post movie posters done in a busy/claustrophobic caricature style from the 70s and 80s

Nutcase, starring Boris Johnson

Americathon also leaning into the American Graffiti neon-sign letterform style.

Have we ever hit on a name for what this style evolved into/was replaced by in the course of the 80s? Thinking of things like Night Shift, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, or Big Trouble in Little China ... more realistic faces, bold outlines around the figures, softer (airbrushed?) gradients... it's a very distinct aesthetic in its own right. Often still claustrophobic, but not necessarily. Maybe easier to build out of separate, Colorform-esque elements that got rearranged and overlapped as part of the design process...?

could raider of the lost ark started this trend

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1057/4964/products/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-vintage-movie-poster-original-1-sheet-27x41-6360.jpg?v=1534414855

Thinking of things like Night Shift, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, or Big Trouble in Little China

could raider of the lost ark started this trend

This is presumably just a case of people imitating Drew Struzan, much as half the pre-1980s examples in the thread are either Jack Davis or people imitating Jack Davis

sure, fair enough --- just interesting to contemplate why struzan's style was sought-after, apart from the obvious thing that he had done the posters for several extremely successful movies.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTYzOWQ1OTQtMmMwNy00NTc3LTllMWUtZWIzMTRjMzJiMGJjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM@._V1_.jpg
Search for Beauty, 1934

Just spitballing, but the Struzan style better fits the kind of broad lighting / extensive production design / low-grain / colour style of post-Spielberg general audience movies, whereas a lot of these earlier comedies would have been in smaller location buildings with lots of natural light, or cheaper sets, and making more out of the character actor faces they were filled with, rather than spectacle

^^ you can totally imagine a Struzan-style poster for It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. In fact, you're doing it right now, aren't you

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w600_and_h900_bestv2/bEwdIkXKKcGWYSpEms7T0GyJF66.jpg

Wanda Nevada, 1979

sic, that's interesting! i'm not sure i buy that the movies WERE all that different (i can imagine Night Shift coming out ten years earlier with basically the same locations etc.) but maybe the art helps convey the sense that they ARE.... after you've seen one too many plodding laughless drive-in duds with the old style of posters, you need something to tell you that THIS is fresh, 80s-ready, Spielberg-ish, etc...

RIP Carl Reiner

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/714ztePfJ5L._AC_SY445_.jpg

https://cdn.cinematerial.com/p/500x/cvwuzjwx/the-one-and-only-german-movie-poster.jpg?v=1469056464

The One And Only, 1978

but maybe the art helps convey the sense that they ARE

yeah, obv not everything changed look immediately, but it became aspirational and fashionable - & if you couldn't afford to make your movie look like that, you might be able to afford a poster that does

https://img.moviepostershop.com/kiss-my-grits-movie-poster-1982-1020204112.jpg

Kiss My Grits, 1982

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI3NjkwNjUxN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjAzMTM4NA@@._V1_UY1200_CR80,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg

https://media-cache.cinematerial.com/p/500x/ubtisn2g/a-small-town-in-texas-german-vhs-movie-cover.jpg?v=1523442149

A Small Town In Texas, 1976

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w600_and_h900_bestv2/5Rn1gpBafCiJhWMfVSWhPEJiwun.jpg

The Marseille Contract, 1974

incredible column-a, column-b title there

One day I'm gonna tally up how often Michael Caine and James Mason appear in this thread.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTAwYjI5ZGQtOGNlMS00MjFkLTg4M2YtZmY4YTU3MzJhZWRlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjIyNjE2NA@@._V1_.jpg

Undercovers Hero aka Soft Beds, Hard Battles, 1974

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/Ebony%2C_Ivory_%26_Jade.jpg

Ebony, Ivory & Jade, 1976

is it short for "mamacita"

RIP Regis Philbin

https://cdn.traileraddict.com/content/unknown/sextette.jpg

Sextette, 1977

https://i.etsystatic.com/10683147/r/il/6cc16a/1661275710/il_570xN.1661275710_3bg2.jpg

