Parents of frightened children want posters for IT: Chapter 2 taken down

Was there ever a time when clowns weren’t considered violent nightmare creatures first and children’s entertainers second? Between Pennywise and the Joker, it’s hard to remember.

Pennywise is, of course, the violent nightmare clown at the center of IT, the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s legendarily scary novel. He’s returning to theaters this weekend in IT: Chapter Two, where he’ll torment the grown-up versions of the kids he freaked out near to death in the first installment.

With an ‘R’ rating, it’s a given that kids won’t be seeing this movie in theaters, not unless their parents are really cool/wildly irresponsible. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be spooked out in passing by billboards and advertisements. In fact, in Australia, so many kids are getting terrified that parents have complained to Ad Standards, which is in charge of resolving complaints against Australia’s advertising self-regulation system. “I get really scared because it’s hard to go to bed when you have a scary picture in your mind,” the daughter of one parent told 9News. “Before I go to bed, I have to check the whole room.”

Okay, that is pretty creepy. But at the risk of sounding like a monster who’s fine with kids waking up screaming in their beds, is it creepy enough to justify taking the billboards down? According to Ad Standards, no. One parent was told that, “Ad Standards generally has no jurisdiction over the placement or timing of advertisements, except when considering the use of language or sex, sexuality or nudity in advertising.”

Look, I’m not an expert at threading the needle of censorship, but maybe there’s a middle ground? Like, it’s okay to advertise for R-rated movies (in Australia, IT: Chapter 2 is rated MA15+, which means it can’t be seen by anyone under the age of 15) in most spaces but not where kids are known to hang out, like on playgrounds? But this billboard was in a general purpose location where kids and adults alike will pass it by. Surely the fix isn’t to only allow advertisements in places where kids never go, like sports bars and mortgage brokerages?

In conclusion, I have no idea how to resolve this. In lieu of a solution, please enjoy some more creepy IT posters:

Really, what in the world is going on with that last one?

IT: Chapter 2 hits theaters today!

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h/t The A.V. Club