"Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell" Billboard

If you live in Atlanta or LA, you may have seen a new black-text-on-white-background billboard that merely says "Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell --Satan."

I don't know who to credit this photo to--it was on Facebook.

I assume from the style that the creators intended to spoof the God Speaks billboards, which have white text on a black background and share various "messages from God" such as "Need a marriage counselor? I'm available" and "We need to talk." According to GodSpeaks.com, an anonymous person in Florida started that campaign in the 90's. After the initial run, Eller Media, a billboard company, chose to keep displaying the messages, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) used it as their national public service campaign for 1999.

I can imagine that many people seeing the "message from Satan" would guess it is sponsored by a group such as Westboro Baptist Church or some cult. But in fact, it's part of the marketing campaign for a new TV show that will air soon on Adult Swim. The show title is "Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell". 

(Musician Iggy Pop has a song with this same title, and references to him are the most frequent search result if you google it. The creators of the TV show, Dave Willis and Chris (Casper) Kelly, contacted him and his team to get permission to use the title for the show. I don't know if the song itself has any relevance to them, or if they just liked the title.)

As a follower of Jesus, I liked the "God Speaks" billboards, though I don't know what impact they had on people in general. I'm not sure what to think of these new billboards. They could have a positive effect in getting people to think about the afterlife and their own spirituality or lack of it. Or they could have a negative effect in making the whole concept more of a joke, something to not take seriously. I have the same thoughts about the TV show itself.  


The billboards appear to be the second phase of Adult Swim's marketing campaign for this show. Around March 26, they released a promotional trailer/preview for it during their regular programming. They posted the trailer on YouTube on March 27, and to date it has had over 36,000 views (several of which are from me watching it and showing it to my friends.) 

I think the trailer is really well-made (kudos, writers and editors!), and have heard positive reactions from everyone I've shown it to. I think it is particularly funny/ironic/interesting that they used such upbeat music for the end of it. I think it says, "This show is about a pitiful demon who has to deal with all kinds of obstacles and suffering, but it's going to be fun to watch it."

The show airs Thursday, April 18, at midnight. (My husband and I debated on whether that meant the midnight that comes at the beginning or end of Thursday, and finally decided it must mean the end.) I will be watching.