Posterized October 2025: The Mastermind, It Was Merely an Accident, Bugonia, and More

      The spooky season is here, bringing with it more non-horror titles than horror films. This trend isn't surprising, as the genre has evolved into a year-round celebration instead of just a mix of quality films in October and subpar ones in January. It’s hard to accept that studios aren’t eager to take advantage of Halloween.

      However, a few horror titles do make an appearance. Shelby Oaks (October 24) features a haunting poster campaign. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (limited release on October 17; Netflix on November 7) has an appealing diptych. Ethan Hawke also appears with a chilling mask for Black Phone 2 (October 17).

      We are getting closer to awards season, which leaves limited time to showcase festival favorites, and early recognition helps avoid getting lost in the busy November/December period. Therefore, keep an eye out for Nouvelle Vague (limited, October 31; Netflix, November 14), Roofman (October 10), and others listed below.

      **Standing Still**

      Bone Lake (October 3) knows precisely what it represents, ensuring Bleecker Street releases it in theaters for the holiday season. Their clever title creates a double meaning that inspired MOCEAN to design a rather risqué teaser.

      The teaser features skeletons engaged in a sexual act, embracing the "bones" aspect of the title. The reddish hue throughout suggests blood while the stark white title stands out, keeping our eyes from getting stuck on whether what we think is happening is actually happening.

      The firm has various concepts that satirically address the topic (including “You better have a safe word” with its pierced cherries) as well as motifs of S&M and skulls. Each design blurs the boundary between sex and violence to where it becomes unclear if the film is leaning into the trope of sex being a precursor to death or upending it by making sex synonymous with murder. A ticket purchase is necessary to uncover the truth.

      Similarly, MUBI’s The Mastermind (limited, October 17; MUBI, TBA) adopts a different tone but mirrors this construction in its presentation. It features a figure against a solid-colored background, but this time it's white with red lettering, drawing attention to Josh O’Connor’s identity as he is the lead.

      The poster has a book cover feel with all-caps, sans serif typography amplifying the title and filmmaker credits, making them the main focus. The title subtly overlaps O’Connor with slight opacity variations while the credits create a kerning anomaly, framing him as part of a cohesive whole. The words act as supportive beams, as the “A” and “Film” reinforce his position, ensuring he doesn’t topple off the page. It's simple yet sophisticated.

      These same descriptors could apply to Brandon Schaefer’s It Was Just an Accident (limited, October 15), a beautifully moody version of the original Cannes poster. Although not identical, the visuals capture a bride and groom on the bumper of a van while others look on, expressing frustration over their unfortunate situation.

      The differences lie in the cropping and coloring. The French poster zooms in to showcase the three main characters in bright daylight, while Schaefer’s American version pulls back to include the entire vehicle and its two remaining passengers against a cooler, darker sky, elevating the drama.

      One depicts a trio having a rough day, while the other shows a quintet experiencing an existential crisis in a bleak purgatory. The stakes have been heightened.

      **Descending**

      Netflix seldom produces posters with as much character as Ballad of a Small Player (limited, October 15; Netflix, October 29). This isn’t to say there aren’t good Netflix posters, but one catches my attention each time a new one appears. Perhaps this indicates that I value the quantity of titles the studio releases. A standout amid many generic film stills does hold more weight.

      The poster features a striking image of Colin Farrell submerged in water as he appears to dissolve into a monochrome oil spill, accompanied by effective typography. The balanced arrangement guides our gaze left to right and top to bottom in a satisfying manner, while the text interacts with the actor (and his vapor trails), maintaining center alignment without strict symmetry.

      The Chinese characters on the left are expertly arranged to align with the edges of words, adding depth by mirroring the shade of the shadowy hand nearby. The overall effect gives us the impression of gently descending with him, reading the title in a rhythmic motion.

      I appreciate the graphical aspect of The Ice Tower (limited, October 3), despite it being a photographic composite. The layered icicles in the top-left corner create a textured white allowing the beautiful craft-style font to remain legible without drawing too much attention. The text mimics the cool-toned shadows, establishing a faux monochrome that creates a diagonal reflection onto Marion Cotillard at the bottom right.

      Her dress is so brightened that it ultimately mirrors the