Why Ghostface?

Use this forum to discuss the December 2018 Book of the month "The Face of Fear" by RJ Torbert
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Re: Why Ghostface?

Post by KnightReader »

Well, I could think of several other covers that may be as iconic as Ghostface. Michael's William Shatner mask from Halloween comes to mind. Jason's hockey wear from Friday the 13th is also an option.

You could even say that it doesn't necessarily have to be a mask. Think of Freddy Kreuger's charred face grinning at you with his intimidating metal claws.

But in the end, I think the author or whoever else in charge of this book's cover had found the simplicity in the Ghostface mask as something more aesthetically simple and more effective in reminding fear in readers if it could not actually scare them.
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Post by kwame1977 »

Images adds up to the intended information the author is willing to pass on to the his audience. I don't see anything wrong with such image.
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Post by Mai Tran »

Vscholz wrote: 02 Dec 2018, 22:17 According to the author's bio on Amazon, he helped create/design the mask. It makes sense that he would use what might be his most widely known design. Even though it is primarily associated with the Scream franchise, I don't know that the author could get the same reaction with a different cover. Or maybe he is trying to reclaim it in some way?
That's very interesting! I think the mask helps draw attention to the book since it's a widely known image. Still, I don't think it's a good choice to reuse it for this book since it's primarily associated with the Scream franchise like you said.
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Post by Marcos Vera »

Having the ghost face on the cover page was of great help to the book. It create a unforeseen mood in the novel that readers would be interested to learn about.
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Post by Anon_Reviewer »

I found the cover quite misleading. It made me think the book was a horror novel or at least had some sort of connection to the Scream franchise. I was disappointed to find neither was true. But as other readers have mentioned, Torbert has played a significant role behind the scenes regarding the mask. Besides, the mask is used in the book, so I guess in some ways the cover is justified.
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Post by Sahar Majid »

There isn't anything wrong with the Ghostface image per se, but I honestly felt like they missed an opportunity to create an innovative illustration for the book (one that would capture its essence better).
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Post by kosgeyvini »

most of the cover page are disgusting ,making one to judge a book with its cover
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Post by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda »

I think its a risky move. It may attract the ones who love and remember 90s slasher films, but it also makes you question if it's not going to be a ripoff of these stories.
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Post by Highly Favoured One »

The cover image does reflect the kind of story that is in the book, so in that respect I think it is appropriate. Besides, he helped design it so he has the right to use it even though it is associated with a different movie.
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Post by Helen_Combe »

M Zee wrote: 01 Dec 2018, 19:31 Considering how closely the iconic mask is associated with the Scream films, do you think using the image (and the masked killer of the same name) on the book cover helps the book?

Does the association have any tie-in to the films? Or could it have been *any* kind of mask/image for the killer in the book?
I recognised the mask from the picture ’The Scream’ but not having seen the films, I didn’t make the connection. I think here is a danger of the book being mid-sold if people think there is a connection, so I would have avoided using that mask.
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Post by 00LynnMarie »

With a title like Face of Fear, the author may have used "Ghostface" because it is a well-known symbol of fear from a successful horror franchise. Perhaps they wanted the audience to make that link. I think they need something more original. The use of that easily recognizable pop culture icon detracts from the book's appeal and appears lazy.
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Post by Rosebella »

Yes, it is confusing. From the picture/mask I thought there was a link between it and the Scream movies. I read it because of that. It does create attention towards the book that it probably wouldn't have earned if it had a different cover.
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Post by Alicia09 »

I think the Ghost face mask definitely helped the book, because it reminded me of the Scream movies as soon as I saw the cover. I was wondering if the plot of the book would be similar to the Scream books when I saw the cover, and this was one of the reasons I chose to start reading the book.
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Post by abbiejoice »

I think it is just a mask. It depends on people whether they want to associate it with the popular film.
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Post by Book Lover 35 »

I thought of Scream too. It attracted me.
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