Film poster banned from London Underground for ‘realistic depiction of dead child’

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.

‘We therefore concluded that the ads were unsuitable for outdoor display and therefore breached the code.’

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.

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