The October Country: Poster Art Appreciation

2/28/11

Poster Art Appreciation - Volume Three

They sure don't make 'em like this anymore. Simultaneously lurid, colorful, creative, graphic and strangely beautiful. Personally (and I know I am not alone in this sentiment) some of these posters are what I most fondly remember from my childhood when making weekend trips to the theater or summer afternoon visits to the locally owned, pre-Blockbuster era video store (and occasionally I even got to rent a few depending on which rebellious babysitter was "watching" over me at the time). The fond memories being that of excitement and anticipation when I set my eyes on some of these things, my young mind reeling at the horrific possibilities and sleepless nights that the posters' art promised me was in store. Sometimes the film lived up to everything suggested on the poster or VHS's box cover. Sadly though, oftentimes the artwork was the most creative and memorable thing involved in most of these movies.

Many fans today, fed up with studios' uninspired Photoshop hack jobs in regards to both modern movie posters and re-releasing older films with new, boring DVD covers, have taken to personally restoring old poster art in DVD cover form or creating entirely new pieces that recall the glory days (proving that there is no contest for most fans on which form of advertising is preferred and I say the more power to them). Their heyday may be far behind us, but the appreciation of true works of art such as these still lives on in many a horror enthusiast's heart.