Textual Analysis Of A Poster: A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street, Released April 30th 2010, Re-make, A part of the Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise, Distributed by New Line Cinema

The “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movies and Freddy Kruger characters are hugely popular and a part of a huge franchise. The 2010 re-make gained wide coverage as it was a re-boot for the Nightmare on elm street slasher franchise. A number of posters were made along with a teaser poster which revealed to what the new Freddy Kruger was to look like and the year in which the film was to be released.  The main posters gave more of an insight into the story.

This particular poster is one of the official main posters. It contains minimal writing about the actors or what any critiques are saying as the main focus is the image. Although like any other official poster it includes it includes the release date which is centred in clear sight of the audience and also a website address. Website addresses are common features on film posters in this day and age, as it is a promotional device in order to get the audience interested and excited.  As well the usual taglines and name of the film are also shown. 

The colours used are low key and dark but with some haunting type light. The dark red with parts of deep black creeping around the edges connotes a horror theme synopsis, but also adding to the slasher type genre with the red associating with the lot of bloodshed and death the movie has. The black adds to the mystery of the film, giving a chilly eerie feeling.  However despite low key lighting being used throughout the image, some higher tones of light are used to reveal certain aspects of the image. Aspects such as the outline of Freddy Kruger and the infamous prop of his razor blade claw which is strongly seen glistening in the light. The highlighting lighting is also used to reveal some of the actress’s face and NVC, which is lost with a hint of fear of the unknown, her face is not completely revealed and you have to look quite close up to make out her distinctive features. This is done deliberately and is a good technique as it intrigues the audience to go and watch the film so the full identity of the actress and victim is revealed.

The posters main attention is the long shot image. The rule of third composition has totally been disregarded in the poster; instead everything is centred and is very symmetrical because of this. The lack of rule of thirds actually works to the film posters advantage as it shows the dominance of Freddy Kruger which the storyline entails. The low angle shot of Freddy Kruger shows his power and connotes to the audience the powerful effect he has over his victims. Him towering above a potential victim who seems to be half sinking into his shower shows that she is beneath him and highlights strongly that she is his prey as he is towering above her but seemingly unknowing to her. Placing the female actress at a lower level where it looks like she is sinking further helps relate to the storyline as her sinking in the image could relate to her sinking into a deep dream where Freddy Kruger releases his terror, thus making hints towards the tagline “He Knows Where You Sleep”.

The tagline is the first piece of centred text on the poster “He Knows Where You Sleep.” Direct language has been used to give a more personal frightening feel to the audience; it’s also a notion to the film that he knows where his victims in the film sleep.  The anchorage of this text is in sans serif font often connoting a modern feel; perhaps due to it being a modern remake of the film this was chosen. The tagline does not necessarily stand out but it a catchy chilling line. Other anchorage used in the poster the film title name.  A more traditional serif font is used perhaps contrasting the modern remake of the film to the content of the original Nightmare on Elm Street.  The font and colour of the film title connotes death and torture as it is bright red colours with some patches missing as if it is spattered smeared type blood.  Unusually all the anchorage is composed at the bottom and not spread and placed in different sections of the poster like other film posters.