The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a poster for The Mummy from the London Underground, ruling that it featured a realistic depiction of a dead child. The advert, part of the promotional campaign for Lee Cronin's film, showed a close-up of a female figure with a swollen eye, open mouth, and grey skin.
During the campaign, the poster received 30 complaints. The tagline read: 'Some things are meant to stay buried.' The ASA decided the image was unsuitable for display where children could see it, citing the figure's grey skin, cracked lips, and vacant expression as giving a 'realistic impression of a dead child'.
Regulator's ruling
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. We therefore concluded that the ads were unsuitable for outdoor display and therefore breached the code.'
Warner Bros defended the campaign, saying the character was a 'living mummy' who was a young adult, kidnapped as a child. They added that the expression on the character's face was neutral and they avoided any elements of violence.
Other complaints
The ASA also received 20 complaints about posters for the horror film They Will Kill You. Complainants argued the posters glamorised violence and knife crime, but the watchdog rejected these complaints.
