JERICHO, NY, September 4, 2002 – If you want to get sandwiched in the Halloween madness, turn to AMC for back to back mini-festivals dedicated to two mandatory monsters – the Mummy and Godzilla. These archetypal fright fixtures are the creature feature on Halloween, Thursday, October 31, as part of AMC's 7-day, 154-hour-long spectacle of spookiness, Monsterfest 24/7.
AMC unearths the Mummy movie mini-fest on Wednesday, October 30 at 7:00 AM with ABBOT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY (1955). In this amusing adventure, Abbot and Costello get mixed up with an evil villainess, a valuable tomb and a mummy who is still alive. Comedy ensues as the plot unravels! Next up, things get more serious and scary at 8:45 AM with THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940). Archaeologists seeking the lost tomb of an Egyptian princess get more than they bargained for when they find it being guarded by a living – and very deadly – mummy. This time out, it's Tim Tyler as the man in bandages. In THE MUMMY'S CURSE (1944), at 10:15 AM, the mummy and his reincarnated princess/mate Ananka are dug up in the swamps of Louisiana, only to go on the usual strangling spree before meeting yet another, but not so final, end. Concluding AMC's Mummy marathon is the original Universal entry that launched the series, THE MUMMY (1932), airing at 11:30 AM, starring Boris Karloff as the 3,700-year-old Egyptian mummy named Im-ho-tep. (A sneak preview of THE MUMMY can be seen prior to the mini-fest on Sunday, October 27 at 5:00 PM).
On Halloween morning, Thursday, October 31, Japan's rampaging reptile takes over the screen in a 4-film mini-festival that showcases Godzilla's most memorable battles and foes, from the early films of the '50s through the revivals of the '70s. The attacks begin at 1:00 AM when the action goes nautical in GODZILLA VS. SEA MONSTER (1966). In this monster surf battle, Godzilla teams with Mothra to defeat an enormous and evil shrimp named Ebirah. At 2:30 AM tune in for GODZILLA'S REVENGE (1969), the story of a child who daydreams of adventures with Godzilla's son and other mega monsters. The film features exciting battle scenes taken from earlier Godzilla films. The lizard love affair continues at 4:00 AM with THE TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975). In this 15th film in the series, the righteous reptile battles Chitaneceras, a nefarious birdlike metal monster whom aliens use to try and destroy the Earth. The mini-fest culminates with a 5:30 AM airing of GODZILLA (1954), the first feature in the series created by Inoshioro Honda and Toho Studios, about an unstoppable radioactive reptile. This scary post-war film introduces the enormous monster, a product of the H-bomb, who wreaks havoc and destroys Tokyo as only a mega-monster can.
AMC's Monsterfest 24/7 is a 7-day, 154-hour-long Halloween marathon that is the ultimate television destination for monster movies and themed original programming. The October 25 – 31 event features over 40 films, spanning seven decades – from classic Universal titles like FRANKENSTEIN, MUMMY and DRACULA that launched the genre in the '30s to more modern movies like FRIGHT NIGHT, PREDATOR 2 and HALLOWEEN 4-5.
AMC is a premiere 24-hour movie network dedicated to the world of American film. With one of the finest, most comprehensive libraries of popular films and a diverse blend of original series, documentaries, and interstitials, AMC offers an elegant and contemporary entertainment destination. AMC is a fully distributed network reaching over 83,000,000 U.S. homes (as of July 2002) and ranking #16 in size among all 55 networks.
Since its launch in 1984, AMC has been dedicated to deepening the movie experience for its viewers, featuring film-loving celebrity hosts and an increasingly visible, critically acclaimed slate of original programming. AMC has more than doubled its original programming over the past 3 years and garnered many of the industry's highest honors, including seven Emmy awards.
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