Ways to Market a Horror Film.

Effective marketing is extremely important for the success of any film, with horror being no exception. I have been thinking about some of the ways in which horror films are marketed and come up with the following:

• Posters
• Billboards
• Buses and Bus stops
• Phone boxes
• TV adverts
• Radio adverts
• Adverts in cinemas
• Online (Web 2.0)
• Official movie website
• Social Media (Facebook, Twitter etc)

'The Blair Witch Project' (1999) is a film that used extremely effective marketing at its time of release, causing it to be extremely successful despite its low budget of only $25,000. It was one of the first movies to push a huge marketing drive on the internet, as its potential had previously been unrealised. The official movie website created huge interest, set up to look like a fact file on the Blair Witch with images of supposedly 'missing' people and their details. 

The 'Saw' movie franchise also has an extensive marketing campaign. Unlike 'The Blair Witch Project', there has obviously been a lot of money invested into it, but it is very effective. They even have a ride and maze at Thorpe Park. The designs of their posters are not what you would expect of a typical horror movie, as they present unpleasant imagery on pure white backgrounds which is very contrasting and different.