Film poster banned from London Underground for ‘realistic depiction of dead child’
The Advertising Standards Authority has decided the poster cannot be displayed anywhere that children can see (Picture: Mike Kemp/Getty Images)
A poster on the London Underground advertising the film The Mummy has been banned because it included a realistic depiction of a dead child.
The advert, which shows a close-up of a female figure with an eye swollen shut, mouth agape and grey skin, received 30 complaints during the promotional campaign for the Lee Cronin film.
The tagline reads: ‘Some things are meant to stay buried.’
The Advertising Standards Authority has decided the poster cannot be displayed anywhere that children can see.
They said the figure’s grey skin, cracked lips, and vacant expression gave a ‘realistic impression of a dead child’.
The regulator concluded: ‘We considered the image was likely to distress young children and that it was unsuitable for display where it was likely to be seen by them.
The advert shows a close-up of a female figure with an eye swollen shut, mouth agape and grey skin (Picture: ASA/PA Wire)
‘We therefore concluded that the ads were unsuitable for outdoor display and therefore breached the code.’
'Human remains' found next to motorway causing road to close all day
Princess Eugenie gives birth to baby girl in Portugal and is 'beyond in love'
Treasury worker, 26, killed herself one day after anonymous complaint
Warner Bros defended their campaign, saying the character was a ‘living mummy’ who was actually a young adult, but only after being kidnapped as a child.
They added the expression on the character’s face is neutral, and they avoided any elements of violence.
The ASA also received 20 complaints about the posters for horror film They Will Kill You.
Complainants argued they glamorised violence and knife crime, which the watchdog rejected.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Arrow
MORE: Four people hurt after stabbing in London’s Covent Garden
Arrow
MORE: Man spotted in water at ‘no swimming’ area where boy, 14, drowned days before
Arrow
MORE: London Euston named the capital’s worst station for toilets
Comment now
Comments
Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source
News Updates
Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.