Analysing Horror Film Posters - 'Smile'

 The poster for 'Smile' contains a number of conventions typical of the horror genre:

• Low-key lighting casts shadows on the character's face, creating a sinister unsettling effect for the audience.
• The use of black and red as dominant colours, which connote danger, blood, death and evil (common colours used in the horror genre).
• The poster includes mise-en-scene associated with death, such as the prop of the body bag that the character is being zipped into.
• The font is bold, suggesting the seriousness of the narrative, but it is also altered with a smudge effect, which is typical of fonts used in the horror genre.
• The character's face is scratched, suggesting violence and that she has been harmed (despite her sinister smile).
• The 'R' rating is typical of films from the genre, and the accompanying blurb refers to 'strong violent content' and 'grisly images'.
• The main character in the poster is female - traditionally it is women who appear as victims within the horror genre.
• The tagline is typical of films from the horror genre as it directly addresses the audience (the use of 'you' is common in horror film taglines) and it suggests hopelessness and that characters are not in control of what is happening to them with the phrase 'it's too late'.