A New Low for Television
On The Heels of Mass Murders Across America, New Serial Killer Thriller Seems Poorly Timed.
“The Following” is a new show by Kevin Williamson, the writer behind the “Scream” movie series. The show follows a retired FBI agent and his chase to catch an escaped serial killer.
“At a time when real-life killings are at an all-time high around the country, the depiction of such events as entertainment is without question a terrible step for Williamson to take,” says Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment, in a recent article published on movieguide.org.
The Christian Film and Television Commission, of which Dr. Baehr is chairman, has compiled over 34 years of research on the impact of media on children.
Despite “The Following’s” clear good-versus-evil scenario centering on the FBI agent and the sadistic serial killer, there are more things wrong with the show than right with it. The two major failings, as pointed out by Movieguide®, are the high level of gore and the fact that the showrunners failed to censor anything, despite current events.
“’The Following’ is not only inappropriate for families due to its excessive violence,” Dr. Baehr adds in the article. “It is offensive to the victims of many shootings across America.”
Movieguide® goes on to state that it typically has “faith in FOX programming,” but “cannot back [The Following].”
CONTACT: Natalie Fertig
Phone: 1-805-465-3573
Web: www.movieguide.org
Email: natalie@movieguide.org
Dr. Baehr is chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission® (CFTVC) ministry and publisher of its family guide to movies, Movieguide® (www.movieguide.org). CFTVC and Movieguide® are an international non-profit ministry. Dr Baehr is an expert on the impact of media on society, having done years of research since his time as head of the Television Center at City University of New York.
For more information, visit www.movieguide.org or call 1-888-899-6684.
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