Poster Analysis 3

Finally, the last film poster I’ve decided to analyse is for the film ‘Sorority Row’. The image shows six girls laying on top of one another and in the background shows a sorority house which is on fire.

The girls in the poster appear to be all young and beautiful, and from their body language which shows they are laying on top of another, suggests to the audience that this film has some sexual elements to it, and already conveys that the intended target audience is going to be for mainly teenagers, who are interested in the sex appeal the film has to offer, but also recognise how they can relate to young characters in it. The characters clothing also suggests that the film has sexual elements to it as some of the girls appear to be showing their cleavage. However instead of showing a heightened sense of sexuality, their facial expressions show they are scared, which shows the audience that something sinister is going to happen in the film. Also, their body language could also have another meaning; although there are obvious sexual connotations associated with the way the laying on top of one another, it could also resemble corpses lying on top of one another, as their facial expressions also show them to be scared, but also lifeless at the same time. Thus the poster subtly foreshadows the fate of some of the girls in the film.

The sorority house behind the six girls is shown to be on fire which depicts an element of danger in the film. Fire is very symbolic of danger, as it is destructive and deadly and destroys everything in its path. Therefore by showing fire in a horror movie poster such as this, it depicts a lot about the nature of the film: filled with danger and fatal consequences for the characters. The fire burning the sorority house could also stand for betrayal, as sororities are symbolic of friendship and sisterhood, which ultimately could suggest to the audience that betrayal has taken place amongst the girls of the house.

As expected, the colours used in this poster are very dark and gloomy. Dark and gloomy colours are used to create a sinister and dark atmosphere. The 6 girls are also all wearing black clothing, which can be associated with death as it is commonly worn to funerals. This is in contrast to their glowing white skin which could convey innocence and purity. Pathetic fallacy is also used with the use of dark clouds in the background. The clouds suggest a lot about the nature of the film, that something dark and gloomy is going to occur within the film.

The title has a cross shaped blade separating the 'Sorority' with the 'Row' this may represent danger, as it could be a sign of death and the colour red can be connected with blood and fear. The title also uses white font which stands out against the black background. The title is underlined in red. The red could represent a threat or warning which is another symbol reminding the audience of the genre of the film. The ‘O’ of sorority row, is replaced with the Greek letter theta, which is a commonly used name for American sorority houses, this reminds the audience of the sisterhood related with them.
The tagline ‘Sisters for life .., and death’ is play on the pledge usually made by friends, claiming they are as close as sisters.