Halloween is a time for candy, costumes and cult classics. The time has come to brush off those graphically challenged horror movies and pile the friends in for a popcorn-filled night of screams and laughter.
Now, what classifies as a “cult classic” may vary with viewer’s taste, but Halloween is never complete without a showing of the classic that tops them all – “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Best seen live, this interactive show is an experience suited to those with a sense of humor, and audience members are encouraged to their own props. Live or in the movie, people will throw rice, glitter, or cards. They will cover themselves with newspaper, or even squirt other audience members with water guns.
Think that’s not enough? True “Rocky Horror” fans know the movie’s lines by heart enough to shout them in unison with other show-goers to take the awkward pauses in the film to an entirely new level of entertainment. What’s better than a strange musical? A strange musical that you make fun of while watching it.
But the film is not just enjoyable because audience members make it a great time. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” for all its stupidity, is actually a great movie. The songs are ridiculously catchy and the “Time Warp” dance is absurdly fun to do, especially when you look around and see all the others in the theater doing it with you.
The movie is meant to make little sense and the acting isn’t meant to be Oscar-worthy, though the plot isn’t terrible and the acting isn’t awful either. The cast, however, has great actors you might recognize, such as Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, both still popular stars now.
I had the pleasure of experiencing “Rocky Horror” at Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Pelham, New Hampshire last Friday. Though there was a list of acceptable props, it was only for the safety of the other guests. I’m used to watching Rocky on television, and the one live show I went to previously had a fairly disappointing interactive portion, so this experience was amazing.
Everyone came in costume, as is encouraged, and people had bags upon bags of props to use. Attendee ages ranged from early teens to elderly, and all in between, with everyone eagerly partaking in the tossing of toilet paper or the shouting of sexual innuendos at the screen.
When the movie ended, I was covered in rice and water, the floor was littered in toilet paper, and I had been laughing so hard my sides were hurting. People had said the lines perfectly at just the right times, everyone had sung along, the “Time Warp” had great audience participation and the sheer amount of objects thrown in the air had been amazing.
By far, it had been the best live show I had ever seen, including actual stage shows of professional non-“Rocky Horror” performances.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” became a cult classic for a reason; the show is a night of hilarity that brings people together in a sense of absurdity. Seeing it around Halloween is a near necessity. And there are still plenty of showings happening this week and on Halloween weekend, so if you haven’t gone out and secured your “Rocky Horror” adventure, there’s still time to get warped.
Aly Nichols can be reached at [email protected].
