Who cares about the movie?...the poster art is a HUGE RIPOFF!

Rating: 1/10 (3 August 2006)

I was driving down the street the other day, when a movie poster caught my eye. It was for "The Descent," and almost instantly I recognized the intelligence inherent in the design. Five people, schematically arranged, form a skull from negative space. As "The Descent" is from the same studio that did the "Saw" franchise and "Hostel," both of which had amazing poster art, I wasn't surprised. That was, until I did a little research on the design. This is a HUGE RIPOFF of Salvador Dali's and Phillipe Halsman's photographic collaboration, producing one infamous photo in particular in the 40s, I believe: "In Voluptate Mors." I mean, it is the exact schematic arrangement that "The Descent" uses for its poster art. Moreover, it's already been used for poster/box art on "Silence of the Lambs." Check out the bee on the lips of the face on the cover and you'll notice "In Voluptate Mors" on the bee. Unreal. I appreciate smart art, but not when it's a direct rip-off of timeless artists, not to mention the fact that "The Descent" doesn't even give credit to either of these two brilliant men. I mean, come on dudes! Damn... Check out the Dali/Halsman pic @ http://kisrael.com/journal.aux/2001.10.26.skull.full.jpg