Horror magazine analysis

Horror magazine analysis 

In the codes and conventions of a magazine the main image is the largest so it gets the readers attention. In this case the main image is of an evil looking child. Usually the image would be bright and bold so it’s clear to the reader and it stands out among the rest of the images included in on the magazine cover, however in this case due to the context of the magazine and the genre focusing on horror, the image is in fact very dark with a light on part of the face to add emphasis on the eyes and the rugged damaged look of the face to signify that this character is evil and dark. The eyes especially are very bright and open as though they’re looking at it’s next victim making the look more scary and daunting and the yellow used for the eyes signifies that it’s not human even though It has humanly features. The other images used are  smaller so are brighter so they still catch the reader’s attention, these smaller images are to give the reader an insight of what’s included in the magazine to entice the audience to buy it. There are 5 colours included in the cover of this magazine which is unusual for a front cover as normally there’s around 3 or four to keep the page from looking too busy and messy. The colour red is a common colour included in the horror genre as it signifies danger and blood which connotes with death and pain. The colour white is usually used on a magazine cover to add an element of class and order however in this case, it’s a horror magazine and in the horror genre white is known to signify supernatural. The colour black is also a very common colour used on magazine covers to add that sense of stability and order, however I this case it could be used to represent darkness which is usually portrayed in the horror genre as it plays on our fears, and darkness is a common fear for people. The yellow used on the cover could be used to make the text stand out amongst the dark backgrounds so the audience is drawn to it and it’s easy for them to read, so relevant information can be displayed, such as the price and some special features included in the magazine, usually the colour red is used to do this as the human eye is drawn to the colour red, however in this case the red has a different usage. The masthead uses a large font that looks like it has blood dripping from it, this is to reinforce the horror genre as blood is a common theme that has negative connotations, such as death and torture. The font it bold and at the top of the page with is common for magazine covers as when the magazine is on the shelf amongst all the other magazines the masthead will be readable and instantly recognisable as usually the masthead acts like a trade mark and rarely changes so the audience can instantly pick it out. Also the name of the magazine its self signifies that it’s a horror magazine as the word scream’ has negative connotations and the reader would instantly recognise it as a horror based magazine, especially as a contrast with the blood like text. There are three different fonts used on the cover of this magazine, this is typical of a magazine cover, this is so the page doesn’t look too busy and messy, so the reader has too much to focus on, it keeps a sense of order and construction. The fonts used are bold mainly capitalised to make the text bold and readable amongst the dark background. The tag line uses the words ‘blood, guts, gore and more!’ which all have these negative connotations that go with them all being themes in the horror genre, whilst giving the audience a bit of an insight Into what’s included In the magazine and what content they can expect to find. It also includes an alliteration which is catchy and has a ring to it which attracts the reader.