In Key West, Florida in October 1962, Gene Loomis and his younger brother, Dennis, live on a military base with their mother while their father is away on a United States Navy submarine. At a local movie theater one afternoon, Gene and Dennis see a promo for an exclusive engagement of producer Lawrence Woolsey's sensational new horror film, entitled "Mant!" Woolsey is scheduled to make an in-person appearance at the cinema in Key West the following Saturday. After the boys return home to the base, the Loomis family watches as President Kennedy delivers a speech confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba. Meanwhile, Woolsey arrives in Florida with his actress girlfriend, Ruth Corday. He finds the fearful atmosphere created by the ongoing missile crisis to be the perfect environment in which to host "Mant!"'s premiere.