friday the 13th film poster analysis

The image I am analysing is a poster of the film “Friday the 13th”. I chose this image as the “Friday the 13th” series is extremely successful in the slasher genre.
The main image in this poster takes up the whole page, emphasising the importance of the image. The main image features a densely wooded area, possibly the camp where “Jason” apparently drowned. The background of this image creates an eerie setting; this is shown by the fog/mist which creeps upwards to the centre of the image and on to “Jason’s” body. At the top of the picture is darkness form the canopy of trees, and also a gap in this canopy which produces a “spotlight” effect on “Jason”, again emphasising that he is the main focus. The man in the centre of the image is “Jason Voorhoes” the main killer in “Friday the 13th”. Jason appears to be wearing a form of altered hockey mask. This one item of costume adds to the eerie setting but also allows us to imagine what his personality and appearance may be. For example; what is Jason hiding behind the mask? Whether it is a physical impairment or just a mask to conceal his true identity, it keeps us guessing and unnerved. The rest of “Jason’s” costume consists of an old, muddy and tattered jacket and some trousers which cannot be seen. The use of this old and tattered jacket suggests that Jason has stalked these woods for a while, and may even have been involved in numerous chases. Jason’s weapon of choice seems to be his machete which is gripped in his right hand. The sheer size and sharpness of the blade unnerves us further as we see how Jason will hunt his “prey” in the up-coming film.
The two straps used are in a bold white sans serif font, suggesting that they are meant to be read by the audience. The main caption at the top of the poster say’s “Welcome to Crystal Lake”. Firstly “Crystal Lake” is the name of the setting where all of the killings take place. Also this caption is used for irony and witty humour, as “welcome” is used ironically as we know in hindsight that the victims who visit “Crystal Lake” certainly are not welcome. The second strap which is in a smaller font than the first say’s “from the producers of the Texas chainsaw massacre”. This is a technique to gain publicity, in an attempt to guide the fans of “the Texas chainsaw massacre” by suggesting that this film may be of the same quality.
The master-head is in a blood- red font, suggesting the genre of the film. The mast-head is the most eye catching text on the page, meaning that you are almost immediately drawn to it. Due to this factor the editors have chosen to put the fragmented “reviews” directly underneath the mast-head. These reviews are effective in giving a one word summary of the film and are also great publicity.