The horror film has always been a bloody affair, but traditionally the truly scary stuff was reserved for the darkened theatre. Advertising suggested rather than spelled out the scare. But with competition from YouTube and video games, the subtle posters of yore have given way to increasingly gory trailers, billboards, and magazine campaigns. The CS Monitor investigates this trend of generating buzz through shock advertising.

Image: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) demanded the gruesome poster campaign for Captivity, a film starring Elisha Cuthbert, be taken down.The horror film has always been a bloody affair, but traditionally the truly scary stuff was reserved for the darkened theatre. Advertising suggested rather than spelled out the scare. But with competition from YouTube and video games, the subtle posters of yore have given way to increasingly gory trailers, billboards, and magazine campaigns. The CS Monitor investigates this trend of generating buzz through shock advertising.

Image: The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) demanded the gruesome poster campaign for Captivity, a film starring Elisha Cuthbert, be taken down.