Scary London Dungeon poster banned from the Tube

A digital poster for an exhibition at the London Dungeon has been banned for scaring children.

The advert "Bloody Mary: Killer Queen" appeared beside escalators at Underground stations. It showed a portrait of the Tudor Queen — daughter of Henry VIII — sitting passively.

Then suddenly she turns to the viewer, appears to scream and her face changes into a zombie-like creature with rotting teeth and red eyes.

The Advertising Standards Authority said it "overstepped the limit of acceptability".

Four passengers said the ad was likely to frighten and distress children. One said his eight-year-old had been scared by the contorted face, while another said they had noticed children being shocked and upset.

Merlin Entertainments, which runs the London Dungeon, said it had planned to use the poster during the summer and Halloween.

Seb Thompson, a spokesman for Merlin Entertainments, said: "We are in the business of scaring with a historical twist and we pride ourselves on advertising that is provocative and edgy."

The company's general manager, Nicola Ratcliffe, added: "We are amazed by the ASA's decision."