LIST: 10 Great Horror Movie Posters 3 5237

Thoughts On Film - 10 Great Horror Movie Posters

Movie posters, when done right, can work wonders to get people interested in seeing a movie. A big proportion of posters, especially these days, are plain bad but there are still those which come along and are so good they turn out even better than the movies they’re trying to sell you.

Horror movies have one of the best track records of great movie poster regardless of whether the actual movies are good or not. Today we have a look at a selection of 10 great movie posters from over the years. The posters aren’t in any particular order, nor from any era or sub-genre of horror in particular. These are just a selection of posters from the overall genre that stand out for me.

Check out all 10 of them below (in no particular order):

The Descent poster

The Descent (2005) – This is one of my all-time favourite horror movies, masterfully mixing claustrophobic suspense and dread with amazing creature-feature scares. This is the poster for the American release which is not only striking when you first look at it but when your eyes settle you realize the women’s bodies are forming the shape of a skull. Brilliantly done.

Scream 4 poster

Scream 4 (2011) – This is one of those cases where the movie isn’t fantastic (though I enjoyed it) but the poster sure is. The shape of the Ghost Face mask from the series is embedded in pop culture and this poster plays around with that image by blending it with the iconic style of knife the killer(s) has used throughout the franchise. Couple that with the suggestion of the black hood and cloak and you have yourself a great horror poster.

Dracula poster

Dracula (aka Horror of Dracula. 1958) – Now we jump back in time to the late ’50s and arguably the best Dracula film of them all. This is akin to the style of a lot of posters from back then but this one stands out for me in particular, not only because of the image of Dracula himself (aka THE vampire) but also no-nonsense style; it says “This is Dracula, he sucks the blood of beautiful women, be very afraid.” And the film itself lives up to this fantastic poster.

The Eye poster

The Eye (2008) – This is one of those cases which proves that a great poster doesn’t equal a great movie.  The movie was just another tired remake of a truly frightening Asian original but the poster does wonders to grab your attention. A giant, detailed view of a scared person’s eye is enough but adding the hand crawling out of it takes it to a whole other level.

A Tale of Two Sisters poster

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) – This masterful film from South Korean director Kim Jee-Woon is a chilling mix of horror, family drama and intriguing mystery that is well worth seeking out (please skip the terrible American remake entitled The Uninvited). This poster is all sorts of awesome, from the blood stained girls sitting complacent to the adults (father and step-mother) standing behind them. If you’ve seen the film you can read into the poster in several different ways but even if you haven’t it stands as a striking poster to truly grab (and keep) your attention.

Rosemary's Baby poster

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – I couldn’t compile a list of great horror posters without including this one for Roman Polanski’s 1968 masterpiece Rosemary’s Baby. An amazing use of silhouette mixed with a oddly muted green colour, and of course there’s the expressionless face of Mia Farrow fading into the green. A memorable poster for a classic horror movie.

eyes without a face poster

Eyes Without A Face (1960) – Released in the same year as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, this French-language film – about a father and plastic surgeon who kidnaps women and tries to transplant their faces onto his facially disfigured daughter – serves as a great companion piece to those two movies. This is fantastic poster for the film as it both shocks and intrigues in equal measure, with its striking use of the colour red (signifying blood, of course) and painted style.

Reanimator poster

Re-Animator (1985) – The poster for this classically ridiculous ’80s horror is just wonderful, with genuinely gorgeous artwork and creepy sense of the uncanny. And, of course, we have a frickin head lying on the table! ‘Nuff said.

alien poster

Alien (1979) – What list like this would be complete without this classic poster for Ridley Scott’s brilliant 1979 sci-fi horror Alien? Fantastic use of black to evoke the vastness and isolation of space so key to the film, one sinister-looking egg above what appears to be the place where many more should go and one of the greatest taglines in movie history. Perfect.

Fright Night poster

Fright Night (1985) – I’ve saved my favourite of the bunch till last. This campy 1980s horror might not hold up as well today (though it’s still fun in a way only ’80s horrors can be) but this poster sure does. The creepy suburban house, the lone figure standing ominously in the window and demonic faces that seem to have escaped from the house just to scare you for the time you’re staring at the poster. Wonderful.

So those are some of my favourite horror movies posters. Which is your favourite? And which ones not highlighted do you love? Leave your thoughts below.

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I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

3 Comments

  1. I like the tagline on the Alien poster,”in space no one can hear you scream”.If it is not a poster list,I would like to replace the poster of Eyes Without a Face with the Criterion Collection cover.Also how about the poster of Shining,with Jack with an axe and Wendy hide besides the door like a frightened lamb.

    1. It’s a terrific tagline for Alien, that’s for sure. Of course there are lots of different covers for films that could be on a list like this, but I wanted to limit it to theatrical posters. Do you know, I actually considered putting The Shining in there but wanted to highlight something a bit less known (A Tale of Two Sisters).

      Thanks for reading the post and taking the time to comment!

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Feature: 2019 Oscar Predictions 0 4031

I think it’s fair to say that the run up to this year’s Oscars has been a little messier than usual, from unexpected and bizarre wins at other awards shows (Vice winning Best Editing at the BAFTAs, anyone?) to ridiculous decisions by the Academy to change the show around.

The latter has proved a particular point of contention with both those in the industry to onlookers on social media, with choices such as not letting all the songs be performed to introducing a Best Popular Film category (whatever that means) to not airing four categories live; Editing and Cinematography proved a particular issue, sending the folks of Film Twitter into a Hulk-like rage.

Thankfully all of these decisions except for the one to not have a main host have taken the walk-back of shame; I look forward to Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair again. Of course there’s still the issue of plenty of thoroughly deserving films, filmmakers and performances not being up for any Oscars at all (*cough* Toni Collette! *cough*) but of course that’s not an issue unique to this year.

The show must go on, as they say, and I thought a week out from this year’s ceremony I’d throw my hat into the ring as far as predictions goes. Below I’ve listed what I think will win in each category, as well as what I personally would like to see pick up that little gold man come next Sunday evening.

Best Picture

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Green Book

Lead Actor

Want to win: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Will win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Lead Actress

Want to win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Will win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor

Want to win: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Will win: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Supporting Actress

Want to win: Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Will win: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Director

Want to win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Animated Feature

Want to win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Adapted Screenplay

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: BlacKkKlansman

Original Screenplay

Want to win: First Reformed
Will win: The Favourite

Cinematography

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Documentary Feature

Want to win: Free Solo
Will win: Minding the Gap

Foreign Language Film

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Film Editing

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Editing

Want to win: A Quiet Place
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Mixing

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Production Design

Want to win: Roma
Will win: The Favourite

Original Score

Want to win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Will win: Black Panther

Original Song

Want to win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Will win: Shallow (A Star is Born)

Makeup and Hair

Want to win: Mary Queen of Scots
Will win: Vice

Costume Design

Want to win: Black Panther
Will win: The Favourite

Visual Effects

Want to win: Avengers: Infinity War
Will win: Ready Player One

Animated Short

Want to win: Bao
Will win: Bao

Live Action Short

Want to win: Marguerite
Will win: Marguerite

Documentary Short Subject

Want to win: Black Sheep
Will win: Lifeboat

Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to leave your predictions/wishes for the winners below or tweet @TOF_UK or @rosstmiller.

Roll on Sunday!

Competition: Win King of Thieves on DVD *CLOSED* 0 3872

***This competition is now closed. Thanks to all who entered! The two winners will be contacted soon!

This coming Monday sees the DVD and Blu-ray release of King of Thieves, the latest film from acclaimed director James Marsh (Man on Wire, The Theory of Everything), which features a cavalcade of legendary British actors including Michael Caine, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon and Paul Whitehouse who team up to pull off a brazen heist. You may know the job from our own headlines as “The Hatton Garden Heist,” described as the biggest and most daring heist in British history.

It’s a good slice of old-fashioned heist movie fun which morphs in its latter half into something with surprising touches of the dangerous and sinister as suspicions and loyalties start to inevitably turn.

To celebrate the film’s release, we have two copies of it on DVD to give away, thanks to the lovely folk at Studio Canal.

thoughts-on-film-king-of-thieves-competition

To enter the competition simply answer the following question: in which classic British film does Michael Caine famously say the line, “you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”?

a) Alfie
b) The Italian Job
c) The Ipcress File

Please email your answer to rosstmiller@thoughtsonfilm.co.uk with the subject heading “King of Thieves competition.” Please also include your delivery address details so we can easily send the prize out if you win.

Now for the technical part:

  • UK residents only
  • Entrants must be 18 or over
  • Winners will be chosen at random
  • The prize for each entrant is one DVD copy of King of Thieves
  • Prize is non-transferable
  • Competition ends on Sunday January 27th at 11:59pm GMT
  • Prize will be sent from PR/studio

King of Thieves is available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray from January 21st. You can already rent/buy the film digitally.

Best of luck on the competition!