Oculus (2013) - poster analysis

The main image represents a young female whose eyes are completely removed from the face, and are replaced by a stranger’s pair of hands, thus representing the idea of being trapped and/or significantly blinded- perhaps not in a visual sense, but in relation to not knowing the dangers that she is potentially facing. On the other hand, the integration of the hands may signify the idea of consumption- where the character has gradually been consumed by the evil, consequently altering the way she behaves and thinks. The lighting is minimal and fairly bright, representing the idea that she is good, however, there is an abnormal shadow present on her face that seems to be simultaneously expanding, which may again support the idea of the evil manifesting inside of her. Considering these ideas, the concept of the hands conforms to the notion of danger, and perhaps the auburn/red hair is also working in similar notion to portray this idea. Furthermore, the caption ‘you see what it wants you to see’ again reflects the value of the character being blind, because in affect the caption suggests manipulation of the eyes in contrast to what you truly perceive to be real.

In regards to the gender of the victim, females are often conveyed stereotypically as weak, whereas males are usually portrayed as the stronger sex. The poster seems to conform to this idea as she appears to be dominated by something else which therefore may suggest she has a decreased amount of knowledge in what is happening in her life, thus depicting her as weak. However, her auburn hair seems to reverse this idea as red hair is typically associated with the stronger females in horror films. Although contextually, she portrays an intellectual personality in the film which makes her strong, she still dies anyway.

The colours present in the poster are all very neutral which add substance and realism, therefore adding target audience appeal. The minimalism of features and colours works well because it helps to reflect the story. The character stands out significantly in comparison to the title due to its size, so it keeps the focus on the main image, which in turn adds attraction for the overall poster. Also in regards to colour, the title Oculus is set in white, reinforcing the supernatural concept within the story, and to make it stand out. The fonts themselves are a blend of modern and old; ‘you see what it wants you to see’ and ‘in theatres soon’ adhere to more current taste, whereas ‘Oculus’ uses a modern font style, but also incorporates serifs into it, potentially to give a feel of the past- which is a main focus within the film- or just to simply to add complexity and formality. The tag line is very pale brown and is slightly lighter than the neck which signifies its fair importance but due to it being much smaller in size and darker in tone; it shows that main title is the more dominant element within the image.

The tag line itself ‘it sees what it wants you to see’ suggests the lack of control the genuine characters have- hinting to something that is dominating and manipulating them in supernatural occurrences. These concepts of the narrative help to create suspense and curiosity which further interests and persuades the target audience. In particular, the word ‘it’ conforms to the idea of the unknown, also working to develop a sense of inquisitiveness and add to the film’s value of supernatural elements.