I love horror movies. I enjoy laughing at how cheesy they can be, and it’s fun being scared with a group of friends. Laughing about the movie days later at lunch makes being terrified for the night worth it.
Most of the best horror movies are R-rated.The only problem? I need a chaperone to watch an R-rated movie with me in a theater.
I went to go see “The Conjuring” with a friend. My mom bought us the tickets, and right before we got in the theater, the usher told us we needed a parent with us.
Ouch.
My mother bought herself a ticket and sat with us in the theater. At the start of the movie, she left and snuck into another movie (bad, I know. I don’t recommend doing this).
The same usher came and checked the theater. Upon seeing my mother had left, she proceeded to talk to me and I was forced to get up and call my mother.
It was quite embarrassing.
What made it even worse was that there was a group of kids (who were definitely younger than me) that had snuck into the theater and were sitting right in front of me. I felt like I had been targeted because I had only brought one friend with me and that the usher was afraid to try and kick out a whole group of teenagers.
So what is the policy on R-rated movies? According to the website of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), an R-rated movie means that “[children] under 17 require an accompanying parent or adult guardian.”
Let’s be honest here. I bet anyone between the ages of 13 and 17 doesn’t need an adult guardian to watch an R-rated movie with them. We’re not THAT clueless. We know what’s going on, and I promise you, we won’t get traumatized.
To find out more, I called up Bridgeport Showcase Cinemas and Fairfield Cinemas at Bullard Square, which are owned by the same company. Their policy is that you need to have ID with you at all times and that a 17 year old needs to be accompanied by an adult. However, when you turn 18, you can bring anyone you want (i.e. anyone under 17) into the theater with you to see an R-rated movie.
At the Trumbull Bow Tie Cinemas Marquis 16 theater, they go by what the MPAA rules state and gave no further elaboration on their rules.
I like the rules at both the Bridgeport and Fairfield Cinemas, but the rules regarding R-Rated movies need to be more lenient. In this day and age, it’s fine for a 13 year old to go see a R-Rated movie as long as it’s clear to the usher that the parent or legal guardian is giving the kid permission. I don’t think it’s fair for the parents to have to sit through a movie they don’t want to see.
For now, I guess I’ll have to wait until the R-rated horror movies come out on DVD.
