What’s funnier than the various sad ways people deiced to end their own lives as a cloud of sadness and despair looms overhead? Nothing. That’s why it’s confusing that 15 suicide prevention groups have spoken out against the proposed marketing campaign for After Dark Film’s upcoming Wristcutters: A Love Story. According to Courtney Solomon, After Dark Films co-owner, the campaign will feature images of people jumping off a bridge, electrocuting, and hanging themselves, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
"The movie takes place in purgatory, and its message is that love is better than suicide," said Solomon. “Our job is to get people into the theater in a way that's accessible to them. There are many different ways to skin a cat. God forbid [if] someone was considering committing suicide. This film may change their opinion.”
Solomon continued to spin as he explained that the images would be displayed in a traffic sign-style with hearts to reference the film’s romantic sub-plot. The ads would look like the iconic Ghostbusters emblem, but swap out the ghost for various methods of self execution. Still, Solomon also commented that the campaign may change before its mid-July introduction because of the protest. Rumors flew that the images may be changed to the different ways to skin a cat that Solomon previously mentioned.
This is the second in a series of ad campaigns for After Dark Films that has caused controversy. Last week, the ultra hot and sexy torture posters for the coming-soon Captivity were pulled.
"You don't see people making fun of other causes of death, but you see it with suicide and mental illness," suicide prevention foundation executive director Robert Gebbia said.
AFSP's separate March 9 letter, written to Solomon and After Dark financier Allan Zeman, stated, " [We] know from more than 30 years of scientific research that media portrayals of suicide can be inadvertently harmful to vulnerable individuals, leading to what behavioral scientists call suicide contagion or 'copycat suicide.' Recent research confirms that young people in particular are vulnerable to this effect and can tragically act on depictions of suicide."
Targeting the 17- to 30-year old age group, Solomon hopes that the signs "don’t cause too many accidents." However, he’s been too busy re-shooting and cutting Captivity to make it more appealing to the sickos who made the Saw and Hostel films successful. If this all sounds appealing, be sure to check out The Bridge; I hear it’s a laugh riot.
Check out the teaser trailer for Wristcutters: A Love Story below:
