When you think of movie posters, the usual subjects always come up: Jaws (1975), The Howling (1981), The Exorcist (1973), Fright Night (1985) and anything painted by Graham Humphreys. While those posters are certainly works of art, they’re all, well… old. The art of creating a terrifyingly alluring poster is lost to the ages. Or is it? We tend to think of older posters as better because they look good. But a lot of times there isn’t much substance behind a pretty painting, and pictures often don’t mean much if you can’t decipher what’s taking place in them. Horror posters today have the obvious scare factor and the added storytelling element. You may even catch an easter egg or shout out to another film. Listed below (in no particular order) are 12 of the most eye-catching, most creepy, and most brilliant horror movie posters of the 21st century.
They Look Like People (2015) and Three… Extremes (2004)
A screaming face emerging from the darkness. We don’t know if this is a scream of pain, sorrow, anger, or relief. The only thing we have a sure sense of is the insanity of the situation this man is in. It’s a perfect representation of the film; a man on the verge of complete madness and struggling between his thoughts of the inevitable destruction of humanity and the reality of his mental illness. We don’t know what this scream is for, but we feel the incredible pain it causes — physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Similar to They Look Like People, the Three… Extremes poster masterfully displays the intensity about to take place in the film. Three extremely different faces that seem to show all facets of human emotion. The faces are even placed in such a way that it provides motion; the three faces move quickly between one another repeatedly. Same as in real life.
The Witch (2015)
The Witch, “a New-England Folktale,” is exactly that: an old-timey story about the early days of witch hunting in America. This poster doesn’t give much away about what goes on in the movie, but it does set the scene for a sort of demented fairy tale. The goat, named Black Phillip, almost looks like a drawing similar to one you’d find in a textbook or historical wood carving from the 1600s. The Witch’s poster does a mighty good job at placing the audience in the right mental state for the movie.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2011)
How can a poster be so minimalistic yet so telling of the movie to come? A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’s poster shows the main character’s vampiric shadow plastered onto a blood-red background. The style is very reminiscent of other 60s mod films, and the movie somehow gives off that same impression. Film and poster mirror each other in every way: a lone vampire girl, a new love, a dramatic lack of color (besides black, white, and red), and even the unmistakable stare of the woman’s entrancing vampire eyes.
Noriko’s Dinner Table (2005)
It’s all in the face with Noriko’s Dinner Table. There’s blood spatter everywhere, from the bare walls to Noriko’s clean white jacket. One would think that she would be terrified or disgusted, yet her expression reads as “not this again.” It seems that no matter what trouble Noriko gets into, the outcome is always the same. You can tell she is sick of this life, but it’s her life that she must live. Has she lost hope? We don’t know, but her expression shows one of acceptance, or maybe emptiness. A poster can be a perfect place to divulge the movie’s feeling and tone, and Noriko’s Dinner Table does just that.
Cooties (2014)
This may seem like a typical zombie movie poster, until you realize the zombies are kids. Pair this with the defensive stances the adults are taking against the pre-teen horde, and you’ve got yourself the perfect Zom-Com (Zombie Comedy)! There’s nothing left to the imagination here, which is actually a good thing. Zombie movies are always crowd pleasers, and the fact that the zombies are children gives Cooties a tangy zest that sets it apart from all the rest.
Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence (2011)
A quite literal expansion on Human Centipede: First Sequence, Human Centipede’s second movie sports a longer, more disgusting creature. Again, it promises 100% medical accuracy, which is great for the story but not for the eyeballs. Too bad the movie isn’t done as artfully as the poster was.
Midsommar (2019)
Don’t let the bright, shining sky and flowery field fool you, Midsommar is a deadly trip for a few American tourists. We’re at one of the highest (figuratively and literally) places on Earth, so high in latitude that we see its curvature… or is that a consequence of the mushroom tea? Why are we being drawn to something so beautiful, yet so upsetting? Are these flowers real? There are so many conflicting messages both in the movie and poster that we feel like we’re there at the festival too. And that’s not a good thing.
You’re Next (2013)
For You’re Next, I’m actually referencing a poster I haven’t seen very often in person. While the “normal” one is kind of bland, this poster is rather smart; instead of the typical “killer standing in the doorway,” we get a blueprint layout of a house, filled with people brandishing weapons and others hiding. It’s a story in itself! Zoom out of the photo and we see the house is the shape of an animal mask worn by the assailants. Kudos to the designer for sprucing up a tired poster with this one!
Suspiria (2018)
It’s not often we see Western films get the “onryō” treatment, especially when we’re not dealing with ghosts at all. Suspiria’s Madame Blanc sits catatonically on the floor of a dance studio, contemplating something we do not know. She is in a sort of trance, perhaps conjuring up her next spell. Her witchy vibes emanate outward from the poster itself, hair covering her face and the many horrors the coven is about to commit. And even though she looks to be in a submissive position, there’s no doubt that she is actually a massively powerful being, which begs the question: is she in the trance, or are we?
Dracula (2020)
Well hello there handsome! Netflix’s 2020 miniseries brought the infamous vampire back into the limelight. A dimly lit silhouette of a fanged Dracula emerged effortlessly into the moonlight, mouth agape as if about to feast. “The Legend Gets Some New Blood” indeed!
Evil Dead (2013)
Not only is Evil Dead one of the best remakes/reimaginings ever, it’s also a fantastic example of theming. Main character Mia is walking away from a horrifying scene, covered in blood, but more prominently are words describing this movie as the scariest thing you’ve ever seen. This is obviously a marketing tactic to get more seats filled in the theater, but it’s also showing how words are more important than what’s actually happening in the background — just as the words read from the Necronomicon are important. Plus, it’s a pretty awesome image to begin with. Your vision is as covered in “blood” as Mia is.
These posters rule. Though we went through a period of screaming faces of the 80s and chorus lines of 90s and early 00s heartthrobs, horror movie posters seem to be getting back on track with excellent insight into the movies themselves. In today’s world of grab-n-go trailers and social media spoilers, posters have the chance to bring the audience in for a taste of what the movie has to offer.
Article previously written for Morbidly Beautiful. This article has since been updated.
Let us know your favorite movie posters in the comments!
