Class barriers are very high walls in many countries. The UK is one of them. Creature London has seized on the interest in horror during Halloween to create its campaign for The Department for Opportunities, the Social Mobility Foundation’s campaigning arm, to raise awareness of the class pay gap and and to encourage employers to measure, report and close it.
The campaign is built into what appears to be the trailer for a horror film, Stay Down, featuring Michael Socha, Jo Hartley and Jonathan Hyde. The trailer’s working-class hero, played by Michael Socha, is doing everything that’s expected of him, yet still having to navigate constant discrimination, particularly from his elitist boss, played by screen legend Jonathan Hyde. Classism is depicted as a sinister presence, tormenting him physically and mentally. The film ends with the message, Some horrors aren’t fiction. Classism is still holding people down.
The trailer was directed by Thomas James and produced by OB management, with a version of Radiohead’s No Surprises, adding to its drama. The cover was composed by Icelandic artist, Högni, and performed by up-and-coming Scottish-Chinese singer-songwriter, Seil Lien, secured by Major Tom Music.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say that the barriers faced by people from a working-class background are horrifying. With this campaign we’re not just pastiching the horror film genre, we’re dramatising people’s actual reality: and it’s a reality that has never been more damaging, and unacceptable,” stated, Creature London chief creative officer, Stu Outhwaite-Noel.
Social Mobility Foundation Department for Opportunities chief executive officer, Sarah Atkinson, added, “The very existence of a class pay gap is horrifying. Our campaign is designed to shock employers into action, particularly the creative and arts sectors, which have so much work to do. Our organisation focuses on practical action that drives positive outcomes; any employer who sees the campaign should get in touch because together, we can end the horror of workplace classism.”
The trailer will be aired cinemas across the UK, supported by OOH film posters and a print ad print in this Halloween’s Guardian on Sunday. To spread awareness further, the Department of Opportunities is encouraging people to share their own class horror stories on Twitter and LinkedIn using the hashtag #StayDownFilm.
