Moviegoers Getting the Bite from Bed Bugs?

[AcesandEights]

Not sure how many people are aware, or whether other cities are having similar issues, but NYC has been dealing with a bed bug 'epidemic' over the last year or so, with several infestations in not only homes, but now retail outlets and office buildings, as well. Not a big deal, right? Just keep your home clean and all is well. The only problem is bed bugs apparently love movie theater seating and have invaded and shutdown several local movie theaters forcing fumigation. The other issues is that people are getting bitten and possibly in some cases carrying these pests home to breed.

The messed up thing is that the incidents of bed bugs in theaters is apparently spreading out from the city into some boroughs and outlying cityburbs!

Ewwwww!!!
http://www.centerfieldgate.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/eww-kid.jpg

I actually enjoy going to the movies, but I think this may be the nail in the coffin for my movie-going, or at least a cause for suspension of all movie-going activities for the time being.

[Danny]

i've always been super ocd and paranoid about movie seats,particularly the head rests, i'm always thinking about headlice when i sit on them -something i have had the good fortune to never have infested upon my person, but the worst i had was going in wearing a black shirt, not a t shirt but an actual shirt and its back and sleeves were covered in this orange dust that turned out to be rat poison!

[bassman]

Heard about this on the news. Gross stuff. I hardly ever get to make it to the theater these days, so i'm not too worried.

As Hellsing says - its the headrests that always freak me out. I always wear a hat and try to position it so that my hair isn't directly touching the head rest. Probably won't help a thing, but it makes me feel better about it....

Another thing about theater seats are the oils and greases people leave behind. I guess some people just don't bathe, because sometimes you can touch the armrest and your arm just slides off. Disgusting.

[AcesandEights]

Another thing about theater seats are the oils and greases people leave behind. I guess some people just don't bathe, because sometimes you can touch the armrest and your arm just slides off. Disgusting.

I would assume that's butter/fatty oil seepage from a bag or food container placed on the rest, no? At least that's what I'd convince myself it was :)

And Hellsing, that is well beyond the pale of anything I've encountered at a theater! Hope you piped up about it. I mean...*shudder* It's just the sort of thing I'll be thinking about for a while.

[BillyRay]

:barf:

The only thing I can say to all this is

"Ew. Squick."

[blind2d]

Exactly why I try to avoid theaters as much as possible. Grimy conditions, horribly tasting/overpriced food, and... other people. *shudders*

[bassman]

Not all theaters are that bad, though. We've got a couple CLASSY theaters around Atlanta. Even some of the bigger chains are kept squeeky clean. You've just to look around and weed out the seedy places.

When I can make it to the theater, I try to make it to a locally owned joint. Great people that won't ruin your experience. Going to see Ghostbusters and Night90 in a few weeks! Woot!:hyper:

[LouCipherr]

Exactly why I try to avoid theaters as much as possible. Grimy conditions, horribly tasting/overpriced food, and... other people. *shudders*

I'm with blind2d on this one.


Not all theaters are that bad, though. We've got a couple CLASSY theaters around Atlanta. Even some of the bigger chains are kept squeeky clean. You've just to look around and weed out the seedy places.

The only drawback is the fact that there's still other people there. They are usually what ruins the experience for me, and part of the reason I hardly go to the movies anymore.

[DjfunkmasterG]

I'm with blind2d on this one.



The only drawback is the fact that there's still other people there. They are usually what ruins the experience for me, and part of the reason I hardly go to the movies anymore.

I only go when it is something I really want to see...

2007 - No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Die Hard 4, Transformers, Spidey 3 (freebie)... Halloween(although I want my money back for that one)
2008 - TDK (which was a free showing) only theatrical film I watched in theaters in all of 2008.
2009 - Crazy Heart, Zombieland, Avatar (freebie)
2010 - Machete, Expendables, Inception, Karate Kid 2010, The Book of Eli

That has pretty much been my movie going experience for the last 4 years. I don't mind crowds, but I have been enjoying my home theater experience so much that why waste the cash. I also have been busy with the film and some other projects, but now I just sleep a majority of my weekends away.

