Film Poster Analysis- Hatchet

The film poster I have chosen to review is for the Slasher film Hatchet. After the Slasher genre saw a large decrease in popularity in the early 80s Hatchet was the film that would revitalize the Slasher and Horror genres entirely. Therefore the poster for the film needed to display and offer the audience enough enticement to encourage them to see the film. The institution that produced this poster included various denotations and connotations to do so, for example, the inclusion of the 'Slashing into cinemas October 5th' not only informs the audience of the release date, but also gives them a suggestion of the genre, which, for fans at the time, as Slasher films were few and far between at the time of release.
The institution also included various positive reviews about the film, to again entice their audience into watching the film, the reviewers names are also included to provide validation and also add positive connotations when regarding the new film. Furthermore, including such reviews as 'The NEXT ICON of Horror' and 'An NEW and UNEXPECTED BENCHMARK in Horror' presents to the audience, just how acclaimed the film is, and how it compares to other horror classics, again, to persuade the viewer that if they are fans of horror movies, that this is not only a good horror film, but it also injects some new ideas into the arguably withering genre.
The poster itself creates connotations in the audience's minds which evoke certain images in their minds, for example, the orange/red tinge of the poster, provoke thoughts associated blood. Not only are there colours associated with blood there is an axe in the right hand corner splattered with blood. As the media institution are trying to achieve the perfect horror setting in the poster, to best match the common stereotype horror setting, the poster itself has been set in a unnerving swamp, which, when the tag line 'Stay out of the swamp' are placed just beneath the centre creates tension and mystery when concerning the swamp in question. Even more concerning, is the fact that just above the tag line are two men in a boat. Such a technique is used to inspire excitement and anticipation in the audience, causing them to wonder what could happen in the film, as it progresses.
In conclusion, I feel that the film poster for Hatchet establishes a solid foothold in their audiences minds and interests, I feel the media text successfully introduces itself into the highly competitive Horror genre.