Kiss of the Vampire poster

Using the technical codes ( images, language and lexis, use of colour, layout, iconography , body language , mise-en-scene etc. )  explain  how  the film poster  for Kiss of the Vampire ( 1963) creates meaning about the following elements  for its audience  :

Genre conventions  ( horror and vampire subgenre)
Representation of gender
Cultural contexts ( e.g social change, equality, 1960s pop culture )
Make sure you analyse the poster as it would appear to its 1960s audience and research  the era carefully.

The genre of this film is based on horror and vampires, as it can clearly be seen from the colours which were used for the poster. The red colours symbolise blood and danger which are very common in horror films. The black colours symbolise death and darkness, which are used to create fear in the audience of the unknown or what is to come.  

The poster very evidently looks hand-painted as the colours are blended in paint or oil pastels. The fact that the poster is painted and not created digitally adds to the fact that it is an old film from the 60's as in those days posters were generally handmade, whilst now most posters are made digitally. The paint gives the poster a more authentic and original appearance but also fits in very well with the font and the images of the vampires. 

The poster uses lexis in the way it presents what the film is about using its wording. The words 'kiss' and 'vampire' represent feelings of desire, sex and romance, the ideal messages in vampire films. 

The font is very bold and stands out, with the letter 'V' in a shape of a vampire tooth with blood dripping from it. The white font vividly contrast to the rest of the poster which has dark and shadowy colours. 

The posture of the woman on the left symbolises she is submissive or passive as she has no control over herself. She is being held up by the vampire whilst she is on her knees showing she is his property and he controls her completely. Her neck is hanging and her body appears weak which portrays she doesn't have confidence and just allows the vampire to control her. The woman is a victim and cannot stop what is happening to her, with her mouth open and her eyes closed. This representation of women could arise arguments in feminism, as it was just starting to increase in the 60's. 

Both women are wearing less clothes than would be normally worn at that time, which makes them look quite provocative and sexualised. The woman on the left allows the man to control her which would be seen as normal at the time, whilst the woman on the right looks much more confident and dominant as she holds on to the man. This represents the changes going on at the time with feminism and women standing up to their rights. The woman on the right also stands up much straighter with her arm in the air as if she is about to fight off the bats, protecting her man almost as if she is taking over the male role. 

The fact that the man is crouching down whilst the woman on the right stands over him could exhibit that as women become more powerful the men will appear weaker, so it is now a battle of which gender is more dominant. As the audience is mainly male, this will make the males want to be stronger and stand up for themselves or they will end up like the man on the right. 

The vampire is the tallest in the poster which reveals he is the most important part of the poster, even if he blends in to the background and doesn't appear to be anyone special. He is wearing a traditional  vampire suit with red hues, showing it is not a modern setting but instead quite old. These hues and contrasts in the clothes give a retro and vintage look to the poster which are quite appealing. 

The vampire appears to look slightly frightened of the bats in the background which could also create fear in the audience as a vampire would normal be considered to be scary enough, so now abetter fear is being brought to the audience.  

The poster is made to attract a male audience as it looks more gory than a typical vampire romance, with more blood and death. This conveys that the film could side more with the male gender, making the women look more passive and less powerful for the purpose of empowering the men. 

The 1960s were a decade of revolution and change in politics, music and society around the world. ... The 1960s were an era of protest. In the civil rights movement blacks and whites protested against the unfair treatment of races.