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Best & Worst of 2009: The Year’s Best One Sheets

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Before any footage from a film is seen, typically a teaser or full one sheet is released by a studio. This is an incredibly important, even detrimental process as it is the first thing the consumers will see and identify with a movie. If the poster stinks, the consumer might write it off all together, while a good poster could lead to them checking out the official website, trailer and best case scenario, hanging it from their wall (the most personal relationship any of us have with a movie). To say the least, posters are damn important. As part of our year end coverage, we present to you the year’s best theatrical posters.

BEST ONE SHEETS OF 2009

Click any to see it larger
Posters listed in no particular order

Frozen (Anchor Bay)


Carrying inspiration from other top-notch one sheets like Open Water, the poster for Frozen is remarkably eye-catching. Anyone who catches a glimpse of this in a theater is sure to walk over and ponder on it for a second. It’s also quite representational of the flick and is sure to get people marking their calendars for the February release.

The Crazies (Overture)


A breath of fresh air from the previous one sheet that was incredibly confusing. The imagery is frightening, and more importantly, the tagline is awesome. “Fear Thy Neighbor.” Bing, bang, boom.

The Stepfather (Sony Screen Gems)(


I’m not a very big fan of Screen Gems’ posters where they render an image to look like a painting, but for some reason I think the one sheet for STEPFATHER works. It’s eye-catching, simple and actually a little unnerving. Too bad the movie wasn’t half as entertaining as the poster.

My Bloody Valentine (Lionsgate)


I loved Lionsgate’s one sheet for their remake of MY BLOODY VALENTINE. Outside of us hardcore horror fans, the average theatergoer has no clue who the killer is. The poster gives us a clear look at the slasher while also highlighting the 3-D aspect by creating two other slightly transparent versions. Good stuff.

Halloween II (Dimension Films)


After Dimension’s nauseating one sheet for the remake, Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN II was blessed with this violent and chaotic masterpiece of wall art. Like the movie or not, the marketing was well done – too bad it had to go up against THE FINAL DESTINATION, a film that delivered a brutal blow at the box office.

Friday the 13th (Warner Bros. Pictures)


Whether it’s by name or image, everyone knows who Jason Voorhees is, therefore there’s no reason to keep him in the shadows. Warner Bros. released this stunning one sheet for the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake that features a full shot of the infamous masked killer in all of his powerful glory. Whether that translated to film is up to you to decide.

The Wolfman (Universal Pictures)


With the movie looking to finally hit theaters in February, Universal Pictures released this gorgeous blue-tinted poster for THE WOLFMAN. Again, who doesn’t know the Wolfman? So why not let him tear it up in this action-packed one sheet that has serious bite.

Clash of the Titans (Warner Bros. Pictures)


To our surprise this has been one of the most popular and well-received poster debuts here on Bloody Disgusting. While CLASH OF THE TITANS is a fantasy film, there are some horrific elements like the three blind witches, the Kraken, and of course that sexy snake-headed Medusa. This one sheet screams for your attention. It’s bold, strong imagery is captivating and the color scheme blends beautifully with our hero. Aces.

Drag Me to Hell (Universal Pictures)


With a film titled DRAG ME TO HELL it doesn’t hurt to display exactly what the film is about on your poster. I enjoy Universal’s choice in drowning out the background images and bringing our star to the forefront with the fire and brimstone. And for those of you who read the little tagline… how can you beat, “But in three days, she’s going to hell”?

The Haunting in Connecticut (Lionsgate)


A terrible, terrible film that features probably the single best one sheet of the year. Too bad you could only see it at the comfort of your home on your computer screen. Lionsgate released this “motion poster” that’s one of the first to actually do something. Vomiting ectoplasm? Yes please.

Saw VI (Lionsgate)


When I first saw the poster for SAW VI at the San Diego Comic Con, it blew my mind. The imagery is striking, eye-catching and bold. How incredibly arrogant is it (have to appreciate it) to feature a giant VI without even a single mention of the title. It quite simply says, “you know it, you got it, here’s it comes.”

Jennifer’s Body (20th Century Fox)


Megan Fox’s long legs and a school shirt=WIN.

Daybreakers


Again, not a fan of artistic renderings, but the color scheme and creepy image are beyond eye-catching. This poster calls for your attention and begs you to come over and spend a few seconds seeing what it’s all about.

Antichrist (IFC Films)


There’s nothing better than a poster that tells you exactly what you’re going to see in theaters. IFC’s one sheet for ANTICHRIST says “sex in a creepy place, over and over again.” Don’t be shocked when you see a bloody penis.

The House of the Devil (Magnet Releasing)


Magnolia Pictures/Magnet Releasing created a series of “retro posters” for the release of Ti West’s 80’s horror period piece THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL. They’re all amazing, especially the one with the hand reaching out for you.

CHECK OUT THE WORST ONE SHEETS OF 2009

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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Editorials

‘The Company of Wolves’ at 40: One of the Most Underrated Werewolf Movies Ever Made

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There’s a compelling idea in anthropology that many ancient werewolf legends are derived from our species’ need to rationalize the more animalistic side of humanity – which is why lycanthropy has historically been used to explain everything from medieval serial killers to cannibalism. While I personally think there’s a lot more to unpack when it comes to tales of wolfmen and women, this is still a great example of why so many of our most enduring fairy tales involve big bad wolves.

