YouTube removes ‘The Nun’ ad after jump-scare complaints

A recent ad for “The Nun,” the fifth flick in “The Conjuring” series, is not the most saintly.

Because of the fear the six-second clip has incited in unsuspecting viewers, YouTube has notably taken the video down from the site. The preview, which was streaming before other videos would load on YouTube, displays a typical volume sign increasing in volume and then lowering all the way down when suddenly, the titular nun in full-horror mode appears and makes a blood-curdling scream.

One Twitter user issued a warning about the choice jump-scare in the video and cautioned viewers to turn down the volume “if you have anxiety or just straight up hate jumpscares.” The tweet received over 145,000 likes and 132,000 retweets.

YouTube responded in appreciation for notifying it of the ad’s inflammatory potential, which, the company’s team Twitter account notes, violates its shocking content policy.

According to its “violent and shocking content in ads” policy, YouTube strives “to avoid offending or shocking users with websites, or apps that are inappropriate for our ad network.” Examples of content considered violent or shocking include “gruesome imagery” and “promotions that are likely to shock or scare.”

Shocking factors in video ads concern items like “whether the video shows scenes containing violent and/or graphic imagery that can be shocking or disturbing to viewers” or “whether the violence contained in the video is realistic when posted in a dramatic context.”

While the YouTube ad for the film may be down, “The Nun” will be “jumping” into theaters on Sept. 7. Set in 1952 Romania, the film follows the investigation of the mysterious death of a nun at a monastery. Demian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, and Jonas Bloquet star.

A re-upload of the ad can be seen here (at your own risk):

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