A FAMILY film audience was stunned to get an unintended glimpse of a horror movie, which left some parents shaken and the cinema chain apologising for the mix-up.
Moviegoers 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, they saw the opening scene of The Hills Have Eyes 2, the 18-rated sequel to a recent remake of a 1977 horror classic by Wes Craven.
The Hills Have Eyes 2, which centres on National Guard troops who stumble on a clan of mutant cannibals, starts with a chained woman giving birth to a mutant.
"There were kids that were crying, 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 at the Island 16 multiplex last Thursday.
Another patron said his three-year-old son left 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, 31.
Staff stopped the movie, gave the audience members vouchers, and started The Last Mimzy about half an hour late.
National Amusements Inc, which operates the Island 16 and about 1,500 other movie screens in the United States and elsewhere, expressed "deepest apologies" in a statement.
"We are working with our theatre's managers to correct this situation and ensure that it does not happen again.
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