Film Poster Analysis - The Unborn

I have to chosen to analytically explain the elements of ‘The Unborn’ film poster. I believe that this poster is one of a kind. I have not yet seen a film poster quite like this. The location used for the image shown attracts me for a number of reasons that I will discuss further.

The main image on this film poster is set in the female protagonist’s bathroom. This setting along with her costume portrays to the audience that she has been awoken (for some unknown reason) in the middle of the night. The night is dark; you must be cautious of the unknown; the time of day reflected in the image connotes the danger that she is in.

 The image shows her standing upright looking to the mirror, where a young possessed boy (her twin) is eerily staring back at her. The young boys figure is shown on the left hand side of the mirror, which is basically in the centre of the whole page. After looking at the poster once; on the second look the boy jumps out at us and takes the focus of our eye. The possessed boys’ facial expression is very blunt making the audience feel frightened.  Furthermore, only half of the female characters face is visible to the audience. Her facial expression is also blunt portraying her as scared and almost lost within a gaze.

The female protagonist character known as Casey Beldon is shown to be wearing a white leotard; worn as her pyjamas. This colour of costume follows typical Supernatural horror film conventions as the colour white connotes a blank canvas, loneliness, emptiness and also pain, whilst in this case, experiencing terror. Moreover her costume allows the audience to see her very feminine curvaceous body and remain attractive. The character of Casey has dark black hair; this is a signal of survival. It is a common outcome in films that the ones with dark hair are the ones who survive and can defend themselves opposing the stereotype of a young defenceless ‘blonde bimbo’. Her looks are an indication to her fate. The reflection of a demonic, evil child alongside that of the female protagonist as she looks in the mirror, suggests that  the narratives of this film, like several other supernatural horrors, focuses on the female protagonist whose role, it seems, is to fight against whichever demon, presence or curse is presented as a threat. Casey, the female protagonist is portrayed as intelligent, brave and resourceful.

Furthermore within the female characters, surroundings there are no props used. However the most powerful object within the frame is the mirror. The mirror appears to have steam on it, making the image of the boy blurred, yet still the main focus for our eye. The frosted effect of the mirror may also connote that it is winter outside and that the cold of year is here; reflecting the release date of the film which was January 9^th 2009.

The main colour used in the setting within the image, is pale blue, white and a pasty vintage gold, used for the rim of the mirror. These three colours are very dull, unrevealing and are a typical example of the general, subtle yet piercing, colours that are used on horror film posters.

The title of the film ‘The Unborn’ is situated at the bottom of the page in the centre. This is not a typical convention used by film posters yet it is a little popular. The reason for this is that; this is the place on the page where the human eye looks last. Therefore the title of the film will stick in the target audience’s memory.  The font is a sans serif and the size is about 20 not too big, however still effective and eye catching. White is the colour used for the title, which is a common convention used on horror film posters. The colour and its ghostly drop shadow could signify the shining halo of angel; due to its bright outburst of light or the illusions of a ghost and supernatural powers.

‘Evil will do anything to live’ is the tagline on this film poster. It relates to the title which states the unborn; which the audience will find out in the film, is the female’s male twin. The message is that her unborn twin will illustrate his evil till he can be a living human being. Until he reaches his goal (to be alive) he will torture her and those around her, all that he can. 

There is another piece of text featured on the page which is the names of directors, producers, the film company etc. This is placed at the bottom of the page in a small sized font. This is because the information is not important to the target audience where as the other larger sized text is.  One convention that this film poster breaks is that it does not provide the audience with a release date. The reason for this may be because they are encouraging the target audience to research the details on the film further.

Overall this is one my favourite film poster that advertising one from the Supernatural sub-genre. The image and the text does not in any way give too much away, the information provided it just right. The figure of the boy, shown in the mirror, is unbeknown to the audience until they watch the ‘Unborn’ trailer. This main image on this poster portrays the harsh reality of the danger which occurs during the dark abandoned night.