Chatting with BRUTAL POSTERS – The Drew Struzan of Horror Movie Posters [Exclusive]

I love a good movie poster? Especially horror movie posters. And so today we wanted to take a moment and highlight one of the true geniuses working in the field today – Chris Barnes aka Brutal Posters. The man WE dub “The Drew Struzan of Horror.”

Also Read: Classic Board Games Become Scary Movies in New Posters (11 Pics)

Check out our talk and his killer art below!

Dread Central: When Did You Become Inspired to Create Poster Art?

Chris Barnes: I wrote and produced a short film a few years ago, called BURN. The budget was tight and we needed artwork, but didn’t really have enough money left to commission an artist, so I downloaded Paint.Net and had a crack at it myself. I was an instant addict, made the jump to Photoshop soon after, taught myself the ropes and went from there. (I’ve updated the film’s poster since, by the way, as it wasn’t great, as you can probably imagine, haha!)

BRUTAL POSTERS - The Drew Struzan of Horror Movie Posters

Also Read: Jerry Smith Looks Back at His Favorite Scary Movie Posters

DC: What Advice Do You Have For Readers Who Want to Start Creating Digital Art?

CB: Just go for it! Make a ton of mistakes, pick them apart and find your own way. Fuck people-pleasing and just enjoy the process. Then, when you get better than me, quit, before you put me out of work, haha!

Also Read: [Exclusive] Graphic Designer Maria Der Discusses New Horror Mashup Posters

DC: What Are You Working On Now/Next?

CB: I’m lucky enough to have a few poster projects ongoing, at various stages. One of which is for an amazing upcoming BBC drama series here in the UK…which I’m not supposed to talk about. This answer will self-destruct in 5-4-3…..

BRUTAL POSTERS - The Drew Struzan of Horror Movie Posters

DC: Pick Your Top 5 Favorite Horror Movie Posters

CB: Yikes! Anything by the late Enzo Sciotti, who we sadly lost last month. But in all honesty, my favorite posters are the illustrated multi-character, ‘floating heads’ style by the likes of Drew Struzan, Steve Chorney, John Alvin, Paul Mann, so not necessarily horror. I get asked to design most of my commissions in this style too, which I’m delighted about, as the collage layout works really well with horror projects.

DC: What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?

CB: The Exorcist continues to terrify me to this day, but I suppose if I had to rewatch the same horror over and over on loop, I’d choose An American Werewolf in London. And Fright Night. And The Fly. Haha!

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Thanks for chatting, Chris! Check out more BRUTAL POSTERS Here. And make sure to follow Chris on Twitter and Instagram!

BRUTAL POSTERS - The Drew Struzan of Horror Movie Posters

What do you think? Which Brutal Poster is YOUR favorite?

Make sure to let us know in the comments below or also on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also hit me up over on Twitter @MikeSpregg325.

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