Weird World

Thorpe Park Christmas advert banned for being ‘too scary’

An advert for Derren Brown’s new ride at Thorpe Park has been banned from prime-time TV for being “too scary”.

The trailer for illusionist Brown’s Ghost Train was due to be aired between 6pm and 7pm on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

504310-derren-brown-s-ride-is-due-to-open-next-year

But Clearcast – who monitor ads before they are broadcast – ruled it could not be aired before the 9pm watershed as it contains “scenes of threat or horror”.

The 15-second promo clip, which has already been viewed over 1,000 times, asks viewers to count how many white bunnies are on a train track.

A demonic monster then pops up on the screen.

After seeing it on social media several people turned to Twitter to express their shock at the advert – ‏@Gabbb3h said: “I JUST HAD A HEART ATTACK.”

While ‏@HBDRealNimrod said: “Imma just go and cry in a corner and never look at bunnies. Cool. (It’s 19 btw).”

And ‏@mollie_mulheran said: “that actually made me jump lol.”

Do you think the ad is scary? See for yourself below:

Warning: Might scare you!

A spokeswoman for Thorpe Park Resort said: “Christmas is a time for giving and we wanted to thank our guests with a special festive advert that addressed our thrill-seekers request for more scares in 2017.

“However plans to air our new promo for Derren Brown’s Ghost Train on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have been changed due to advice that it may not be appropriate for audiences during this period.

“Every year guests are demanding bigger, better and scarier experiences, so in 2017 we are pushing the boundaries and dialling up the horror with Derren Brown’s Ghost Train.

“Promoting terrifying theme park attractions is always a challenge, especially when the content is often too shocking for people.”