[SRP76]

I only go when it is something I really want to see...

2007 - No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Die Hard 4, Transformers, Spidey 3 (freebie)... Halloween(although I want my money back for that one)


Damn, you survived seeing all those? I'd have shot myself halfway through.

[MikePizzoff]

Well, now I'm definitely not going to a movie theater any time soon... unless it's something REALLY great. The last three times I was in a theater was my birthday for Halloween 08/31/2007, opening weekend for Diarrhea Of The Dead which was... February of 2008? And finally in August of 2008 for the monstrosity known as "Mirrors" (hey, it was the first date for me and my old lady). Been a pretty long time now and it's really no sweat off my back.

As has been stated by some of you, people are really the main reason I don't go to the theater. 90% of the time I've seen a movie, at least one dickhead in the audience has fucked it up for me.

[LouCipherr]

Bed Bug Registry (http://bedbugregistry.com/)

:stunned:

[AcesandEights]

Bed Bug Registry (http://bedbugregistry.com/)

:stunned:

Looks like a probable spread pattern fr a zombie plague (except scarier) :p

[Legion2213]

I generally hate the movies anyways...mixing with the proles is always a negative experience. :)

Seriously though, reading stuff like this makes me thankfull that I don't go to the flix anymore. :eek:

[bassman]

The only drawback is the fact that there's still other people there. They are usually what ruins the experience for me, and part of the reason I hardly go to the movies anymore.

A) Go during matinees. Far less people and they usually aren't the kind to yell shit out or use their phone.
B) Go to a local independent theater. In my experiences, the only people that go to these theaters are fans of cinema. The kind that won't effect your experience at all. They respect the experience as much as you do.

[LouCipherr]

A) Go during matinees. Far less people and they usually aren't the kind to yell shit out or use their phone.
B) Go to a local independent theater. In my experiences, the only people that go to these theaters are fans of cinema. The kind that won't effect your experience at all. They respect the experience as much as you do.

A) There's still people there, and in case you haven't noticed I have an extreme adversion to the general public. :D
B) There are none around me, only "big chain" theaters. :(

[krakenslayer]

Who cares? Everyone is such a paranoid pussy these days.

[bassman]

Who cares? Everyone is such a paranoid pussy these days.

Well aren't you mr tough guy. :p

I care. No way would I be bringing bugs back to my home. I imagine its a bitch to get rid of those things...

[DjfunkmasterG]

That is cause they don't have a bedbug problem in Scotland

[AcesandEights]

Who cares? Everyone is such a paranoid pussy these days.

Ah, I see...

http://www.schulzmuseum.org/store/images/1123-pigpen.jpg

[SRP76]

Ah, I see...

http://www.schulzmuseum.org/store/images/1123-pigpen.jpg

Well, that makes for an interesting choice. Would you rather be dirty, or bug infested? Both suck, but which one to choose?

[krakenslayer]

Ah, I see...

http://www.schulzmuseum.org/store/images/1123-pigpen.jpg

Nail > Head :D

[MinionZombie]

I always go to matinee performances on a Sunday. It's not crammed, but it's usually not void of another soul either. Sometimes it can be very quiet (like Cop Out - small screen, not that popular, bright sunny day) and other times it can have a decent amount of people there but with tons of space around you (like seeing The Other Guys in Screen 6 - which is one of the biggest screens).

I never put my head on the chair though, and like to have clothing between the arm rest and my arm. The cinema I go to is always clean though, except the carpets in the foyer and halls which are as sticky as the boxers of a 13 year old boy and then some ... not spotless, but clean enough.

What wasn't clean though was my off-campus accomodations for two years. I must have been totally switched off at the time, but my bed had bed bugs and I'd always have bites on my arms ... it wasn't a massive issue, so it never really registered ... I guess when you're living in a kind of mucky place you don't register these things so much. Only my arms and only sometimes, you know. I also didn't put two-and-two together between all of our coughs and the mould all over the bathroom walls. Yeah ... off-campus accomodation is a grotty, grotty thing ... but then again I didn't pay an awful lot of attention when I was that age.

