Semiotics - the study of signs and anythingthat stands or something else.Denotation - what we see when we see an image
Connotaion - other hidden meanings of what we see.
For the film 'The Strangers there are several different connotations and denotaions given off from the front cover. The women's posture who is standing in the image makes the viewer feel there is an creepy atmosphere in the room she happens to be standing in. The low key lighting emphasises this too, it makes it feel as if something is going to take a turn for the worse. If you look deeper into the picture you can see an alarming figure wearing a white mask or a white bag standing behind the women. To make matters worse the women in the image isn't aware of the figures presence, making it feel like it is planning to do something terrible like a planned attack for instance.