King Kong hit with 12a rating

It is one of the biggest films of the year. But Peter Jackson's epic remake of King Kong is too violent and scary for youngsters to watch on their own, the censors have ruled.

They have given the £120million film a 12a certificate, which prohibits children under 12 unless accompanied by an adult.

The decision threatens to hit box office takings.

The release of the movie on December 14 is being preceded by a huge marketing campaign emphasising the film's unorthodox love story between the 25ft gorilla and out-of-work actress Ann Darrow, played by Naomi Watts, rather than its scarier elements.

But parts of the three-hour film are taken up with graphic fight scenes and violence.

There was a disturbance at a preview screening when terrified children had to be taken out of the cinema. Daily Mail film critic Christopher Tookey said Jackson - who directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy - had let his imagination 'run riot with some memorably unpleasant creepy-crawlies'.

There is also a hair-raising attack on the human characters by 'homicidal flora and fauna'.

In its ruling, the British Board of Film Classification said the film contained 'frightening elements, moderate violence and frequent peril'. But the film was passed without any cuts having to be made. The verdict comes hot on the heels of the new Harry Potter film which was also given a 12a certificate - the first in the series to warrant the stricter rating.

Child psychologists have urged parents to take the ratings seriously. Lee Miller, a consultant at Young Minds, a child mental health charity, said: 'In rare cases, children can develop phobias as a result of seeing a film and those can persist into adulthood.'

The advisory 12a certificate was introduced three years ago. It replaced the 12 certificate which banned children under that age from many blockbusters, such as Titanic and several James Bond films.

The restriction led to widespread criticism. Four years ago there were altercations between parents and cinema staff over the film Spider Man, which had been heavily marketed to children.

Several councils then overruled the 12 rating to let younger children in, prompting the creation of the new classification.