Posters for the movie "The Mummy" removed from the subway because they scare children

Posters for the film "The Mummy," directed by Lee Cronin, will no longer be allowed to be shown on the London Underground after it was determined that they could disturb young children.

The posters, which were placed in subway stations ahead of the film's April release, showed a close-up of a mummified female figure with gray skin, a swollen eye, and a burial shroud inscribed with hieroglyphics. The slogan on the poster read: "Some things are meant to stay buried."

The British advertising watchdog (Advertising Standards Authority – ASA) said it had received 30 complaints about the ad campaign and found that the figure's face, which was described as "sunken and lifeless", resembled that of a dead child.

The ASA specifically pointed out that one of the posters was visible from a kindergarten, which is why it was concluded that it could cause distress to young children, writes NME magazine.

It was therefore decided that the posters violate social responsibility rules, as well as regulations relating to content that may cause harm or offense, and that they may no longer be displayed in public in the same form.

Warner Bros. defended the campaign by claiming that the figure in the poster represents a living mummy returning to her family as a teenager or young adult. They also stated that the neutral facial expression, open eye, and the fact that the character is not shown tied up were deliberately chosen to reduce the possibility of the poster disturbing the audience.

The ASA did not accept other complaints about the campaign, including claims that the poster could be upsetting to parents who have lost a child or that it was inappropriate in the context of current conflicts around the world.

The regulator concluded that the film's title and premiere date clearly indicated that it was an advertisement for a horror film.

The film "The Mummy" premiered in British cinemas on April 17. It stars Jack Reynor and Laia Costa, who play parents whose missing daughter returns home eight years after she mysteriously disappeared, but their reunion quickly turns into a nightmare.

The film represents a new take on the famous franchise that began in 1932 with a film starring Boris Karloff.