The Un-FATHOM-able Horror! The Mariners' Museum meets Sea Monsters!

For Immediate Release

The Un-FATHOM-able Horror! The Mariners' Museum meets Sea Monsters!

Newport News, Va. - (June 2010) -It rages! It roars! It unfurls, unravels, swirls and twirls, skulks, sulks, snarls and doesn’t adhere to the tenants of good filmmaking. And it’s also a lot of fun.

It’s The Mariners’ Museum’s Classic Movie Café’s latest installment: Sea Monsters. It would be downright terrifying, but your suspension of disbelief may be checked by the monstrous special effects and overwrought acting.

Beginning in August, The Mariners’ Museum will host a series of four Sea Monster movies at The Mariners’ Museum.

These films weren’t Oscar contenders. It’s all about fun. The word “campy” also comes to mind. “And besides, don’t we all have a soft spot in our hearts for marauding giant squids and radioactive dinosaurs?” said Anna Holloway, the museum vice president who selected the films, and is organizing the series along with education director Anne-Marie Millar.

The price of a ticket is $5 for general admission; $4 for members and includes free popcorn. Beverages and other snacks from The Compass Café will be available for purchase.

Sea Monster Movie Lineup
Mariners’ Classic Movie Café – Sea Monster Series

Thursday, August 5, 2010, 7 P.M.
Godzilla Versus the Sea Monster (1966 – starring Akira Takarada).
What happens when you take the script for a King Kong movie and substitute Godzilla for the main character? Find out in this campy classic that also features Mothra!

Thursday, August 12, 2010, 7 P.M.
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953 – starring Paul Christian)
Find out what happens when you irradiate a frozen dinosaur and unleash him on Manhattan. This cold war classic also features an epic Coney Island bazooka battle.

Thursday, August 19, 2010 7 P.M.
It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955 – starring Kenneth Tobey and Faith Domergue)
A radioactive giant octopus terrorizes the west coast before paying a visit to San Francisco. This campy cold war classic features stop motion SFX guru Ray Harryhausen’s magic!

Thursday, August 26, 2010, 7 P.M.
Clash of the Titans (1981 – starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith)
This Ray Harryhausen adventure is long on star power but short on mythological accuracy. Still, where else can you see Sir Laurence Olivier upstaged by a mechanical owl? 

For more information:
Contact: John Warren
(757) 591-7746
E-mail: pr@MarinersMuseum.org 

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts. The museum is open from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Saturday, and 12 to 5 P.M. Sunday. It will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For information, visit www.MarinersMuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.

The Mariners' Museum and The South Street Seaport Museum of New York City are partners in America's National Maritime Museum, an innovative alliance recognized by an act of Congress in June 1998 to share collections, exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and other endeavors.