1st Magazine Cover Analysis

This magazine cover isn’t a bad presentation of horror, but I feel there are aspects that could be improved in my own work.
The main image of Johnny Depp that has been used is very chilling to look at and if looked at for too long, can become disturbing and creepy. This is due to how he is presented as his character in the horror film ‘Sweeney Todd’. His general appearance in this image makes him look somewhat like a ‘psychopath’ often used in horror movies. His pale complexion and staring eyes make the image uncomfortable to look at creating the intended portrayal of the character.
The colour scheme of blue and white adds to the character's icy and cold appearance, which makes the magazine cover more fitting to the horror genre.
However in contrast to this, the amount of text used on this page takes away any possible chill and terror that this image could have provided. In addition to this, the position of the character’s face is behind the text and so it doesn’t draw as much attention and doesn’t stand out in the bold way that it should. Also, the large text that says ‘Johnny Depp’ unnecessarily highlights the fact that this character is played by an actor, again taking away from the illusion. The font used on this magazine cover is all sans serif which gives the magazine cover an informal feel that suits its mainstream target audience of casual film fans. It is implied by the lack of boldness and gore that would be seen on most horror magazines that they are trying to soften the impact of the film because its target audience is not specific to horror fans.