Responding to the complaint made by a terrified 10 year old, U.K.'s advertising watchdog has now ruled the advert should be banned from airing before 9 P.M.
- January 13, 2011
AceShowbiz - A complaint made by a terrified 10 year old over a TV commercial promoting the gory "Saw 3D" movie has been upheld by bosses at the U.K.'s advertising watchdog. The advert for the horror franchise's final installment, which was released last October 2010, shows a screaming man with bloody hands surrounded by images of blades. To promote the movie's 3D capabilities, the clip also saw cinemagoers being bound by metal restraints in their seats and one reveler being dragged into the screen.
Officials at the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) launched an investigation into whether the commercial was suitable to be aired before Britain's 9 P.M. (GMT) watershed after a pre-teen phoned to complain about the "distressing" content. The ad had been shown in a commercial break during a popular gadget programme at 8.30 P.M. (GMT).
ASA bosses have now decided to uphold the complaint, ruling the advert should not be aired on British TV before 9 P.M. A spokesperson for the watchdog says, "(Scenes included people being) suddenly trapped by metal restraints and where the figure reached out and pulled a cinema-goer back towards the screen. We considered it was therefore likely to cause distress to young children who might not make a clear distinction between the scenes from the film and the scenes in the cinema."
