THE HILLS HAVE EYES
The Hills Have Eyes released in 2006 is a remake of a 1977 film of the same name. It follows a group on a family trip who’s camper breaks down on a former government atomic testing site – and their subse- quent harassment by the locals. This movie came out to mixed reviews, receiving a 52% on Rotten To- matoes. The original poster for the 2006 film follows the design trends of horror film posters in the last 20 years. It uses frightening photographic imagery in the sepia tones reminiscent of The Conjuring and many other franchises.
Target Audience
Urban men and women ages 16-40 who are interested in horror movies and the nostalgia-aesthetic.
Design Problem
The main challenge with this redesign was creating a poster that felt fresh and unique, while remaining true to the ethos of the film. Although the film was released in 2006, I wanted to design materials that would appeal to a modern audience. In designing the associated website, mobile site, ticket and t-shirt, the goal was to have these materials remain familiar and usable while remaining consistent with the poster design.
Design Process
I wanted to give this poster design a retro feel that recalled its 1977 roots, while remaining true to its 2006 release date. I explored the zine aesthetic popular in the late 90s and early 2000s, which relied on cutouts and photocopies. I worked with incorporating the zine elements with real photographic imagery.
Design Solution
For the poster design I used the full color background image of the cliffs to give the image some realism. I used a brown to black gradient instead of the standard sky color to give the poster an appropriately foreboding air. The font I selected for the title, Dokdo, adds to this effect. The zine elements of the eyes and toy camper are differentiated from the realistic imagery using white “cut-out” backgrounds, drop shadows, and color alterations. I selected a toy camper to add a sense of kitsch. For the web and mobile design I inverted the colored vs. black-and-white sections and used a sky colored gradient to improve us- ability. On the platforms, I used the eyes as markers for a list of links, with the links themselves rendered in a similar style. The ticket and t-shirt design use the eyes as the primary focus, to further emphasize the title of the film.
Software
Photoshop