Alien movie poster analysis

alien movie poster

Alien Movie Poster Analysis

Language
The title of the poster says A  L  I  E  N in the font 'ariel'
This font is used in many sci-fi horror movie posters, along with the tag line 'In space no one can here you scream.' This is another way you can tell that this is a sci-fi is the mention of the word 'space' because space is associated with science. The word 'scream' also is associated with being scared which allows us to believe that this is a horror. The effect created here is supposed to make us interested as to why they are in space and why they would be screaming?


Industries
Directed by Ridley Scott and produced by Walter Hill, David Giler and Gordon Carroll, Alien got around $104.9-203.6 million in box office. This 2 hour movie was released on the 1st of November 1979 but set in the year 2121. In the late 1970's and 80's there was a cycle of films that all came to be known as ‘body horror’, because they focused on anxieties surrounding the human body. The body itself became the site of horror as its physical form was altered by disease, invasion or mutilation. Alien was one of these films which got it quite a bit of attention as a new type of horror.

Audience

The target audience, due to the fact it is an 18, was mainly pointed at adults. Many people believed that Alien was targeted towards adults because of the overly sexualised images of aliens. H.R. Giger was a Swiss painter, whose style was adapted for many forms of media, including record albums, furniture and tattoos. Alien's creatures were based off of his artwork which was mainly to do with very promiscuous aliens.This is the reason the Alien movie was aimed at a male adult audience.

Representation

This poster is up for as much interpretation as possible as it is very simple. The centre image is a floating egg like figure oozing a glowing green goo like substance, which we later find out is acid, and emitting a neon green fog. The very bottom of the image there is what seems to be a grid or net which looks very old and rusty.

This poster plays around a lot with lighting and shadows which allow it have more of a creepy air to it.