This poster that was erected in Norwich to advertise Halloween attractions in the area was banned because well, it’s the stuff of nightmares frankly.
The slogan attached to the image was “PRIMEVIL. SCREAMING WON’T HELP!”, which, in fairness, does little to ease the fears of an observer.
“These boards are popping up all over Norwich and I think that they are completely inappropriate,” said one local. “My three year old was so upset as we approached our local post office where I might add most of the children from the primary school will either go past or visit.
“If you choose to take your child into a shop to look at horrific masks and outfits then that is your choice,” she continued. “But we had no choice but to see this”.
The Advertising Stands Authority (ASA) published a report on Wednesday ruling that the ad was in fact, completely terrifying and unnecessary. They stated the ad “must not appear again in its current form.”
“We noted that the clown was leaning towards the camera and grinning with a menacing expression, that its eyes glowed red and blood dripped down its face, and that its eyes and forehead were stitched,” read the statement.
“We considered that the overall presentation of the image was likely to distress young children, particularly but not only in combination with the text ‘PRIMEVIL. SCREAMING WON’T HELP!’ – which was presented as though it was written in blood – and that it was unsuitable for display in an untargeted medium where it was likely to be seen by them.”
Well no shit Sherlock.