The Bad News Bears Go To Japan, 1978

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/94/63/cf946333c2973367f3fbe55fbbdee5b3.jpg

Malibu Express, 1985

BUSTY O'SHEA

Mentioned six years ago, but not posted - The Long Goodbye (1973) by Jack Davis:

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/notebook/post_images/6568/images-w1400.jpg

which was commissioned to replace the original poster(s) by Altman's preferred artist Richard Amsel, after the studio figured the odd tone of the movie needed to be signalled.

that's in the original post.

lol d'oh, I ctrl+f'd

you can read this one though!

RIP John Saxon

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQxOTBjYzYtN2U5MS00MWQ3LWEyMmMtYWM3YzI4MjExNjhkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI4MjA5MzA@._V1_.jpg

Mitchell!, 1975

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ukNNuI78clE/WCYQIbFslzI/AAAAAAAABD0/WtoH4xifaEU_BC6payLqwLk7X5n9JaZVACLcB/s1600/Moonshine%2BCounty%2BExpress%2BBlu.jpg

Moonshine County Express, 1977

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODQ4ZWY5ZDQtMTIwMy00YTFhLThiNTEtOWEwMTVjM2Q2NWNkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjU5OTg5NDc@._V1_SY999_CR0,0,709,999_AL_.jpg

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWJjOWRhNTEtMzYyNy00ZTEwLThiOTAtOTA2MmY1OTkxODI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg

"Mitchell"

I mean, everyone remembers the sequel, right?

https://i.imgur.com/DBeshuj.jpg

my my my my mailman

The perspective and utter lack of grip in that helicopter poster are really getting me rn

i just love the blasé look on their faces as they dangle from the copter

if you think that poster's bad, the helicopter scene itself is measurably less thrilling.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmQxZmIzNzUtNzE4ZC00ODhkLTk1NjgtZGY4OWE3MWEzY2Y0L2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM3NzQ5NzQ@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,666,1000_AL_.jpg

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, 1971

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzY2ZjllOTUtNjE0ZS00ZDE2LWFmZjgtNzc2YWY4MTJiMjNjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,621,1000_AL_.jpg

Party Camp, 1987

lol "Party Camp," by that point there was just a machine generating titles, posters and movies.

From the imdb 'More Like This' list:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjdhZWQ4YTQtZDE4NC00ZWVlLWJiNjItY2MyMGFjMzliNjM1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg

Beach Fever, 1987, starring Kato Kaelin

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDRjNzQ4Y2MtZWI5Yi00MGEwLTg3ODYtODU1ZGFlNGJjZmMxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_.jpg

Gas Pump Girls, 1979

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjlhZGU2ZWYtZjU2MC00MDc0LTk2YzItMmYyZDU2YzZjYjgzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_.jpg

The Great Texas Dynamite Chase, 1976

Wow, the Beach Fever poster is magnificent.

Party Camp weirdly shaped like *that* iceberg picture.

(...which iceberg picture?)

The inspirational poster one. Maybe it's just me.

https://images.app.goo.gl/4ucPWJuFvo8xthwA9

never seen that before!

but we can get that AI to write a quick sex comedy about the inhabitants of an antarctic research base, and cover the 'berg with cartoons of people chasing each other in furry parkas & mittens, with no pants

"all right you bozo, that's it. i'm assigning you to teach summer school --- in ANTARCTICA!"

https://d1w8cc2yygc27j.cloudfront.net/-3424050904899577017/4542045592072958183.jpg

Day of The Locust, 1975

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/718olHAwheL._SX300_.jpg

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/data/xfmg/thumbnail/6/6138-4325784b7ffcf33dd80d80da8f4f6333.jpg?1587756990

Don't Drink The Water, 1969

Enjoyers of this thread might also be amused by this compilation of radio ads for non-existent 1970s Hollywood movies: https://youtu.be/dqUbZ8HFqMU