by A well-designed movie poster can do wonders for generating excitement about a new movie. There are a number of strategies that movie posters can adopt, from portraying each member of a stellar cast to a more enigmatic approach that inspires intrigue. But what a movie really shouldn’t do is completely mislead the audience about what to expect.
Sometimes, though, poster designers seem to take desperate measures to attract moviegoers. At least, that’s the opinion of those who contributed to a discussion on the subject on Reddit. From gritty dramas portrayed as light-hearted comedies to the use of actors killed in the first five minutes or situations that are not in the movie at all, people can ask for their money back if they want to. The movie based on the poster designs below. For more poster inspiration, see our selection of the best print ads.
The Day The Earth Stopped
Someone on Reddit nine years ago (opens in new tab) ‘Which is the most misleading movie poster?’ There is now a subreddit (opens in new tab) it is full of funny examples of designers who are totally devoted to this subject and who interpret the themes, atmosphere and plot of the films very liberally.
Many of the examples are drawn from monster movies and sci-fi movies of the 50s and 60s, when limited channels were available for promotion and movie posters were often impressionistic interpretations of a movie’s themes rather than true representations of anything that could happen. waiting on the screen. as u/arrow-Scale1423 (opens in new tab) He states that The Day the Earth Stood Still is about a benevolent alien trying to save humanity, not from an invasion, but from its own destruction. There are no blonde heroines and we have no idea what great ape paw is all about. Still a great poster.
Escape from New York
But the trend for a liberal interpretation of what goes on in a movie continued well beyond the 1950s. This poster for the theatrical release of Escape New York in 1981 makes it look like a disaster movie with the Statue of Liberty destroyed. Spoiler: that won’t happen.
13. Friday 8.
Sticking to New York, the poster and tagline for the gruesome Friday the 13th VIII gives the impression that most of the movie should definitely take place in Manhattan. But as RiemsMUFC points out, “Only in NY for a few minutes.” Most of the movie takes place on a boat.
Muriel’s Wedding
Sometimes the complaint about a misleading movie poster is how it reflects the feel of a movie. Anyone who goes to Muriel’s Wedding hoping for a light-hearted romantic comedy like Four Wedding and a Funeral based on this poster will be disappointed. “The poster shows Muriel laughing in her wedding dress,” RudyThree said. (opens in new tab) author. “In reality, it’s an absolutely depressing movie that focuses on domestic abuse.”
Def by sin
Understandably, when filmmakers take on a big star, they may tend to exaggerate the actor’s role in the movie or TV show, even if they’re killed off early. This poster suggests that Samuel L. Jackson is a prominent character, but his appearance is mostly limited to a few flashbacks and then immediately killed off.
follow that bird
This technique does not only apply to human actors. One Reddit user took issue with the movie Sesame Street Follow That Bird for “notably highlighting Elmo, even though he’s not in the movie or even created yet.”
jaws 2
Other times, people’s problem is the creativity of the designers. This Polish poster of Jaws 2 might be a good idea graphically, but unfortunately the shark in the movie doesn’t have two pairs of jaws. “Misleading because (unsurprisingly!) there are no 2-mouth sharks,” the OP complains. People still quite like creative poster art.
captain America
Another fairly common trick in poster art is the attempt to associate an old publication with a newer blockbuster. Video and DVD reissues are particularly unscrupulous here. The cover art for this German DVD might make you think you’re watching a modern CGI-heavy movie. It’s actually a 1944 TV show where the OP complained that Captain America “was not called Steve Rogers, had no solder, didn’t have powers, didn’t use shields, didn’t even fight the Nazis”. Ok-Scale1423 adds, “I’m also confident that this art was ‘borrowed’ from a digital artist’s portfolio.”
babbling
Sometimes the crime is to use the style or layout of a poster design to link a movie with another better-known publication, no matter how weak the link. This US poster of Jabberwocky deliberately copies the style of Monty Python’s movie posters to give the impression that the movie is part of the franchise. He even calls the movie ‘Monty Python’s Jabberwocky’. Okay, it was directed by director Terry Gilliam and stars Michael Palin, but anyone expecting Monty Python humor will be a little confused.
Someone flew over the Cuckoo
Reddit is wondering if the designers of this Turkish poster of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest have seen the movie. “It includes Jack Nicolson from The Shining, Shelly Duvall from The Shinning, Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, and what looks like zombies,” the OP says.
return to Oz
Disney’s Return to Oz was a controversial release criticized by parents for being too dark. The lavish magical feel of the poster didn’t prepare people for a twisted tale that transforms from electrotherapy into a devastated Emerald Kingdom and a head-hunting princess. highway_robbery82 (opens in new tab) notes: “I still love how misleading the Back to Oz poster was, considering how much of a childhood nightmare that movie fueled.”
secretly
Sometimes it can be something as specific as the use of a particular font that gives designers the opportunity to monetize another trendy title. This movie has nothing to do with the Upside Down, despite the use of font that looks suspiciously like the Stranger Things font. As the OP said, it’s “more of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid imitation”.
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