When I first read the description, I immediately thought of some optical illusions that very clearly use The Rule of Figure/Ground. But as I was searching for them, I found this poster for a movie titled The Family That Preys.
The use of The Rule of Figure/Ground is used in the two elements of the image. In the black is the profile of a face. In the white is a hand that, because of the placement of the two pictures, seems to reaching for the neck of the profiled character.
Depending on what you are 'looking for' you will see either the profiled face or the outstretched hand.
In my opinion, this technique causes the ad to be somewhat ineffective. My initial reaction based on the poster was a thriller/horror movie, about a family where people are murdered, or perhaps a family that moves around and murders people together. But a small amount of research (imdb.com) reveals it is more of a family drama based around cheating, infidelity and and betrayal. In that way, the poster and technique was somewhat misleading.
Great example and analysis, Ben. You're doing a wonderful job on these posts.
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