Japanese versions of classic movie posters are even better than the originals

It's often interesting to see how the promotion of Hollywood movies varies from country to country. French translations of movie titles are particularly fun, and Ghanian movie posters are just incredible.

However, a post on Twitter shows that Japan may have the edge when it comes to vibrant movie poster design. From Star Wars to Alien and Labyrinth, the post shares a series of Japanese posters for Hollywood films from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and the combination of photography, illustration and bold typography gives them instant retro pulp vibes.

Shared, by @PulpLibrarian on X,  the posters range from playful illustrations for Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) to collages of scenes from horror classics like the Satanic Rites of Dracula and Vampire Circus. Some could be worthy of a place in our pick of the best movie posters of all time. The Empire Strikes Back, Logan's run and and an iconic Charles Bronson in the original The Mechanic.

For more recent film poster inspiration, see the Godzilla x Kong posters and the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire poster.