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Monday, November 20, 2017

The 20 Best Movie Posters of All Time

http://thinkmonsters.com/speakinghuman/media/20-best-movie-posters-of-all-time/


A great movie poster grabs your eyes. It slows you as you walk out of the theater. It calls your cornea to dance across it, consider it, and remember it. It’s designed to work your brain and make it spit out a single, simple message: more please.

Despite advances in technology, the movie poster has endured. Why? Mostly because it has thousands of galleries (AKA movie theaters) across the country whose walls would look bare without it. But also because movie posters can still work their magic pretty damn well.

The medium has inspired some truly awesome creativity. It’s a challenging art form that involves boiling down hours of images and narrative into a single frame. The best movie posters do this astoundingly well—capturing the concept and tone of the movie in a simple, powerful, and intriguing way.

Make no mistake about it, there are a lot of great movie posters out there. In fact, there are probably more great movie posters than great movies. Choosing the top 20 wasn’t easy. While we wouldn’t call this a “definitive” list, it’s tough to deny the greatness of any of these posters…

 

20. The Usual Suspects


All the main characters are presented. The lineup image alludes to the crime genre. The shadows behind them suggest something mysterious.


The Usual Suspects Movie Poster

 

19. Major League


This poster makes it crystal clear this is a baseball comedy. While it may hammer it over the head a little hard, it’s undeniably memorable.


Major League Movie Poster

 

18. Walk the Line


This simple, four-color design resembles an old concert poster. It’s a stand-out.


Walk the Line Movie Poster

 

17. Animal House


This poster perfectly captures the comic fun and chaos of the movie.


Animal House Movie Poster

 

16. The Terminator


Posters don’t get more Schwarzenegger than this (his name even dwarfs the title).


The Terminator Movie Poster

 

15. Adaptation


Nicolas Cage is a broken flower pot. Repeat: Nicolas Cage is a broken flower pot.


Adaptation Movie Poster

 

14. Halloween


The title, a scary pumpkin, and a large knife tell us everything we need to know. That shine on the knife tip is also a great touch.


Halloween Movie Poster

 

13. Back to the Future


Captures the fun, light sci-fi tone of the movie. The logo, main image, and flames convey the time travel concept and create a sense of urgency.


Back to the Future Movie Poster

 

12. Cool Hand Luke


Loose. Artistic. And, most of all, cool.


Cool Hand Luke Movie Poster

 

11. Alien


The stark image of a glowing green egg (which may or may not be smiling at us) against a black background. And that amazing tagline.


Alien 1979 Movie Poster

 

10. Airplane


The image perfectly captures the madcap tone of this comedy classic.

Airplane Movie Poster

 

9. The Thing


The angle, refracted light, stiff hands. Everything about this screams something bad is going to happen.


The Thing Movie Poster

 

8. Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman


The look on her face says it all. Not just a great movie poster but a great piece of art.


Attack of the 50 Foot Woman Movie Poster

 

7. The Graduate

The now-iconic image from the movie paired with a great tagline creates a spectacular series of dots for the viewer to connect.


The Graduate Movie Poster

 

6. Evil Dead 2


Like the movie itself, this poster shows you something weird, scary and kind-of funny—and dares you to look away.


Evil Dead 2 Movie Poster

 

5. Vertigo


The red background immediately grabs your eyeballs. The abstract image gets your brain churning.


Vertigo Movie Poster

 

4. Star Wars


Taking a cue from comic books and movie posters past, this poster creates an entirely new and intriguing sci-fi world that you want to launch into.


Star Wars Movie Poster

 

3. Showgirls


This poster has curves (literally). It hints at titillation. And, like the movie itself, it’s also inadvertently funny when viewed in a certain way.


Showgirls Movie Poster

 

2. King Kong (1933)


Danger, spectacle, and a damsel in real distress. The promise made by the poster is that you will see a film unlike anything you have seen before.


King Kong Poster

 

1. Jaws


Pound for pound, no other movie poster delivers more with less. It taps into our collective fear of the water, echoes the suspense and tension of the film, and hooks the viewer with just a glance.


Jaws Movie Poster

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