Semiotic Analysis

(Dracula, art by Bill Wiggins)

This illustration by Bill Wiggins is for the Hammer Horror film Dracula (1958) closely based on the book of the same name by Bram Stoker. This poster immediately denotes that this is indeed a horror film.

There is a simple narrative on display in this piece; to the right of the poster we can see a man leaning over a female. Her features connote to the audience that she is relaxed, possibly even asleep whilst he leans over her with an unsavoury look upon his face and sharp teeth protruding from his mouth. This signifies that he is most likely the villain of the piece, Dracula. The female meanwhile is showing a bit of flesh suggesting a sense of vulnerability, which was quite stereotypical, especially in films of this nature at the point in time when this film was made. Her white clothing implies a virginal innocence, a goodness strongly contrasted by Dracula’s black garments suggesting power, mystery and an overall negative vibe. Their well-tailored clothes signify that this film involves people of a certain class, which is further conveyed by the female’s well-kept appearance and groomed hair. Meanwhile the villain himself has greased back hair, which despite signifying a potentially different cultural background still suggests some sort of social standing.

Meanwhile the black thematic continues with the background, not only serving to connote the dark nature of the film but allowing for the illusion of Dracula appearing out of the darkness also.

A bold red typeface is at the forefront of the image with the title of the film, Dracula, which starkly contrasts the surrounding darkness of the poster. This helps grab the audience attention and signifies that the male in the poster is indeed Dracula, the villain of the piece. Note that the typeface is red, which is the same colour of blood, a strong theme within the narrative of the film. It is also written in large capital letters, transforming the title somewhat and suggesting that it shouldn’t just be read, but shouted aloud.

Around the poster there is additional yellow text, which is written in an informative manner. It tells the audience that the story is about ‘The TERRIFYING Lover – who died – yet lived!’ The word terrifying is in a capitalized harsh typeface to add a sense of dread to the word, whilst the word lover has a capital ‘L’ to give the word more power. With an advisory message at the bottom of the piece that states ‘Don’t dare see it alone!’ it is clear that a target audience for this film is couples. This would also explain why there is also a connotative romanticism in the posture of Dracula and the female.

Finally the acting credits above and below the title are in a dull green typeface to separate them from the black background whilst also making them less apparent than the title of the film or the informative surrounding text. This sans serif typeface is somewhat serious compared to the aforementioned text; this signifies a sense of professionalism on the actor’s part. After all, despites its outlandish premise the film is well crafted and brilliantly acted, changing the typeface, perhaps making it friendlier or softer, would detract from the skilled attitude of the actors themselves.