Giant cockroaches running across the cinema screen are enough to make even the most ardent horror fan squirm.

Some people have such a phobia that even seeing them on a big screen is enough to scare them

At Embassy Cinemas in Valletta recently, the creepy-crawlies left some viewers so uncomfortable that they complained to management.

But the cockroaches were not real, nor were they protagonists in a horror film. They were digital creations in a 15-second advert for Comtec pest control. And now they have been exterminated.

A spokesman for Embassy confirmed the advert was pulled from screens.

“People complained it was so offensive that they were not comfortable coming to the cinema,” she said.

“I think the point is that some people have such a phobia that even seeing them on a big screen is enough to scare them.”

The advert ran for several weeks before it was pulled.

It showed digitalised cockroaches and other insects scurrying across dirty tiled flooring before they are engulfed in smoke and disappear, leaving a spotless floor behind. This is followed by the slogan: “We kill pests.”

Blaze Productions, the audiovisual arm of JP Advertising that created the commercial, said the advert has been modified and would return to the screens soon.

“We were aware that the commercial was a powerful one which would leave an impact. However, we never expected such a reaction. We were actually extremely surprised with the feedback given by both our client and the Embassy Cinema complex,” said Blaze Productions spokesman Simon Muscat.

Peter Merceica, general manager of Comtec, was philosophical about the experience.

“In a way, we sell a solution to people’s fears. But we don’t want to upset our partners so we agreed to change it,” he said.

The new version of the advert is “much less graphic and features much more smoke”, Mr Mercieca said.