Research: Film Titles

The title above is from the 2011 supernatural horror film, Insidious. The title is on a dark brown/black background which is conventional as dark colours connote eeriness and scariness, both constant themes throughout the genre. It also appeals to an audience of both males and females as from my research, both genders generally watch horror films and so it doesn't single out a certain demographic. The font is in a dark red which stands out against the dark background. Red has connotations of danger, and also resembles blood, an icon of supernatural horrors. It is also in a serif font, with parts of each letter sharply jutting out at the ends, slightly resembling daggers and blades - both of which are icons of the genre. As the typography is 3D, shadows are being cast over some of the letters, giving it a dark and mysterious look. Shadows are an icon of the supernatural horror genre as they have connotations of mystery and the nighttime, a typical setting for horror films. Insidious is set around a family who are moving into a their new home which unbeknownst to them, is haunted by a ghost after their child. This means that this film title style would be very appropriate for our film as they both follow similar narratives, although in Insidious, a devil demon is a main antagonist and this could be why the title is in bright red with sharp horns coming from the letters, meaning we may need to think of a slightly different style to fit our film's narrative perfectly.

The second title is from the 2013 supernatural horror film, The Conjuring. This a slightly unconventional film title style than most supernatural horror films as it doesn't use the typical styles and colours that other films use. Firstly, the background of the title is a dull, moody colour which almost looks like an overcast sky. Dull colours are often used within the genre as they represent the dark narrative that is to follow in the film. Also, the use of a background which resembles an overcast sky is also conventional as bad weather is often seen within the genre as a way to foreshadow the bad things that are going to happen in the film's narrative. The font is in a serif style, which has connotations of an old fashioned time and setting, both of which are common narratives within the genre, and also hints to the audience the film's narrative. It is also conventional for supernatural horrors to use serif font for their titles as they create a more ominous, serious look and tone that reflects the happenings in the film. The title has an overall ambiguous look to it as from first glance, you wouldn't immediately think that it is for a supernatural horror film which may not immediately attract fans of the genre, but cause intrigue and interest into what the film's really about and make them want to go and see it. We may consider using a font and style like this title as we think it is effective at setting a dark and ominous tone, however, we may include some more striking colours to make it stand out to our target audience more, and to make it more identifiable as a supernatural horror film for fans. We may include a sentence underneath the title like the one above, stating that it is based on true events as this is very conventional of the genre as it intrigues the audience as it makes the narrative seem more believable and thus making them think it could happen to them.

The third title is from the 2014 supernatural horror film, Annabelle. The typography used for this title is similar to the ones I have previously looked at, the conventional serif font which has connotations of an old fashioned setting, a typical setting for the genre, and it also sets a serious and ominous tone. It immediately attracts fans of the genre as many supernatural horrors use the same style of font, and so it is identifiable for them and is something that they expect and want to see. Also, the background is what looks like a wall with old fashioned wallpaper on, hinting to the audience the setting and narrative of the film, and also linking to the old fashioned style of font used. The 3D effect on the title casts long shadows of each letter across what looks like a wall as the background. These long shadows creates an ominous and dark effect, and plus shadows are an icon of the supernatural horror genre. The use of various shades of dark blue as the titles main colour palette creates a cold and dull look and atmosphere, which hints to the audience the film's narrative. We think this style for our title would be effective, although we think we may use a red colour instead as this is overall more striking and conventional of the genre. Although, we may still use a dark and old fashioned background as this creates the ominous atmosphere that we also want to create in our teaser trailer.