The film poster for 'Scream is quite a simple one. We have a young teenage girl frozen in an expression of horror. She has a hand covering her mouth which could either be construed as her own hand placed over her mouth in shock or someone else grabbing her in order to silence her. The word 'scream' itself means to utter a loud, sharp piercing cry alluding to the violence and horror that can be expected within the full film. This image subverts the Slasher genre's own codes and conventions as there is no weapon, blood or noticeable violence featured and neither is there any indication of narrative or story apart from that this is a horror film.
The caption at the top is already promising an element of violence, brutality and death. It provides a clearer indication of that narrative as we can intimate from the two lines that there will be someone (the killer) possibly terrorising the typical group of teenagers and most of the film will comprise of them trying to figure out who this mysterious villain is before it is too late. This is an example of Roland Barthes' enigma code in which there is a set up of a mystery, its development and its resolution. This will propel the narrative forward and means the film will probably end with the central enigma being solved proving that Pam Cooke's idea of films having to end with a 'high degree of narrative closure' is very accurate. The caption also gives us a clearer view of what the disruption phase of the narrative (according to Tzvetan Todorov's classic narrative pattern) will consist of. The audience will go to the cinema expectant of a stereotypically masked and male character who will pursue the conventional group of teenagers who in a Slasher film normally consist of at least a final girl, sexually promiscuous girl and jock.
As to Todorov's theory of classic narrative pattern, the caption gives more away regarding the disruption. We know there will be a character (stereotypically masked and male) who will pursue a group of teenagers featuring this girl.
This girl has been captured with the male gaze in mind. She has pretty, startling blue eyes and is clearly wearing make-up.
We are reminded of her femininity and sexuality as a woman by this. The face is so generic that it is representative of the standard female protagonist in most horror films; she is not necessarily 'Scream's final girl but is merely an emblem for the characterisation of all final girls.
The black and white colour scheme is quite simple in that there is no conventional red used to represent blood but rather various shades of grey used to brighten the main image and darken the edges. This is a characteristic commonly used in the film noir genre in which characters in the centre of the shot were decipherable yet the edges were shrouded in darkness increasing the fear factor as the audience never know what is lurking within the unknown (the darkness).
The typography of the title is simple, bold and blocked. The shape of the 'M' could almost be conceived as phallic. Or it could be considered knife like and a sign of the fear and danger to be expected in the film.
'Scream' is a very post-modern horror film that uses the codes and conventions of its genre to drive the narrative. The use of a final girl and a mysterious killer whose identity remains hidden until the climax of the film are key features of Slasher films.
The names of the principle cast and crew at the bottom of the poster is a conventions all film posters follow. Any stars names are normally in bold so as to attract fans of their previous work and entice them to see this film.
The first thing the viewer notices when they look at this poster is Jack Nicholson’s mad face peering through the cracks of a door. His expression is quite animalistic and manic, almost as though he is enjoying the hunt and the violence. Instantly, we can understand that he is ‘after’ the female figure and is probably going to be chasing her for some of the film. Behind Nicholson’s face the background is quite murky and dark compared to the white around the women which depicts her as the victim and him the villain. This supports Claude Levi-Strauss' theory of binary opposites in which he believed that rather than characters and plot it was mainly thematic structure that carries the text. Here the obvious opposites are good vs. evil or the known vs. the unknown.
Generally we read from left to right which helps us understand that Nicholson will be chasing the woman. Also, as he is at the forefront of the poster we can tell that he is more powerful and in control of the situation. This also emphasizes the dominant ideology used in most media texts that men are superior and dominant whilst woman are submissive and thus must play a more subjugating position.
Between the two faces, there is a certain juxtaposition of their facial expressions. Both of their mouths are open, yet in different expressions: his in enjoyment and hers in sheer terror (which is another example of binary opposites in this case they are pleasure and horror). Also, the fact that Nicholson’s face is quite close to the axe proves that he is probably stronger and more dangerous. The female character does have a knife yet she seems to be holding it more in self-defence rather than in an attacking manner supporting Barbara Creed's hypothesis that within films (Slasher films especially) women are normally portrayed as empowering or as enforcers of misogynistic stereotypes. At the start of 'The Shining', Wendy is portrayed as a typical maternal figure but then transforms into a somewhat monstrous form as she attempts to protect herself and her son against the vicious attack from her husband. This is further reinforced by Wendy holding the knife which is a phallic image normally used by killers in Slasher films to represent the symbolic raping of the victim he thrusts his weapon into. By having possession of the knife - Wendy has assumed a now monstrous role.
The typography is quite basic. The title is in a bold, red font – which has connotations of violence and bloodshed. Also, there have been minimum details added such as director and actors so as not to take attention away from the image above it. Also the use of the names Stanley Kubrick and Jack Nicholson are very effective on their own; they are famous people and fans of their previous work will be enticed into seeing this new film just by the names on this poster.
If we think in terms of Todorov’s classic narrative pattern we can easily identify that this is the scene of disruption - the axe almost a symbol of this destruction. Wendy's victory over her demented husband is likely to be the resolution phase of the film.
In regards to Propp, there is not much to understand other than that Nicholson is the villain. Wendy appears to be the protagonist and ultimately the leading heroine within the plot.
There is also the presence of Roland Barthes’ symbolic code where semiotics are used to represent larger themes and ideas within a narrative. This is done by the use of the axe and knife. The axe represents his blood thirst and violent tendencies, not to mention that this film will contain a lot of bloody scenes full of violence.
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