Damnation - Why we chose to make it an 18

Hello!

Overview
During the process of making our trailer we had always had to bare in mind who we targeting our horror trailer to. I think in the end we decided to aim the film at 18+ because this means we could be more free with the work with the produce and that there are no limitations to what we could put into our horror trailer apart from being extremely explicit (such as The Human Centipede 2 that got banned because of it's content).

On the official website, the rating for an '18' states:

- Suitable only for adults

- No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema.

- No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.

- In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, at - ‘18’ the BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sexual or sexualised violence which might, for example, eroticise or endorse sexual assault
• where there are more explicit images of sexual activity which cannot be justified by context. Such images may be appropriate in ‘R18’ works, and in ‘sex works’ (see below) would normally be confined to that category.

- In the case of video works (including video games), which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

What have I learnt?
Taking this all into consideration this means that we have for our horror trailer is appropriate for people viewed over 18+ and does not go against the BBFC guidelines. This means that we can make our horror trailer much scarier and appealing to adults.