These days I'm far more particular. If I've been somewhere a bit grotty I always wash my clothes afterwards ... I can just feel the grime on the clothes afterwards, if that makes sense.

I do hope this bed bug thing doesn't traverse the pond though. :shifty:

[MikePizzoff]

I imagine its a bitch to get rid of those things...

I've heard that in order to be 100% sure you got rid of them, you'd need to get rid of all furniture and carpeting in your home.

[AcesandEights]

I do hope this bed bug thing doesn't traverse the pond though. :shifty:

Uh oh... (http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b205/DougOBrien/wwwbed-bugscouk-uk.jpg

This really is just like a zombie outbreak in the movies!

[LouCipherr]

The cinema I go to is always clean though, except the carpets in the foyer and halls which are as sticky as the boxers of a 13 year old boy and then some ...

MZ, have I told you that you have a hell of a way with words (this week)? :lol: :lol:

[DubiousComforts]

Who cares? Everyone is such a paranoid pussy these days.

Move Over, Bedbugs: Stink Bugs Have Landed (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/us/27stinkbug.html)

Now see what you've done with your poo-pooery?

[blind2d]

Well hey! I've got these at my summer home (aka, my mother's house)! Cute lil' fuckers. It's fun vacuuming 'em up off the windows and screen door. Shoop! Just like that!
Gods, I'm lonely...
Hey though, this is good! I already know how to get rid of them, so no problem!

[MinionZombie]

Aces - goddamnit! :rant:

Well I'd better not get them. Just got myself a brand new bed with all new sheets and pillows and duvet and everything. Fortunately my area of the country seems relatively low ... not like London which is, unsurprisingly, infested by the looks of things. Grotty stuff.

Interesting that I was just reading about The Plague and how the second break out occurred in London (reading about it the souvenier handbook from The Dungeon - Edinburgh branch, fyi) and I was thinking about this whole bed bug thing at the time, now it turns out that it is over here causing trouble in some areas. :rolleyes:

...

Lou - I have been known to drop one or two zingers in my time. :p

[JGEnviro]

the problem is its not about keeping the home clean! Bed bugs are not directly associated with dirt! more information on the pests here- bed bug pest control (http://www.jgenvironmental.co.uk)

Now that public places have been infected it is a real battle to fight the bugs. not only are they so easily transmitted but they are so damned hard to get rid of.

the other problem is that even getting rid of your mattress/ bed frame you still haven't got rid of the full problem, all it takes is a few eggs to be in the floor boards, skirtings or carpets and in a few weeks/months a whole infestation could re-occur.

[bassman]

Being one of the largest theater chains in the states, AMC theaters was one of the biggest groups affected by these bed bug attacks. So what are they doing now? Serving FOOD (http://www.joblo.com/amc-starts-serving-food-in-theaters-delicious-or-distracting)!

So come catch a film, a meal, and an infestation!

[AcesandEights]

I'm feeling a bit ill now. I was just mentioning in a email to a friend this morning how I've had to blackball my theater going for now because of all this.

[Legion2213]

Jesus, what a great experience...some fatboy sat in front of you for the entire movie scoffing half a ton of junk food...belching, farting and smacking his chops etc.

God bless big ass flat screen TV's and all the other modern home theatre stuff!

[LouCipherr]

God bless big ass flat screen TV's and all the other modern home theatre stuff!

This x100! :D

[DjfunkmasterG]

We have this at a Theater in Arlington, VA, and the experience is fun and only done with certain movies (Comedy/Action) They don't do it for Drama's and films where the experience is made to be 100% focus.

[MikePizzoff]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/11/bedbugs-superbug-mrsa_n_860579.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Well, now there are some in Canada that carry staph which is resilient to medicine.