I have to admit, I’ve always wondered if I would ever walk into a theater thinking I was seeing one movie and then see another. I get particularly suspicious when the trailers before the movie don’t seem to match in tone with the movie I’m about to see. What I could only imagine became a reality for some audiences this week. According to Cinematical, here’s what went down:
“Families at Showcase Cinemas in Revere, Massachusetts were expecting to see ‘Megamind,’ a colorful, animated superhero adventure presented in eye-popping 3D. Instead, they got the first few minutes of ‘Saw 3D,’ a bloody, gruesome horror movie presented in 3D so that you can literally see eyes popping. It remains uncertain whether or not the traumatized children and their shocked parents began to flee after the footless man cauterized his leg stump with a burning steam pipe or after the woman got lowered into the buzz saw.”
Now these kids are scarred for life, all thanks to the negligence of a projectionist. I didn’t think this actually happened, but now one person’s mistake could lead to a whole lot of therapy.
Did anybody else think this didn’t actually happen?
Marshall and the Movies 
Wow. I guess what strikes me first and foremost is why the prevalence of these more and more gruesome films? I for one have had my fill of zombies and apocalyptic movies. I don’t know if I could stomach the thought of watching another unless it was free of course because at least I could fast forward through most of it, which sadly happens more often these days than I’d like to admit. I mean I don’t know about you but I’m tired of wasting precious hours of my life on junk cinema.
So that said, I haven’t actually had something this crazy happen though last year my wife and I went to see a movie (the name escapes me) and everything was what we expected – way too many trailers, another five minutes of ads for television shows we don’t get with our cable subscription followed by an additional five minutes of car ads and insurance offerings. Then the lights dimmed and the film started. At first we thought maybe it was supposed to be quiet but this was too quiet. Quiet like you can hear the people around you quiet. Then some spoke or I should say they didn’t speak and everyone realized there was no sound accompanying the movie. A series of catcalls and caterwauling ensued (all of which did no observable good) and after fifteen minutes the sound mysterious crackled to life. We should have left. Why didn’t we leave? I don’t know but it sucked.
That sure is interesting. I’ve had blown speakers but never a silent movie. I’ve also watched the first ten minutes of a 3D movie without the filter over the projector, making the movie nothing but a screen of overlapping lines.