There are some movies you’ve watched that you instantly associate with its movie poster. For example, every time someone mentions Jaws, I immediately recall the iconic poster designed by Roger Kastel.
These days we rarely pay attention to movie posters, as movies tend to be promoted to us in a variety of different ways and do not rely primarily on posters as they would in the past. But while you might be able to recall posters that have stuck in mind over the years, you might not be aware that quite a few movie posters draw inspiration from famous works of art.
Here is a list of some of the most famous ones:
1. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Bruce Almighty (2003)
Both these posters are inspired by Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam.
2. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Oblivion (2013)
A lot of movie posters draw inspiration from Wanderer Above The Sea by Caspar David Friedrich.
The positioning of the main figure, with his back facing us while he looks out across a landscape or cityscape can be found in many other posters as well such Inception and After Earth.
3. Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Descent (2005)
A little know fact about the poster for the 1991 classic– if you zoom in on the moth on Jodie Foster’s mouth, you’ll notice that the skull shape on the body of the insect is comprised of naked human figures. The same concept has been used in 2005’s The Descent. Both posters take the idea from Salvador Dali’s In Voluptas Mors.
I am not including a photo of In Voluptas Mors here as it is sort of NSFW. You can view it here though.
4. Melancholia (2011)
The poster depicting Kirsten Dunst floating in water while holding a bouquet takes the concept from John Everett Millais’s Ophelia.
5. The Haunting In Connecticut (2009)
The unusual perspective employed in this poster is very much like Dali’s Christ of Saint John on the Cross.
6. The Expendables 2 (2012)
This movie’s poster is a reimagining of da Vinci’s famous The Last Supper.
7. Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)
Andy Warhol’s silkscreen painting of Marilyn Monroe is one of the most recognisable works of modern art. It is this painting that was the inspiration for the poster of Madea’s Family Reunion.
8. Scream (1996)
This one is rather obvious. The poster heavily draws on Edvard Munch’s The Scream.
9. Waste Land (2010)
The poster for this documentary is a reimagining of a relatively lesser known painting titled The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David.
10. Days of Heaven (1978)
You might not be able to connect the dots here unless you are very familiar with the works of Edward Hopper. The house in the background of the poster is inspired by Hopper’s painting House by the Railroad. The poster also bears a resemblance to the painting Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth.
House by the Railroad 
Christina’s World
11. The Fall (2006)
This poster is inspired by Salvador Dali’s Face of Mae West.
12. For Colored Girls (2010)
The layout for this poster is inspired by Composition with Red Blue and Yellow by Piet Mondrian.
Did you enjoy this post? Were there any posters we missed out on? Let us know in the comments!
The Ink Inquisition 
The painting ‘Wanderer Above The Sea of Fog’ has been also used for book covers way too many times already.
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