BY JENNA ARROYO

I closed my eyes anticipating the next scene, knowing another victim would soon be shown dead an extremely gruesome way. Screaming when the killer pops out of a dark corner and wills his deadly weapon towards the camera – whether it’s a knife, gun, or claws – creates a feeling of terror you always get when you watch a scary movie. Now, when you’re watching a horror movie, you don’t go to watch adolescent kids in middle school making out, or in the words of thirteen year-olds, engaging in “kissing battles.”

Having experienced this a few times, I wonder when exactly movie theaters changed from a place you could go hang out with your friends at, as well as the occasional date, into a make-out destination for young adults. Instead of hearing the intense screams or pleases to spare the characters’ lives, I hear the smacking of lips and moans from two seats over. Is it the adrenaline from watching a scary movie that makes couples partake in these activities, or is it simply when the female snuggles closer to her date when a scary part comes around?

Many couples that I know who go to the movies actually go because they want to see the movie, perhaps with an occasional kiss here and there. I believe that there is a line between public displays of affection and simply having a go in the movie theaters, something that does go too far, even if you are in a rated-R movie. I know for a fact that younger kids sneak into the movie theaters to watch such movies, and when they see certain things like that, they get the wrong idea.

I’m not against couples being affectionate to one another, but to do things in a theater is just wrong. If you are so into making out during a movie, instead of going to the theater, save some money and pop a movie into your DVD player at home and go at it.