The fifth entry in The Conjuring universe is about to make its way to cinemas, and it"s titled The Nun. The titular demonic character first made its debut in The Conjuring 2, frightening many viewers in some intense set pieces. With the upcoming movie based entirely on the origins of the character, Warner Bros. has been taking to YouTube to publish some moderately scary trailers. However, the company may have gone a tad too far in its latest endeavor.
YouTube has now banned a seven-second The Nun promotional video from its platform, citing a violation of its "shocking content" policy.
The video in question popped up randomly during videos like most other ads, with a dark screen and a symbol of the the volume being lowered. Before I go into further details, you can check out the promotional material for yourself below, but viewer discretion is strongly advised as the content may be frightening for some viewers.
The advertisement popped up for unsuspecting viewers who would then be treated to arguably disturbing imagery. The ad has also been described as deceptive by some as it gives no prior warning regarding its content, and may have shown up for younger audiences or heart patients as well.
After a tweet complaining about the promotional material went viral, YouTube finally responded and removed the advertisement in question, stating that it was violating its "shocking content" policy, which prohibits "promotions that are likely to shock or scare", among many other things.
It"s unclear if Warner Bros. will reuse the advertisement with a warning next time, but it"s highly unlikely since it has probably already surpassed its publicity goal, thanks to viewer backlash and YouTube"s response. Well, they do say that all publicity is good publicity.