Textual Analysis of a Film Magazine

I will be analysing a Horror Hound Magazine front cover which focuses on the horror film, “The Walking Dead.”

Masthead: The masthead of this magazine front cover is placed at the top and is very noticeable as the font is big and the colour is black. It also has a red outline which makes the masthead standout, which could connote horror, evil and blood.

Coverlines: There are not many coverlines on this cover and are about three coverlines. The coverlines have been placed along the left hand side of the page, leaving the main image to have a clear view. This could be because the aim was to have the main image to stand out because there are n coverlines overlapping the main image. Also the cover lines have all been written in red. Again this could be connoting horror, evil and blood.

Dateline: The dateline is on the right, just above the masthead. It was published in September/October in 2010. However this doesn’t actually tell us when exactly it was published, therefore it could mean that it may have been published throughout the two months.

Barcode: This magazine has a standard barcode which has been placed on the bottom left hand corner of he cover. It has a website link which is a convention of magazines. Usually this website is the magazines official website link.

Selling line: The selling line of this magazine is, “The Horror Fan’s Magazine.” Usually magazine place this at the very top of the magazine cover, however Horror Hound have placed this under the masthead. The selling line will make a market, as those who are a fan of horror will pick this up as they will feel that the magazine is ideal for them to read.

Main Image:  The main image of this magazine is very eye catching. When using the rule of thirds the person has been placed in the middle which makes the main focus of the magazine cover. The image is of a female who looks dead and alive at the same time. She has hardly got a mouth and looks extremely unattractive. However this may draw audience’s attention because it is quite interesting to look at. The image does stand out since there are n coverlines over lapping the picture so it give the image a clear view.

Main coverline: The main coverline of this cover is, ‘The Walking Dead.’ This is the title of a horror film. This tells the audience that this is going to be the main feature of the magazine and is displaying and promoting the film. The text of the coverline has also been written in red which may connate horror, evil and blood.