And in the world of film, I think there’s only one feature that really nails the folkloric origins of werewolf stories, namely Neil Jordan’s 1984 fairy-tale horror classic, The Company of Wolves. Even four decades later, there’s no other genre flick that comes close to capturing the dreamlike ambience behind this strange anthology, and that’s why I’d like to take this opportunity to look back on one of the most underrated werewolf flicks ever made.

The Company of Wolves was originally a short story contained in the 1979 anthology The Bloody Chamber, a collection of deconstructed fairy-tales intended for mature readers penned by English author Angela Carter. With the book quickly becoming a hit as readers became fascinated with its subversion of classic folk stories and (then) controversial feminist undertones, it was soon transformed into a duology of BBC radio-dramas which adapted both The Company of Wolves and Carter’s reimagining of Puss-in-Boots.

These radio-dramas soon attracted the attention of then up-and-coming Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan, who decided to meet with Carter to discuss expanding on her stories and bringing them to life on the big screen. The duo soon realized that a single short story wasn’t enough material for a feature-length film, so they decided to adapt all of Carter’s werewolf tales into a single anthology.

With a completed script and a $2.3 million budget, Jordan decided to tackle the project like a hybrid between a theatrical period drama and a schlocky monster movie. Effects-heavy creature features were a hot commodity back in the ’80s, with films like The Howling and An American Werewolf in London proving that there was an audience for horrific lycanthrope transformations, so the director soon recruited a team that could turn this odd collection of feminist folk stories into something commercially viable.

Not exactly a great pick for family movie night.

Shooting would eventually take place almost entirely within the England-based Shepperton Studios, with notable production designer Anton Furst (who would later be known for his work on Tim Burton’s Batman films) helping to bring Jordan’s vision of a darkly romantic fairy-tale world to life. Appropriately enough, production would also involve a real pack of trained wolves (as well as a collection of dyed dogs), though extensive puppetry and animatronics were also used to flesh out the more gruesome parts of the flick.

After a grueling nine-week shoot where budgetary constraints led to corners being cut on props and costumes, The Company of Wolves was finally released in September of 1984 – just in time for spooky season. In the finished film, we follow the strange dreams of a sulky teenage girl named Rosaleen (first-time actress Sarah Patterson) as the film unravels an Arabian-Nights-inspired tapestry of both familiar and not-so-familiar stories about big bad wolves.

From sexually charged cautionary tales to parables about female empowerment, this surreal collection of deranged bedtime stories is much more than the creature feature that the marketing initially suggested. Like a more horror-oriented version of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, The Company of Wolves exudes that same kind of hormonal teenage energy that transports us back to a time when the world was both scary and exciting in equal measure.

That’s not to say that this is an entirely pleasant experience, however, and I’m not just talking about the film’s horror elements. A big portion of the flick’s overtly sexual moments involve the then 13-year-old Patterson coming to grips with her blossoming womanhood and the dangers of predatory men (usually marked with a humorous unibrow), something that naturally makes for some intentionally uncomfortable viewing – especially in the year of our lord 2024.

Obviously, I don’t think it’s my place to dissect (or even judge) the effectiveness of the film’s commentaries on being a young woman, but even as a man I can still appreciate the thought and care that went into crafting this Jungian cocktail of serious themes in a genre-movie package that almost certainly went on to inspire future werewolf movies like Ginger Snaps.

Not the worst wedding I’ve been to.

That being said, what really keeps me coming back to the film is the absurd amount of memorable imagery. From a wedding party being taken over by canines to lonely treks through snowy groves, this is exactly the gloomy world I imagined as a child when reading Grimms’ Fairy Tales – and the dreamy atmosphere is only enhanced by the movie’s overall theatricality.

This also extends to the effects, as it’s easy to forgive decapitated dummy heads and ripped rubber skin when everything is happening in a magical hyper-reality, with a great example of this is being the scene where Grandma’s head unexpectedly explodes like a porcelain doll when it’s knocked off by a wolfman. That’s not to say that the effects are bad, as several of these transformations are downright grisly and likely influenced future lycanthrope effects like those in Underworld and even Trick ‘r Treat (even if the wolf-dogs here often look more cute than scary).

Of course, these aren’t the only things that The Company of Wolves has going for it, as the main trio of Patterson, Micha Bergese and the late, great Angela Lansbury exceptionally bring these exaggerated caricatures to life and the orchestral score is an absolute delight. I also really get a kick out of that bizarre ending implying that the dangers of adult life have literally come crashing into Rosaleen’s bedroom.

The Company of Wolves may not be a perfect film, suffering from some wonky pacing and the classic anthology problem where some stories are clearly much more enjoyable than others, but I’d argue that the flick’s iconic visuals and powerful thematic throughline more than make up for any minor flaws. And while we’ve seen bigger and better werewolf films since then, when it comes to adult-oriented fairy-tales, this is one psycho-sexual journey that is still worth revisiting 40 years down the line.

The Company of Wolves

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