Thursday, 19 January 2017

Title Research

I have chosen four well known thriller films and have analysed them here:



Basic Instinct is a 1992 erotic thriller based around the murder of retired rock star Johnny Boz. The colour red of the word 'Basic' links to the theme of death in the movie. It is written in a basic font, possibly to draw attention to the next word- which is 'Instinct'. It is written in a more disturbing font, that is pushed closer together and is very sharp, it doesn't have curved edges. This could link to the brutality of the films main focus and how his life was taken from him without a second thought. The length of the letter 'I' links to the fact that the was stabbed to death with an ice pick. The word 'instinct' can be defined as 'a quality, especially a desirable one' which links to the idea that it is in this persons instincts to kill.




Shutter Island is a 2010 psychological thriller in which 2 US Marshals have to go to 'Shutter Island' which is remote and barren in order to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the hospital for the criminally insane. The colour red links to the murderess and her compulsion to kill. It shows that she's dangerous and they want everyone to know it. It is written in block capitals- almost as if the name itself  is a warning- telling people not to go there because it could result in their death. The fact that some of the letters are beginning to fade firstly show the eerie island for what it is and also link to the murderess and her disappearance. The name 'Shutter Island' tells us immediately that it isn't somewhere you want to be. If you 'shut' something you are usually avoiding it- just like how the US ignore the hospital for the criminally insane on this island.


The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero crime thriller film. It is clearly apart of the bat man series, you can see the intentionally placed logo behind the word 'dark'. Personally, I think this was used for advertising purposes, with the logo in the back you didn't have specifically say it was apart of the Batman series as people will just assume it is. The title is in a white font- this means that it stands out against the background which seems to have a lot going on. There is a use of an oxymoron- the word 'dark' is written in a white colour suggesting that not all is as it seems within the movie as it is a very pure and innocent colour. They have used a play on words- the word 'Knight' suggests it is about a person and that it is set at night which you can clearly tell from the scene playing out behind it.


Psycho is a 1960 psychological horror thriller that focuses a women who goes to stay at a hotel run by Norman Bates and his mother. he use of the colour yellow in the font is a contradiction to the movie. The colour yellow represents optimism and stability along with self-respect and self-control. However clearly Norman Bates lacks of all of these qualities. This gives the audience a false sense of security about the stability of the main character. The crack in the letter 'C' could foreshadow the use of the kitchen knife that he uses to kill the women in the shower. The crack through the middle of the words that means some of the letters are titled, could show the instability of Norman Bates. Again the use of block capitals could be a warning.


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