Horror-film error confuses kids
An audience expecting to watch a family film instead got a glimpse of a horror movie that begins with a chained woman giving birth to a mutant.
The cinema-goers in Holtsville, New York, were expecting to see The Last Mimzy, the PG-rated tale of a brother and sister who discover a mysterious box of toys and become endowed with superhuman powers to help preserve humanity’s future.
Instead, the crowd saw the opening scene of The Hills Have Eyes 2, the R-rated sequel to a recent remake of a 1977 horror classic by director Wes Craven. The film centres on National Guard troops who stumble on a clan of mutant cannibals.
“There were kids that were crying, there were people trying to cover the kids’ eyes, they were caught off guard,” said Anthony Rasco, who was in the audience when the scene was unexpectedly shown on Thursday in one of the screens at the Island 16 multiplex in Holtsville.
Another patron said the episode left his three-year-old son with lingering and unsettling questions.
“My wife is eight months pregnant, and he’s been asking: ’Is that what mommy’s going to have?”’ said Frank Doll.
Theatre staff soon stopped the movie, gave customers free ticket vouchers, and started The Last Mimzy about half an hour late, according to parents.
National Amusements Inc, which operates the Island 16 and about 1,500 other screens in the US and elsewhere, expressed “deepest apologies” in a statement.
