My first experience with The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Until this last weekend, I had never seen “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” I was what those in the “Rocky Horror” world would call a “virgin,” someone who had never experienced the cult classic B movie in a theater — or at home for that matter.
I’ve known a little about the movie for a while now. I remember dancing along to “The Time Warp” while playing “Just Dance” with my roommates. I’ve heard it referenced again and again, in music video parodies and movie tropes.
I didn’t realize it was more than a movie until I had watched “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” where the characters performed as a shadow cast along with the feature presentation.
I don’t know what drew me to actually go see it this year. Maybe my curiosity had finally grown enough for me to want to see what it was about. Maybe I wanted to shake things up and try something new. Either way, I had been tossing about the idea for a while now and finally made the decision to just go.
The reason I hesitated for so long was partially due to the comments I received whenever I proposed the idea. Comments like, “Really? Are you sure?” “or “A lot of people dress up and bring props to that movie,” created a picture of the cult classic that both confused and intrigued me. It also unnerved me because the most audience participation I had experienced until now was laughter or screams in response to whatever was playing on screen.
My trepidation only added to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” experience, and honestly, I really enjoyed myself.
The second I walked into the Utah Theater and sat down next to some friends, I knew I was in for an adventure. I was handed some newspaper, noisemakers, and a glow stick. Someone offered me toilet paper, rice and confetti. There was also toast and spray bottles filled with water ready to go.
Megan Nielsen | The Utah Statesman My antici … pation only grew as a country concert played on the screen in lieu of previews as everyone trickled in and sat down. Then a familiar “Tom and Jerry” short played. Finally, before the movie itself started, the stage began to rise and a man in purple dress and garter hose appeared to tell the audience the rules of the theater during this special showing.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is known for its interactive audience participation. There are annotated scripts available online. Sitting in the theater, I was surrounded by singing and shouts as the credits rolled and a big red pair of lips sang. Obscenities were shouted at the two main characters each time they were introduced throughout the movie.
I was showered with rice, and used my newspaper to stay dry as “rain” spouted from the balcony in the back. I stood up with the rest of the audience to dance the “Time Warp.” That was the only song I knew from the movie and so it was nice to be able to see it in context.
I watched as the movie’s plot unfolded and began to understand why the audience yelled every time the main two characters said their names. The audience also shouted out questions for the characters to answer, which caused laughter to ring through the audience.
It was easy to follow along the cues for the different props. I just had to follow my friends lead. Some of the props thrown were a play on words, like toast, or they mimicked the characters’ actions for an immersive effect.
I won’t go into a lot of details about everything I experienced in that theater, but I will recommend going to go see it in theaters. There are some scenes and concepts that might make some people a little uncomfortable — the main antagonist is a “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania,” after all. But overall, it’s just a fun B movie from the 70s that broke a lot of cultural norms of that time and still has a huge fan base more than 40 years later.
Now that I’ve watched it, I find myself wanting to watch it again and pick up all the details I missed the first time. I also plan on going to see it in theaters again next year. Anyone who wants to join me is welcome to come with.
@miranda_lorenc