Conventions of a Psychological Thriller Poster

Typically, the colours used on a thriller poster tend to be black, white and red. These colours connote blood, danger and evil which straight away imply to the audience that the film is going to be disturbing. The images used on thriller posters are mainly of the protagonist or an object that represents one of the main themes of the film; usually a close up of the protagonist which leads the audience to believe that the subject is in danger. The use of close-ups also promotes the psychological aspect within a thriller. Low-key lighting is often used on the main subject to create a sense of mystery and enigma. The background is commonly dark to highlight the main subject and to create an unsettling atmosphere which builds tension amongst the audience.

The film title tends to be in either red or white to make it stand out from the rest of the poster; the fonts used in thriller posters are usually quite simple, clean and thin; we feel that using this font type will make the poster look more professional. On the majority of the posters we have looked at when doing market research, the main title is usually placed near the bottom end of the poster. The names of the cast are usually placed at the very top of the poster, especially when there are famous actors playing the characters. This is because many people will initially look at the top of the poster and the actor may attract them to watch the film. There is often minimal content within a psychological thriller poster as the genre often revolves around enigma.