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Poltergeist advert investigated over clown phobia

An advertisement for horror movie POLTERGEIST has been investigated after 72 disgruntled consumers complained about its terrifying image.
The promo poster for the movie, a remake of the 1982 film, appears on the side of U.K. buses and features a creepy, smiling clown with the tagline “THEY KNOW WHAT SCARES YOU. POLTERGEIST”.
A string of complaints were reported to British regulatory body Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), alleging the display was “distressing for themselves, their children or had colrophobia (fear of clowns) (sic)”.
Bosses at the film’s studio, Twentieth Century Fox Film Company Ltd, acknowledged the concerning nature of the image but insisted they had “sought and gained approval by their media owner to display the ad”.
Officials as ASA agreed the image was daunting but opted not to take action against the poster as they felt the image was not threatening or suggestive of danger. They ruled movie bosses had not breached U.K. advertising guidelines.
The movie, which stars Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt, was released in May (15).

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