Silent Hill Horror Ad Censured By ASA
A television advertisement for the DVD release of horror film Silent Hill has been censured by the Advertising Standards Authority, after complaints that it was too violent.
The advert featured brief scenes from the film including a woman screaming while trapped behind a wire fence; a woman being splashed with what appeared to be blood; an eyeless man screaming and various mutant, human-like monsters. The final scene was of a woman having her throat cut.
The ad was given a post 9pm restriction by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) but 21 people complained that the violence, particularly the final scene, was too graphic to be included in a TV ad and that it had been shown without warning.
Producers of the ad, Creative Partnership, said they had made many TV ads promoting horror films and DVDs and believed they had a good established knowledge of what was considered suitable for post 9pm.
They said the post 11pm restricted ads they had created in the past were much more graphic in nature than the ad for Silent Hill. They explained that their aim had been to produce an ad that would target their audience whilst keeping in line with BACC and ASA guidelines and restrictions.
The BACC said, based on past experience, they had given the ad a post 9pm restriction, often used for ads with scenes of horror, including blood and gore. They did not think that the ad was graphic enough to warrant a post 11pm restriction. They said, with issues of taste and offence, they could only judge on what had caused offence in the past and it was not always possible to predict what would cause complaint.
The ASA noted the concerns of those viewers who had complained, and considered that even after 9pm the ad could cause offence to many viewers because of the violent nature of the scene showing a woman having her throat slit.
The authority concluded that the ad should have been given a timing restriction that limited it to much later in the evening, saying it was unsuitable for broadcast before 11pm.
ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk