A2 - Analysis - Empire Hannibal Lecter Front Cover

Target Audience

The main target audience for Empire magazine is males, aged 15-45, who are likely to have an easy access to a cinema, so they can watch the films they read about.

Masthead

The masthead for Empire, unlike in the other Empire front cover I analysed, is in front of the main image, rather than the other way around. This is probably because, if the image was in front of the masthead, the only letters visible would be the E and M. It also makes the character appear more like he is emerging from the shadows, as he wouldn’t if he was in front of the masthead.

Layout

There are two main sections of text: one covering the left-hand side of the magazine, and a small list of names in the bottom right corner. The majority of the page is covered by the man’s face.

Colour

The main colour used in this front cover is shades of red, used in the masthead and for several teasers. It is also the same shade of red as the man’s eye, linking in the picture to the rest of the magazine.

Imagery

The main image shows a man’s face, half covered in shadow. This can attract the audience, as they would be curious to find out who this man is, as the front cover is not clear as to what film he is in.

Typography/Text

Some of the names mentioned include Ridley Scott, Charlize Theron and Will Smith, to appeal to other genres than just horror. The text on the left includes teasers such as “are you a psycho?” and “the most shocking scenes ever”. This appeals to fans of the horror genre, who would be likely to be interested in shocking scenes and psychopaths, which are commonly seen in horror films.

Conclusion

This is the only proper horror magazine front cover I have looked at: the other two are hybrids of horror and other genres. The thing that struck me first about this is how simple yet effective it is. There is not a lot of complexity on the front cover, but it makes you want to find out more about it regardless. This seems to be a common trend for horror films, as many posters are also incredibly simple yet effective.