To refresh my Photoshop and design skills, I decided to design posters for my last few short films. Drawn into Darkness was my senior thesis film at LMU, and the culmination of everything I’ve learned about filmmaking so far. I wanted to create a poster that wasn’t explicit in its horror; something that teased the darkness inside to lure you in.

The shot that the poster is built around was actually cut from the film, so I was glad I could give it a second life in a poster. I always enjoyed the framing, Alejandro’s contemplation of the work in front of him. Much of the film is about introspection—the character of Alex facing his personal demons through his work—so I spent a few days sketching concepts that might play into that theme.

As you go deeper into the frame, the images darken, and Alex’s form devolves. For the typeface, I mixed a few, and went for something that might fit a classic novel. I also added weathering and a sort-of damaged film effect. The connected “SS” in “Darkness” is pulled from a separate font, as I thought it had a sinister aura.