10 Creepiest Horror Movie Posters Of All Time
The bait to tempt you into the darkness (of your local cinema)...
Movie posters walk a strange line between being just advertisement, and a beloved piece of art. Some adorn walls decades after the film’s initial release, almost becoming a cliché decor item for movie buffs, the most obvious example being that one Pulp Fiction poster that many of us have owned at some point in our life.
However, it would be deeply disingenuous to dismiss the artistry that goes into creating them solely due to the fact they're made to make cash. The starving artist is a romantic notion - however, artists need money (and employment) to be able to focus on and create their work.
Horror movie posters have one solid aim; to stir up the emotion of fear, or at least a morbid form of curiosity. This is a particular skill when faced with censorship, corporate hurdles, and vague constructive criticism from every direction.
Thankfully, artists thrive under such conditions and constraints. Although they face many frustrating challenges to create these posters, said difficulties can lead an artist to stretch themselves to creative new ways to inflicts creepiness on the masses.
10. Pulse
A remake of the 2001 Japanese horror Kairo (Pulse), Pulse explores the creepiness of malfunctioning technology. The main threat is a computer virus which opens a portal between life and the afterlife. Untested frequencies allow spirits to travel over, causing what is left of humanity to flee to technology free safe zones. The plot would fit in perfect with today’s wacky 5G conspiracies.
The poster, like most horror movies, features a woman at its centre. She is amongst a mass of greyish-blue disembodied hands that swarm her and hold her down.
The vibe of the poster is one of intense claustrophobia and an abstract form of violation. The limbs fade off at the edges of the poster, hinting there is a never-ending mass of hands all waiting to strike. The image is deeply unsettling, with both the horror of the hands and their attack on the woman.
Through modern eyes, the link between the poster and technology gives an unintentional analogy of what being a woman on social media is like, having all these anonymous people pawing at you, swarming you in their unwanted attention.