Poll: Should DirectTV Use Dead Celebs in Their Ads?

When DirectTV first started airing television ads that featured actors reprising famous film roles and breaking the fourth wall it seemed like a cool concept. Especially, when someone like Sigourney Weaver would step back into the shoes of a character like Ellen Ripley 20 years after the fact. Since the beginning of this campaign, two controversial commercials have been produced by the company that include actors who have died way before their time.

One featured the young actress Heather O’Rourke who starred in the horror hit, Poltergeist and most recently the late Chris Farley appeared opposite David Spade in a recreation of a scene from their 1995 hit, Tommy Boy. Some people found the use of their images for the commercials in bad taste, especially when you look at the circumstances of their deaths. This has raised the question of how far is too far? Should DirectTV use dead celebrities in their ads?

Take a look at a few of the possibilities…

The people over at Landline TV put together this ensemble of DirectTV dead celebrity spoofs that are supposed to acknowledge how ridiculous the ad campaign is getting. The video features appearances by Heath Ledger, John F. Kennedy, and even Jesus Christ who actually takes a break during his crucifixion to discuss HD channels!

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For those of you who haven’t seen it, here’s the actual Chris Farley DirectTV ad below.

What do you think of the use of dead celebrities in promotions? Is it OK as long as they have the families consent?