A group of artists were told to remake their favorite film posters. Here’s what happened
Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino. Alternative poster by Print
Mondo is a "geek-culture" company who commission artists to produce movie posters that offer a different take on the originals -- and are often more imaginative and artistic (Jake Wallis Simons writes).
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Dirty Harry, Don Seigel. Alternative poster by Olly Moss
Many artists focus on redesigning posters for classic, well-loved films like Dirty Harry, offering a view of an alternative universe of design. Dirty Harry and his gun are given an almost symbiotic relationship in this rendering by UK-based artist Olly Moss.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Robocop, Paul Verhoeven. Alternative poster by Jay Shaw
Often, the more famous the original image, the more striking its proposed alternative becomes. The original poster for Robocop, for instance, acquires an unsettling power when the machinery is blanked out.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock. Alternative poster by Laurent Durieux
There are few classic movies more well-regarded than Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. In this poster, Laurent Durieux prefers to focus on the experience of the voyeur rather than the people being spied on.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson. Alternative poster by Vania Zouravliov.
Some artists choose to redesign posters from more recent movies, like this poster for the Grand Budapest Hotel. The alternative version, by Vania Zouravliov, departs from the dominant aesthetic of the movie and concentrates on the leading characters.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Platoon, Oliver Stone. Alternative poster by Jay Shaw
Meanwhile, this version of the Platoon poster dispenses with a literal depiction from one of the film's scenes and instead takes a more conceptual approach.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Dr Strangelove, or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Stanley Kubrick. Alternative poster by Jason Munn
Similarly, this version of Dr Strangelove opts for a graphic representation of a bomb as opposed to human figures. It creates a stark, symbolic contrast that is arguably more visually arresting than the original.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
The Shining, Stanley Kubrick. Alternative poster by We Buy Your Kids
Some of the alternative posters, such as this re-imagining of the famous poster for The Shining, bear no resemblance to the original in terms of either style or concept.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
An American Werewolf in London, John Landis. Alternative poster by Olly Moss
This poster for An American Werewolf in London takes a similarly radical approach, building a subtle image of a werewolf into a black-on-red map of the British Isles.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
The Visitor, Giulio Paradisi. Alternative poster by Jay Shaw
Other posters are more recognizably inspired by the original. Here, Jay Shaw takes the eyeball motif as a starting point but moves the design in an entirely new direction.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
V for Vendetta, James McTeigue. Alternative poster by We Buy Your Kids
In their graphic quality, many of the posters could almost pass for book covers, especially as they eschew the conventions of movie poster design in favor for a more imaginative approach.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Friday the 13th Part III: 3D, Steve Miner. Alternative poster by Jay Shaw
Liberated from the confines of a commercial brief, the Mondo artists are able to think more creatively about the film, often portraying its core using elliptical or ironic motifs.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
The French Connection, William Friedkin. Alternative poster by Adam Simpson
This year, the company is going from strength to strength. It has recently announced a range of alternative toy collectables, as well as a range of bespoke vinyl records.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Alien, Ridley Scott. Alternative poster by Randy Ortiz
As if this wasn't enough, Mondo has just held its first convention in Austin, Texas, featuring panel discussions, screenings and interviews with artists.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Scarface, Brian De Palma. Alternative poster by Mike Mitchell
Mondo also has a permanent gallery space in Austin, which hosts exhibitions of screen prints and original works of art. Recent shows have featured Marvel, Disney and Game of Thrones.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Bonnie and Clyde, Arthur Penn. Alternative poster by Jason Munn
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Justin Ishmael, the company's creative director, revealed the secret of Mondo's stratospheric success.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
The Fly, David Cronenberg. Alternative poster by Jay Shaw
Q: What lies behind the appeal of the alternative posters? "There's a great history of artist-created posters for films that has been completely abandoned by modern studios in favor of uninspired Photoshop creations.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Dracula, Karl Freund and Tod Browning. Alternative poster by Martin Ansin
"Our artist-created posters help fill that void with gorgeous works of art that capture the essence of what makes a particular film special."
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Jaws, Steven Speilberg. Alternative poster by Laurent Durieux
Q: How did the alternative movie poster idea come about? "It was a very organic process. Mondo originally began as a T-shirt shop in Austin, Texas.
"Our first foray into screen-printed posters began with Rob Jones, a designer of gig advertisements, who created posters for a series of events at the theater.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
King Kong, Ernest B. Shoedsack and Merian C. Cooper. Alternative poster by Laurent Durieux
"We soon found that both film fans and artists wanted to produce more of them, and it quickly snowballed.
"Now we have developed into an art gallery where we regularly hold events to honor artists and our favorite geek culture properties like Marvel, Game of Thrones and an upcoming show to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Batman."
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
The Wolf Man, Joe Johnston. Alternative poster by Jay Shaw
Q: Why has it been so popular? "It attracted very talented artists that hadn't been seen by a large group of people, because they were mainly focusing on gig or band posters.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Evil dead II,Sam Raimi. Alternative poster by Todd Slater"
"It was a combination of fantastic, natural talent and the fact that at the time, nobody was doing movie poster stuff that much. At least, not to the level that it's at now.
Courtesy of Mondo Archive
Paths of Glory, Stanley Kubrick. Alternative poster by Jay Shaw
"The attention to detail and the fact that most of the artists were fans of the movies really took it over the top."
