here is another cover of Entertainment Weekly, this time for the movie Scream 4.

This cover has been kept very simple - there is not much text, putting an increasing emphasis on the striking image. We see the mask worn by the killer in the 'Scream' franchise movies, as the movies are very popular, people will know what the film the magazine is promoting as a person wearing the trademark mask. It also suggests that the magazine knows that because of how popular the ‘Scream’ films are there isn’t really that much need to give a lot of detail on it, especially since all the films are pretty similar with the same story line and mostly the same characters.

The dark red background has a dark feel as the red could represent blood - hinting the gory nature of the ‘Scream’ films. The masthead is in bold white font across the top of the page also remaining a main focus as the magazine name. The poster focuses mainly on the film as on the right side 'Scream returns' is in large bold font and underneath is a list of the magazines content that relates to the movie being promoted, this includes interviews with the cast.