Key: Genre Narrative Other

The horror poster for Friday The 13 has used the mise en scene to deliver a sense of the genre and to convey a sense of the narrative to the audience without giving away the entire story.
The isolated cabin in the woods is very clich for a slasher film, alongside the dark image of the woods a night with the full moon dramatically conveys a sense of the genre and is using iconography in doing so.

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The tag line is a common convention of the genre of the poster and acts as an anchor to reinforce a sense of the genre but also the narrative as well. It gives the audience a sense of what is to come within the narrative, as it hints at narrative elements thus reinforcing the enigma code created by Roland Barthes. The silhouette of what appears to be a man conveys a sense of the narrative, by displaying that the young adults within the silhouette are trapped by this man. The silhouette creates a sense of enigma a concept created by Roland Barthes, within the poster as the person is faceless which is a typical convention of a slasher film, whereby the killers face is unseen usually by wearing an iconic mask. This portrays the killer as very animalistic and barbaric as would be expected within a slasher film. It also allows the audience to tap into their own fears and the fear of the unknown as the killer is faceless, hence making a more personal experience and allows the audience to fully engage with the narrative. The mise en scene is working on a subconscious level through semiotics via the image presented within the silhouette. This is due to the array of trees in the background connoting a sense of nature and life however, as there is a stumped tree in the foreground strategically placed in the form of the characters, this is suggestive of the act of life being taken away and therefore death. In conjunction with the bloodied knife this strongly conveys the sense of the genre, as the tree stump with these systems of sign conveys that this is a slasher horror film. The concept created by Levi Strauss can also be applied to this film poster, as the opposing themes life and death can be clearly seen in the form of the bloody knife which symbolises death and nature which connotes life. The hunter and its prey is evidently seen due to the group of teenagers and the silhouette being the hunter provided by the mise en scene. The experienced and the innocent are displayed via the silhouette and then the group of teenagers which is displayed through semiotics and the connotations presented. The most obvious and widely used binary opposites good and evil, being the innocent due to the connotations of white innocence/purity and then blood connoting death alongside the supernatural element of the poster.

The white glow around the silhouette adds a supernatural element to the character, as it connotes the idea of the paranormal, immortality and a sense that the character is beyond the human world or grave. This in conjunction with the image with the woods at night and the full moon reinforces the idea of the supernatural as these images are iconic of paranormal occurring and thus all being synonymous.

The silhouette holding a knife with dripping blood on it is a genre specific narrative element in the slasher genre. However, it is also a narrative element as it is in line with Propps narrative functions. It is evident that the character is a villain as the character is holding the blooded weapon in their hands and in the hegenomic society we live in, to kill is a villainous act. The typography conveys the genre of the poster as it looks rough and ragged as if it has been slashed with a knife and therefore along with the iconography depicted by the knife shows the genre of the poster. The red on white colours of the typography are symbolic of the slasher horror genre as it is iconic within this genre for there to be blood. Furthermore, the typography also conveys a sense of the narrative due to the red on white colour choice. This is due to the connotations of red signifying death and blood which is seen slowly covering some of the white typography. Thus due to white signifying purity, the typography conveys the taking away of the victims innocence and life which is reinforced by the image of what appears to be young adults in the woods.

The principal cast and crew and institutional logos are a common convention for any film poster so that the audience recognises that the poster is for a film and not another product. This may also help to create a buzz within the horror community which may allow the film to generate more potential audience by way of word of mouth, and aiding the films distribution.

Elements of Todorovs narrative structure can be seen within the poster, mainly being the disruption sequence within the chain of events created. This is evident due to the bloody knife, displaying that a killing has taken place and therefore life cannot go on as it were before.

Although, what cannot be said is who the hero is, dispatcher, donor and other key characterised just from looking this poster. The group of teenagers display a part of the narrative in the sense of Propps narrative functions being that they can be categorised as the group of helpers within the linear sequence that is the film.