Horror Magazine Cover Analysis 3

The masthead for this magazine takes up a large portion of the page which may suggest that the magazine is trying to get its name out there into the industry in order to stay memorable. After carrying some research it was revealed that this magazine is an independently made magazine, hence why the creators would want to use a larger font for a masthead to make people look at it.  As for the wording that is used, the masthead is in large capital lettering in order to capture the audiences attention, the title is 'SHOCK HORROR' which has a very specific target market, it's pitching to fans of the horror genre which explains the use of famous horror icons for the main images. The colouring of the title has a use of different shades of green, starting with a darker green at the bottom and fading to a lighter green at the top. The colour green is an interesting use because it has an unearthly feel about, for example the character of Slimer within Ghostbusters (1984) is coloured a luminescent green because he is a ghost. The colour scheme of the rest of the magazine is mainly green, black and a faded peach colour, which could connote a number of things. The black used for the borders at the top and bottom of the magazine cover is a colour used within horror movies to connote darkness and shadows which create a sense of eeriness and fear. Also the green on the black background really help to make the text stand out more. The green used as aforementioned can be used to connote a unearthly colour within the horror genre. The cover has quite minimalistic feel to it, it's not as crammed with text as most other magazines.

The main cover image is the big giveaway to the genre of the magazine, as it stars one of the most influential horror stars ever Vincent Price. The headline calles Price the ultimate horror icon due to his influential horror movies of the time, Price has been in the horror industry since The Invisible Man Returns (1940) and has right throughout been influential due to his unique acting style. By using such a renowned actor, it's going to help draw in a wider fanbase with a wider age demographic due to the contextual nature of his movies and their respectable time period. The main cover image of Price's face is an interesting picture to use because he has quite a surly look about him, as though something has shocked of spooked him, which would relate well back to the title of the magazine.

The magazine's cover lines mention other names such as Scarlet Salem who writes a "scream queen" column within the magazine, however she is also an independant model, and by using her on the front cover in the bottom left. This will help draw in male audiences who appreciate the horror genre of film, this relates to Laura Mulvey's "male gaze theory" of using women in order to attract male attention, which in this case is true.