Hanging a horror movie poster in your home is an instant conversation-starter. If it’s particularly gruesome, then you might have to explain yourself to your guests, but often a horror movie poster can be witty, beautiful and memorable. Depending on taste, there are varying degrees of violence you can have hanging on your wall.

Looking Back: Old School Horror Flicks

You don’t have to be a horror film fan to hang a horror movie poster on your wall. Posters from films made during the 1930s to the 1960s are often admired more for their kitsch value than their fright value. Iconic images such as King Kong, Dracula, and Frankenstein have become part of our cultural discourse because of the delightfully cheesy films they were featured in.

Posters for the classic The Bride of Frankenstein can also show people the inspiration for Marge Simpson’s beehive hairdo. Director, Ed Wood made a legendary career out of camp horror films, which will be endearing to the urban hipster who adorns his or her wall with the poster for Plan 9 from Outer Space. A horror movie poster from the 1950 also ensures that the blood and gore will be kept to a minimum.

The 1970s and 1980s: The Slasher Pic

There are others who want a horror movie poster to be edgy, thought-provoking and disturbing, along with being witty and clever. Choosing posters from the 1970s and 1980’s is not something for the faint of heart. Franchises popped up featuring such violent characters as Michael Myers and Chucky, a murdering doll.

Posters for the Chucky film Child’s Play and its list of sequels are actually funny. Any one of them would be a good choice for a horror movie poster because of the perverse nature of the image of a devilish grin on a seemingly innocent doll.

Freddy Krueger and the Nightmare on Elm Street films have also spawned a litany of merchandise, including horror movie posters. The horror movie posters from these films often use dark humor to convey the absurdity of horror films, and like the films they’re advertising, some are not appropriate for all viewers.

The 1990s and 2000s: Anything Goes!

Since the 1980s, the horror genre has given audiences unforgettable images that rival even the classic Universal Studios movies. An excellent example of a hip horror movie poster is the one for Scream. The movie itself was over-the-top in the violence, but the poster is valuable because of its roster of late 1990s superstars such as Drew Barrymore and Courtney Cox. This poster, and generally all examples of horror movie posters, are time capsule of what’s “in” and who’s “hot.”