Dark Magic Book Interior Design

About: Dark Magic: Scary Movies According to Reverse Shot explores the question, what makes a movie truly scary? This collection of essays from the writers of Reverse Shot, a publication of Museum of the Moving Image, delves into two decades of horror cinema and the dark forces that define the genre. The design uses an eclipse motif to symbolize two forces meeting, each face revealing a different horror within the same cycle of shadow and light. The cover and chapter openers balance a restrained, geometric sans serif with a more arcane, literary serif, evoking both the precision of film criticism and the mystery of the unknown. Across the interior, the circular sun flare subtly rotates from chapter to chapter. The tonal elements in the background reinterpret Reverse Shot’s brand pattern into something that feels vaguely alchemical without becoming overtly occult.

Editors: Michael Koresky & Jeff Reichert

Role: Art Direction and Design

Client: Museum of the Moving Image