Vote for Your Favorite Key of Bones Movie Poster

The entries are in, the finalists have been selected, and now it’s time for horror fans to decide who takes home $1,000 in the Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate fan poster contest.

Earlier this summer, iHorror and the Key of Bones team opened the contest to artists of all kinds. Traditional illustration, graphic design, mixed media, and even AI-assisted artwork were allowed, provided artists disclosed when AI was used. The idea was simple: give fans the same characters, story, and inspiration, then see how differently they imagined the movie.

And they definitely took it in different directions.

First, An Important Clarification

These are fan-created posters made specifically for this contest.

Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate already has an artist who has been officially commissioned to create the film’s first official poster, which will be revealed as we get closer to the movie’s Fall 2026 release.

This contest was never intended to replace the film’s professional key art or take work away from a commissioned artist. It is a separate fan competition created to showcase artists, encourage some creativity around the movie, and give one winner a $1,000 prize.

Now, the winner is up to the fans.

Heather Perry Brings the Film to Life by Hand

One of the most traditional entries comes from Heather McNamara, credited as Heather Perry, an artist from Brockton, Massachusetts.

Her hand-drawn poster brings several of the movie’s central characters together while using the composition to guide the viewer through the story.

“I wanted this poster to create a clear visual hierarchy that naturally guides the viewer’s eye from the top to the bottom, while incorporating the four central characters and their roles in the story,” Perry explained.

She used highlights around Anne Bonny to emphasize the pirate’s supernatural presence, while one of the film’s cursed red pieces of eight is worked directly into the “O” in Bones.

Perry said she has been an artist her entire life and saw the contest as an opportunity to combine illustration, storytelling, and character-driven design into a single piece.

You can find her on Instagram at @siren_and_sol and as Heather Perry on Facebook.

Jon Phar Goes After the Movie’s Wild Vibe

For his entry, Jon Phar focused on capturing the unusual mix of tones that makes Key of Bones what it is.

“I wanted this poster to capture the unique and fun vibes of the movie trailer while hopefully conveying the mystery, adventure, and dark humor of the film itself.”

That combination is a big part of the movie. Key of Bones mixes supernatural horror, pirate mythology, adventure, gore, comedy, and the wonderfully strange atmosphere of Key West rather than trying to fit neatly into one genre.

Cecil Lee Lawson Brings a Personal Connection to the Film

Cecil Lee Lawson, from Marathon, Florida, approached the contest with an especially personal connection. Lawson worked on Key of Bones and has been doing design work as a hobby.

Being part of the film was already a dream come true for him, and the possibility of creating something that could help promote it made the poster contest even more meaningful.

For Lawson, getting the chance to contribute creatively both on and off the set would be “the icing on the cake.”

Kyle Newcome and Draconian Design Take Inspiration From the Movies That Inspired ‘Key of Bones’

Graphic designer Kyle Newcome, working under Draconian Design, created his entry without the use of AI. Newcome says the design was assembled using materials supplied as part of the contest inspiration package, non-AI Adobe assets, and previously acquired design assets.

Newcome initially considered sitting the contest out because AI-generated submissions were allowed, but ultimately decided he wanted his own artwork to stand on its own and be seen by fans.

His inspiration came directly from director Tony Armer’s description of the film.

Armer has described Key of Bones as “Shaun of the Dead meets The Goonies meets Pirates of the Caribbean.”Newcome went back to the poster art and covers associated with those films and began thinking about how he could capture some of that spirit while still creating something original for Key of Bones.

The final design took hours to complete, with Newcome aiming for something that felt both fun and professional.

He can be found as Kyle Echo Newcome and Draconian Design on Facebook, and Kyle Newcome on Instagram.

The Police Evidence Board Turns the Movie Into a Mystery

Another finalist went in an entirely different direction with the Police Evidence Board concept.

Instead of approaching the movie like a traditional theatrical poster, the design frames the events of Key of Bones as an unresolved investigation. Photographs, locations, notes, and other clues are connected across an evidence board, inviting viewers to study the poster and try to piece together what happened.

It turns the poster itself into part of the mystery.

AI was used in the creation of this entry and was disclosed by the artist as required by the contest rules.

AI-generated and AI-assisted artwork was permitted in the contest from the beginning. Rather than having the organizers decide which artistic tools should or should not qualify, entrants were required to disclose AI use and fans were left to decide how, or whether, that affected their vote.

Now It’s Your Turn to Pick the Winner

Voting is completely in the hands of the fans.

Simply LIKE your favorite poster in the social media post below. Votes from Facebook and Instagram will be combined to determine the winner.

Voting closes at 11:59 PM ET on Saturday, September 5, 2026.

The poster with the most combined likes will win $1,000, with the winner scheduled to be announced on Labor Day, Monday, September 7.

About ‘Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate’

Shot entirely on location in Key West, Florida, Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate begins when cursed pirate coins wash onto the island following a storm. One of those coins eventually lands in the hands of a waitress named Mary and awakens the legendary pirate Anne Bonny, bringing a three-hundred-year-old curse back with her.

What follows involves ghost pirates, cursed treasure, paranormal investigators, a possessed drag performer, buried Key West history, plenty of blood, and a group of very unlucky people trying to survive what they accidentally unleashed.

The film screened at the Fantastic Pavilion Gala during Cannes’ Marché du Film earlier this year and will premiere at the Tennessee Williams Theatre in Key West on October 2, 2026, with another public screening on October 3.

Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate is written and directed by Tony Armer and produced in partnership with iHorror.

The artists have done their part. Now hit the voting post, pick the design you love, and give it a like before voting closes September 5.