Every year, we are gifted with an amazing array of horror films, and also with fantastic promo materials such as posters that don’t get as much attention. As you wait on some of iHorror’s best horror films of 2021 lists, celebrate some of the most exciting and eye-popping horror posters of 2021. Whether these movies titalized or bored you, their mesmerizing poster art definitely draw the eye.  Check out some of the best one-sheets 2021 had to offer below.

Best Horror Posters of 2021

Censor

Censor is such a treat of a film, with its precise dedication to a 1980s British setting. Its poster reflects this as well, designed as a retro 80s abstract hand-drawn art piece, similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street or Videodrome. It’s got a great sense of motion, combining many different elements without being too overpowering and with a great contrasting color pallette to please the eye. The second poster also has a colorful dual design to it with a VHS glitch effect that alludes to its historical context.

Psycho Goreman

Psycho Goreman is an incredibly fun, fantastical film that reflects those themes in its poster art. All three of these posters are like a bowl of candy, combining kiddish, bright colors with intense gore and disgusting monster visuals. The first poster is especially impressive with a stacked character composition allowing you to see what makes Psycho Goreman such an amazing film: the imaginative and cartoonish character designs. The animation style is also fun to look at as well as harkens to its characters which are influenced by cartoons.

Come True

Come True is a dark and dreamy film, made all the more by its impressionistic and stylized posters. Both posters are a unique blend of darkness and color that works really well. Once again, they are also giving off a retro-80s VHS vibe that fits with the film’s look. The use of blue contouring in these one-sheets also work well for the film, which is almost entirely lit in a blue dreamy color.

The Manor

While I often dislike “floating head” poster designs, this one works really well with its blend of Barbara Hershey’s frazzled curly hair over a antiquated castle in monochrome. While using the usually boring colors of brown and white, this poster uses them in an enticing way by highly contrasting them and utilizing the hair strands to create an interesting texture. This poster has a beautiful gothic look with the focus on the castle as well as the typography of The Manor going neatly down the middle.

In the Earth

In the Earth is a very strange movie, in style and plot. It leans heavily into the folk-horror genre, used expertly in its second poster here that features a fabulous folk-style drawing of a myth in the plot. The first poster is a design that while simple, I am surprised that I’ve never seen done, or at least in such a captivating way. The brightness of the white eye holes against the dark background make it stand out as well as give off creepy vibes.

Titane

These posters do a great service to the movie Titane, hiding the details of the plot. This Cannes-winner is definitely one that is best to go into with little knowledge. The first poster focuses on the strange scar of the main character, that intrigues the viewer as well as entices you with the saturated color blocking. The second poster is a stylish monochrome of grey that matches the metallic themes of the film, especially cars as featured on the poster. The third one baffles those who haven’t seen the film as it causes you to ask: Fire? Cars? Sexy dancing? What’s going on here? Chaos blends them all together with a warm, saturated color profile.

Mad God

This poster for Mad God is bold and in your face. The large, red block lettering of the simple title stands out in the chaotic action of the poster to make a pulpy, exploitative promo image. The hand-drawn poster also fits for the stylized stop motion film.

Malignant

One of the more mixed reviewed movies of the year, the poster for it is anything but. Simple yet arresting, abstract yet hinting at what Malignant is all about makes it one of the best horror posters of 2021. The colorful, painted look of it brings up giallo films of the 1980s, as does the film’s content. The use of negative space is also imaginative and fun, like the film itself.

Crabs!

Perhaps the most obscure film on this list (so obscure, I haven’t seen it) but its schlocky design could not go unremarked upon. I’ve got a soft-spot for comedic creature features, and this poster screams that in a gonzo throwback to classic 1950s sci-fi giant monster films. I love the use of an overhead beach shot for this and the color contrast of the crab creatures, making a pyramid shape reminiscent of Jaws.

Prisoners of the Ghostland

Sion Sono, director of the Nicholas Cage-led Prisoners of the Ghostland is a God. It makes sense that his poster for his first English-language film would be impressive. The poster both bolsters Cage’s stardom by having him be towering over the action while also not relying on him completely by hiding his face. The abstract mush of set pieces and characters below lead you to wonder how they fit into the storyline and add a fun texture to the poster. The colors of red and blueish green are also a unique pair that blend well in this and overall it looks pleasingly ornamental.

