Typography Deconstruction

After a first glance at a selection of typography examples from a number of different films within the horror genre, the most obvious theme was the contrast between red and black. I wanted to look at different styles of typography so that I could get inspiration for the typography which I am planning on creating, potentially for our film opening.

Firstly, the font appears as a Times New Roman style font, which is also serif. This gives the title a slightly aged and archaic look, suggesting that the film may contain religious connotations. The colour red also connotes danger, fear and blood which immediately indicates to the audience the genre of film, as well as what it may contain. The use of red is effective against the black background as there is a strong contrast which exaggerates the title and focuses the attention of the audience on it. 

I then looked at The Babadook, which didn't follow the red and black trend which is associated with horror films. The use of whites and a variety of grey and black colours, connects the typography with the ideas which are included in the film, as it is similar to that of a book. The variety of greys and blacks adds depth to the title, as the edges are dark and they disperse into lighter colours, finishing with a white burst in the centre. This draws the attention to the centre of the shot, where the title is situated. Again, the serif black font adds an archaic feel to the title.

Again, the Paranormal Activity typography follows the red and black theme, although there is a bold white '3' included, which highlights that this is the third film within the Paranormal Activity films, and that all films are related and in sequence. The red is bright and offers a strong contrast against the black. The font is sans serif and looks similar to a Verdana font. Also, behind the writing there is a slight red shadow of the same words, which suggests the presence of another force hiding within the darkness, which again represents the psychological horror genre.

I also looked at the typography of Insidious 2, which again followed the same pattern of red and black, but also included the 'off white' colour. The typography is all in capital letters, and the font is Neutralised Sans Bold. The letters are slightly faded at the edge, which suggest a slightly aged feel, again presenting the ideas which may be incorporated into the film to the audience. The bold number 2, which draws the most attention initially, shows the audience that it is the sequel to the initial Insidious film. The word 'chapter' is much darker than the rest of the writing, as it is less important than the title but still needs including. On the black background, directly above the word Insidious, there is a dark green tinge, which could represent the presence of a supernatural being.

Overall, within the horror genre, the common reoccurring theme is the use of red and black, but also the film title name written in capital letters rather than the lower case. The background colour is also usually black, as this provides a strong contrast with the writing.