Monster Movie Posters
There are hundreds of monster movies, and even more opinions on what posters are the best. Monster movies are not the same genre as horror movies, although there is sometimes overlap between a monster movie and a horror, fantasy, comedy or science fiction film. Generally, the monster movie is about people trying to survive an attack by a fearsome creature. These are my personal picks for awesome monster movie posters.
Any good monster list has to start with Godzilla. Here is the Godzilla 1954 US one sheet and the Japanese B2 size 1984 release poster. Very different designs, but both have fantastic art that would look great on the wall.
The Mummy (1932) with Boris Karloff had gorgeous artwork by the legendary Karoly Grosz. He was art director at Universal Pictures and also created posters for Dracula (1931) Frankenstein (1931) The Invisible Man (1933) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Fun fact: The Mummy set the record for world’s most expensive film poster at auction in 1997, and held that title for almost twenty years. (source: Wikipedia.org).
I saw this Frankenstein teaser poster (below) at the It’s Alive exhibition in Toronto in 2019, when the show of Kirk Hammett’s poster collection came to town. I can personally attest to the strong visual impact this stunning, large image creates. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to see these magnificent posters in person.
One of my favourite posters is The Day of the Triffids. Something about this ridiculous idea of giant, man eating plants, juxtaposed with the classical composition of the visual elements and bright colours make this one a winner. Look at the movement and rhythm of the tree branches, the posing of the bodies, the red tongue shooting out of the triffid. Your eye is led by these lines through the underlying triangular shape. The contrast between dark and light brings your eye to the focal point - the damsel in distress. You can see these same elements at work in this Rembrandt painting. (Rembrandt: Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee. Image from www.gardnermuseum.org)
Do giant sharks count as monsters? I hope so because the Jaws poster is an icon of poster greatness. In keeping with the monsters of the deep theme, here’s Piranha. I think the poster for Piranha is pretty funny. You definitely know what you’re in for just from the imagery.
Another poster that I really like for it’s glorious ridiculousness is Fiend Without A Face. I can’t imagine anyone actually being afraid of this creature; it’s just funny.
Let’s finish off with the first terrifying monster movie, King Kong. This is such a well known poster that a lot of people would like to own, but if they aren’t collectors are often not aware of how rare and expensive a lot of original posters are. Here we have a King Kong 1933 US 1 sheet, far left, then a King Kong 1933 French, and on the right a King Kong 1933 Swedish poster.
If you don’t have 100 grand lying around, I suggest getting a good quality repro or perhaps a re-release. As with Godzilla, there are many re-release posters that are more available and within reach of most collector’s budgets. Here’s a 1956 re-release of the 1933 movie, in insert size. And a 1960 re-release of the 1933 movie in Italian 4 fogli size. The last poster is a US 1 sheet Advance (teaser) poster for the 1976 remake of King Kong with Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges. It may not be the same movie as the 1933 movie, but that is one impressive, impactful image by artist John Berkey. Also of note in the 1976 poster, is that King Kong is standing on the twin towers, which no longer exist. The 1976 Christmas teaser is available for purchase here.