The Strings

This brooding black and blue poster for The Strings is one of my favorite horror posters of 2021. Perfectly fitting the film’s setting of bleak, lonely winter, this elegant poster has a dark but artsy energy to it. Revolving around musicians, it brings to mind classic rock album covers. Moody and attitudey show through in this poster as it does in the film itself.

Dawn Breaks Behind Her Eyes

Yet another fun gothic poster marks Dawn Breaks Behind Her Eyes as one of the best horror posters of 2021. Channeling ’60s-style psychological thrillers, the image mixes realism with surreal animated composition and pops of color against its greyscale scenery. The wrapping of the black and white areas with the cream background also works to keep this poster from looking too chaotic.

Old

M. Night Shyamalan’s newest feature is as polarizing as ever, but its poster shines even without featuring any faces. Simple and absurd, the poster captures the essence of the film based on aging in a creative way without revealing exactly what’s going on. The colors work well with each other and the slightly drawn-but-realistic design give it an aura of fantasy.

Name Above Title

Maybe it’s just because of my own personal bias for this film, but Name Above Title sticks to its retro Giallo look completely in plot and in poster. The poster replicates the bright, intense colors of authentic Italian Giallo films from the ’70s, like Torso. A film about a megalomaniac serial killer matches this simple poster with the killer character towering above the minor characters in a darker but complementary color.

Seance

Seance, directed by Simon Barrett of You’re Next and VHS fame, was one of horror fans’ most anticipated of the year, and the poster helped to build that excitement. While it is a minimalist design, the symmetry and color keep it intriguing and the bone hands add mystique and visual interest.

Lamb

Lamb is a bizarre film, and made even more bizarre by labeling it as horror. It’s there, but it’s not exactly what you think. This poster represents that with its dark and mysterious painting style.  Set in Iceland, this poster draws from the popular landscape paintings of the country as well as the Nordic still life painting style, that shows almost realistic detail to ordinary things.

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched

You can’t go wrong with a folklore drawing as a poster, and a documentary based on the history of folk horror must excel in that field. Luckily, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched takes its assignment seriously with this beautifully designed and colored replication of a traditional folk art drawing that still has a sense of composition that keeps it from looking too crowded. The use of the color green is also a unique but appealing choice for the poster.

Last Night in Soho

Last Night in Soho is, you guessed it, another retro throwback movie from 2021. This Edgar Wright-directed love/hate letter to 1960s Britain is captured well in its poster (at least this one) with a beautiful watercolor art design that resembles older posters as well as alludes to the dreamy nature of the film. The poster used for the motion picture score is also a similar but different style with beautiful coloring that will definitely draw vinyl fans’ eyes.

The Amusement Park

A somewhat odd release of a film from the 1970s from George A. Romero was blessed with this unique and fun artwork for its addition to Shudder. It resembles a carnival poster and imaginatively combines a portrait with a colorful and fun carnival ride built into the face, mirroring themes in the film. The bright colors of this contrast with the horrific nature of the movie, including the bright mysterious bloodstain on the man’s forehead. The addition of the eyes as kind of blending into the carousel also are a difficult and fun part of this poster.

Broadcast Signal Intrusion

I love this minimalist design for Broadcast Signal Intrusion. While not showing any character in particular, the use of layering color and resembling a shooting target keep the poster visually interesting. The only recognizable part of this poster is a VHS tape, placed over the eyes in a creepy way with the tape hanging out jumbled, representing the film’s plot of having a man obsess over video tapes.

Army of the Dead

Army of the Dead was a fun surprise for zombie action fans on Netflix this year, made more enticing by its bright candypop-style posters. The first one is especially fun, with a dramatic typography and a comicy minimal animation style. The second one could be better, but I am still drawn to its overly saturated neon lights representing the film’s setting of Las Vegas.

And those are my favorite horror posters of 2021 that drew me into many of these films. Overall, there are many repeated themes of retro style posters, especially 1980s. If you would like to see more posters that came out in 2021, check out my Letterboxd list. 

Interested in seeing more amazing horror posters designs from some previous years? Check out iHorror’s lists from the years 2020 and 2019.