In the background of the image, there is a dark silhouette of a tree and a noose hanging down from it. The noose implies death, a way of suicide (hanging). It also signifies that a tragic event has taken place, and it is not until we look more deeply into the poster that we spot more vital detail and a greater idea of the film narrative. The noose gives off a sense of mystery and secrecy to the audience as they are currently unsure about what has occurred and who was murdered, or committed suicide. This holds a ‘cliff hanger’ and creates suspense and tension, convincing the audience to watch the film and finding out more. The noose and mysterious house and tree in the foreground image allows the viewers to recognise the storyline and genre of the film, leading to a decision made by whether they want to watch this specific film and if they will enjoy it.

The fact there is a shadow in the bottom corner also gives a sense of mystery and a horror element. This is used to attract the audience’s attention and make them think about what it may be. This would result in persuading people to watch the film to find out more and communicating effectively with the viewers.

The position of the house is in the centre of the poster, giving the audience the impression that it is important and that it may withhold a lot of problems throughout the film inside. The background that the film is based in appears to be photographically.

The picture is quite dull, gloomy and eerie. This is seen through the fog and a smoke effect. The weather is also dejected and miserable. This could add tension. The main colours used in the poster are grey, white and black. The colour grey symbolizes calmness, and the colour white symbolizes innocence. This could be used to provide relief. However, black is often associated with evil and unhappiness, showing that the antagonist of the film is going to be unknown.

The title at the top of the page suggests it’s a good rated film as it’s the same director that created saw and insidious, two huge films. This would attract the attention of the audience as Saw and insidious are very well known and famous.

The poster contains standard poster features such as: picture, tagline, release date, credit block, enigma and director. However, this poster doesn’t contain any star names, but the tagline uses ‘the warrens’ to show s similar purpose. The fact The Warrens name is on there will interest the audience and indicate horror as they were renowned ghost hunters. The house in the background is used as enigma because the audience do not know whether it’s a house or people in the property are causing problems in the film. The poster also doesn’t contain of any famous stars, giving it a different effect.

This film poster doesn’t consist of any symbols that the audience need to foreknowledge to decode.

The messages are mainly visual and there are no verbal/offensive messages. There are no alternative readings that might harm the marketing hugely.

Overall, this is a good film poster as it suggests the genre of film it is almost immediately, horror. This results in leaving a mystery. The poster also makes the audience want to know more without giving anything away. This attracts more attention and gives an exciting element.

The gratifications that are promised are Horror (jump outs, scary, dark scenes and violence etc.). This would result in attracting Horror fans attention. However, the poster doesn’t consist of any males or females. This could tell us that this film is aimed at both the male and female gender.