A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) - poster analysis

The killer in the film, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ is represented as the central focus of its poster, poised effectively as if he is thinking. His stance almost seems to depict the concept of the film – the idea that he stalks and murders adolescents in their dreams – by having his head bowed as if looking down on the soon-to-be-victims. The prime element of dreams in the narrative is further reinforced by the tagline which emphasises the word Nightmare, also reflecting on the title.

The lighting is incredibly dark to portray the killer’s sinister intentions, but the few light areas highlight the disfigurement contouring his face. Also regarding the lighting, the background hints at the diegisis of the film; the darkness reflecting the concept of the killer stalking people in their dreams. Furthermore, the portrayal of severe scarring connotes a specific convention of the horror genre which states that killers in horror films usually have a dismal past that has caused them significant suffering, mentally or/and physically. This in turn has caused them to behave irrationally and sadistically – ultimately giving the victim the desire for revenge. Freddy Krueger is an example of this – his killings have been influenced by the youths and their parents who set him on fire after. Victor Crawley from Hatchet is another example. Lighting is also emphasised on the further end of the blade to accentuate the phallic weapon and enhance the notion of danger portrayed by the killer.

The clothing worn by Freddy Krueger is simplistic – a tattered red and brown jumper – to relate to the person he once was and refer to the attire of an average older male. The hat propped in front of the upper third of his face is equally as dark and conceals his identity.

The graphology in the poster helps to reiterate the themes of the film; specifically looking at the main text ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, the notion of red relates to the phallic symbol, which help to indicate the genre of this horror is conventionally likely to be a slasher. The idea of ‘Elm Street’ relates to the intended target audience because it reflects the norm of real life, and this in context to the concept of the tagline ‘your new nightmare’ further reflects our deeper fears. The billing block also helps to sell the film as it informs the audience of the main stars and cast involved with the film, as well as including a release date underneath.