There have been some pretty iconic movie posters over the years. Images that have been spoofed and parodied countless times, such as the shark rising from the ocean from the Jaws poster. But there are also some pretty talented artists out there that don’t always get the chance for their movie posters to be seen. This article showcases twenty of the best alternative movie posters designs of all time.
Inception (Grzegorz Domaradzki)
Inception is a sci-fi thriller movie that is about a team who conduct a heist within someone’s dream. Sound confusing? Well, if by some chance you haven’t heard of this movie, you need to check it out. Domaradzki’s alternate design encapsulates the plot of the film by having the action taking place within Cillian Murphy’s head.
Shaun of the Dead (Rick Kelly)
Edgar Wright’s zombie comedy was a huge success and introduced us the comic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Pegg takes centre stage in this beautiful poster that somehow manages to capture the comedy element as well as featuring a lot of blood and zombies.
Pulp Fiction (Paul Gates)
Tarantino’s wonderful cast of characters are shown off in a whirl of colour in Paul Gate’s alternate poster design. And we even get Tarantino himself on the poster, in character as his scene-stealing Jimmie.
Gravity (Daniel Norris)
Harkening back to Saul Bass’ iconic design, Daniel Norris successfully homages the famous Vertigo poster. Featuring a falling astronaut however, Norris makes this art his own.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Paolo Rivera)
Paolo Rivera has done similar designs for the Captain America movies, but this one stands out. With The Winter Soldier’s political thriller tone, Rivera’s design captures the feel of similar old school movie posters.
The Thing (Tyler Stout)
A cult horror classic, The Thing is very much a film about isolation and fear. Tyler Stout’s poster plays on both of these feelings, but also captures the coldness of the Arctic landscape, too.
District 9 (Russell Ford)
Neill Blomkamp’s fantastic debut cemented him as a sci-fi director to watch. Russell Ford’s poster plays on the quirkiness of the movie and features a great tagline.
The Deer Hunter (Laurent Durieux)
A stone-cold classic feauting the talents of Robert de Niro, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep, The Deer Hunter is a must-watch movie. And if Laurent Durieux’s stunning poster doesn’t convince you to watch it either, I don’t know what will.
Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (Laurent Durieux)
Alright, this one is technically cheating. It’s another Durieux design and was used as the official poster for the Apocalypse Now: Final Cut that premiered last year. But it was too beautiful not to include.
Pacific Rim (Turk1672)
Pacific Rim drew a mixed reaction upon release. Featuring people in giant robot suits beating up monsters, it wasn’t exactly a brain teaser. But Turk’s poster here truly gives the film justice and looks pretty awesome.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Jian Guo)
The Phantom Menace isn’t anybody’s favourite Star Wars movie. But Jian Guo’s design is playful, unique and cool to look at. Everything the movie isn’t.
Avengers: Infinity War (Matt Taylor)
The most fun part of the Avengers: Infinity War campaign was getting to see every character get their moment. Everyone from Doctor Strange to Shuri was featured on posters and in trailers. And this design by Matt Taylor is no exception.
The Aviator (Jonathan Burton)
Martin Scorsese’s biopic about Howard Hughes is one of his more underappreciated works. With Leonardo diCaprio in the lead role and everyone (from Cate Blanchett to Adam Scott) providing solid support, it’s an interesting and entertaining movie. And with this alternate design, artist Jonathan Burton successfully captures the feel and era of Hughes’ time.
Parasite (Andrew Bannister)
Parasite made history this year by becoming the firs foreign language movie ever to win the Oscar for ‘Best Picture’. It also made history by having some of the best poster artwork ever.
The Godfather (Marie Bergaron)
Marie Bergaron’s alternate poster for The Godfather is actually quite terrifying. But it’s also an incredible piece and draws on one of the movie’s most iconic moments through its design.
Mulholland Drive (Kevin Tong)
David Lynch’s surreal masterpiece is full of twists, turns and symbolism I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around. But then neither has Naomi Watts by the looks of this poster. So now I don’t feel too dumb.
La La Land (Alexey Kot)
La La Land is a beautiful love letter to jazz, Hollywood and broken romances. With this alternative poster design, Alexey Kot gives us a stunning image that harkens back to the classical era of Hollywood, rooted within the two central characters.
Guardians of the Galaxy (Matt Ferguson)
Wait, isn’t this the poster for Star Wars: A New Hope? Nope, it’s actually a super clever homage to the film using the characters from Guardians of the Galaxy instead. Matt Ferguson has also done an Empire Strikes Back parody poster for Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2. You should check it out.
Jaws (Robert Tannenbaum)
I mentioned at the beginning of the article that the original poster for Jaws was perhaps the most iconic movie poster of all time. It still remains that way, but it doesn’t mean other artists haven’t created some damn good alternatives.
Anatomy of a Murder (Saul Bass)
OK, I’m cheating again. Yes, this is another genuine movie poster. But Saul Bass is the godfather of poster design and rather than showing off his Vertigo poster, I thought I’d share with you this design for Anatomy of a Murder. A great film with a great poster.
Share this amazing artwork on your social media and let us know if there are any other alternative poster designs we need to check out!
