LOS ANGELES [Access Hollywood] –After public backlash over some graphic and controversial imagery, After Dark Films has yanked ads for its new horror film “Captivity.”
The ads, which portrayed the film’s star Elisha Cuthbert being tortured and killed, were pulled after After Dark, Lionsgate Films and the MPAA were bombarded with calls from people objecting to the imagery.
“Captivity,” from director Roland Joffe, follows a man and woman who awaken to find themselves captured in a cellar. As their kidnapper drives them psychologically mad, the truth about their horrific abduction is revealed.
The ads for the film — which first appeared on 30 Los Angeles billboards and 1,400 New York taxi tops — feature four frames with captions above each one.
“Abduction” shows a frantic Elisha with a gloved hand across her face.
“Confinement” features Elisha pressed against a chain link fence with a bloody finger poking through.
“Torture” shows Elisha lying on a table with her face covered in bandages and a tube shoved up her nose.
And lastly, “Termination” appears to depict a dead Elisha lying on a table.
While some of the ads have already been pulled, it will take several days to remove them all, according to Lionsgate.
Lionsgate, who is After Dark’s theatrical distribution partner for “Captivity,” released the following statement on Tuesday:
“Lionsgate was not involved in the advertising campaign for ‘Captivity,’ including the billboards in question. We did not see, review or approve any of these materials. However, since Lionsgate is associated with the film, we immediately inquired about the matter. We’ve been told the billboards in question in Los Angeles are being taken down now and this process will be completed in the next several days.”
After Dark owner Courtney Solomon said the whole thing can be chalked up to “very simple human error.”
“This was not a malicious act, not a PR stunt. We’re truly sorry for anyone we offended,” Solomon told Access Hollywood.
According to Solomon, a file was mislabeled and sent off to the printers, which set off a chain reaction leading to the controversial images going public.
Solomon estimates the mistake cost After Dark “around $500,000.”