Here’s to you, movie theatre stalker!
I went to see the movie Inception last night (which is pretty amazing) and was reminded of an incredibly awkward movie theater experience that happened to me a few years ago. It was during my second round of unemployment in January of 2008. I had plenty of free time on my hands and wanted to go see a movie. What better time to do that than a Tuesday afternoon? I made my way to the theater at Atlantic Station in Midtown. As I’m walking down the long hallway a young gentleman was walking toward me and as I turned to my specific theater door, he also turned that way, opened the door for me, and we both entered.
I forget which movie I saw but it must have been a fairly popular new release because it was in the largest room they have, probably seating between 200-300 moviegoers. On this day, however, there was 1 other person, a lady that I could barely see sitting in the middle of the very back row, just beneath the projector window. As per usual, I walked half way up and half way in, sitting in the almost dead center of the theater. The young man who followed me in came almost halfway up, and almost halfway in, sitting one row below me and basically right in front of me. Really? That’s the seat you pick? Jerk. Now I can’t put my feet on the back of the chair in front of me because apparently none of the other 298 seats are good enough for you. Below is a pretty accurate representation of his unnecessarily awkward proximity.
Had he just sat there for the duration of the movie, that would have been annoying, but he wasn’t going for annoying. I think he wanted something else. As soon as he sat down, he swiveled himself clockwise in his seat so that his body was facing directly to the right. From this angle, he looked back and up at me, staring at me for approximately 10-15 straight minutes. I looked at my phone, then back at him. He was staring at me. I pay extra attention to the trivia and commercials on the pre-movie slide show, then glance back at him. He was still staring at me, smiling. I read every word of my movie ticket, front and back, then quickly glance down at him. Yep, still staring at me. Of course not one single person comes into the theater during this ridiculous ordeal.
After what felt like an eternity he, having said nothing to me, turned around in his seat, got up, left the theater, and never came back in. I know he didn’t come back because no one else came in for the entire movie, it was just me and the lady in the back row. What in the world just happened?
So here’s to you, movie theater stalker, for creeping me the heck out. I can’t even tell that story without getting the chills a little. Guess who won’t ever go by himself to that theater again? And for the record, no, I will not make out with you.
