Top 5 Retro Horror Movie Posters

For many Gen Xers and Millennials, visiting the video rental store on a Friday night to pick out the weekend’s entertainment was a beloved ritual. Movie trailers were much harder to come by, so choices were often made based on the artwork hanging in the store. 

This may have been one of your first experiences making decisions influenced by design. As a horror film fan, I have always been particularly fascinated by how designers evoke fear and create interest within the limited space of a poster using clever design cues.

Here’s a roundup of my top five favourite horror movie posters.

House (Hausu, 1977)

The Japanese horror film House is a psychedelic, surrealist nightmare and its poster perfectly reflects that chaos. Dominated by a fiery orange background—a colour linked to urgency and unease—it sets an immediate tone of anxiety. At its centre is a grinning cat with glowing eyes, a stand-in for the film’s supernatural forces.

Designed during Japan’s late 70s horror boom, the poster departs from traditional horror aesthetics, embracing a playful yet disturbing energy that mirrors House’s avant-garde approach. The organic, distorted typography adds to its disorienting feel, making it as unsettling as the film.

The Shining (1980)

Designed by the legendary Saul Bass, this poster for The Shining evokes a sense of entrapment and unease. A ghoulish figure is confined within the bold, blocky typography, reinforcing the film’s themes of isolation and confinement. Purposefully ominous and abstract, it invites viewers to project their fears onto its cryptic imagery—much like the film itself.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

The poster for Rosemary’s Baby is a masterclass in psychological horror design. A shadowy, isolated baby carriage is overlaid on the faint silhouette of Rosemary (Mia Farrow), foreshadowing the film’s central theme of motherhood. The choice of green—a colour often linked to sickness and unease—reinforces the sense that something is deeply wrong. Minimal yet deeply unsettling, the design lingers in the mind, much like the terror the film evokes. 

Evil Dead (1981)

Dynamic, diagonal lines heighten the sense of chaos and disorientation as an outstretched hand from below grips a screaming woman by the neck. The solid black ground creates an overwhelming feeling of being dragged into darkness. And the typography? Absolutely iconic—the exaggerated points on the “V” and “A” give the logo a jagged, violent energy that perfectly captures the film’s raw, unrelenting horror. So, so good.

Friday the 13th (1980)

The Friday the 13th poster employs a visual device reminiscent of The Shining, using a container to suggest evil lurking within. Inside the silhouette, an inset image of a wooded area reveals a group of unsuspecting teenagers, offering a glimpse into the plot and setting. The limited, graphic colour palette draws attention to the blood-red knife, making it a powerful focal point. This design has become iconic in slasher horror, shaping many of the genre's lasting tropes.