Some movies are amazing. Some are horrible. Some are just amazingly horrible. Often, those amazingly horrible movies are the best to watch. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" counts in that category and is one of the most notable low-budget films of all time. The musical film follows the story of Brad and Janet, an American couple lost in a thunderstorm, as they discover a castle filled with genderqueer and hypersexual aliens that set out to reanimate the perfect male specimen, leading to murder, affairs and a cross-dressing revue finale.
Originally a box office bomb, it found a special place in the hearts of genderqueer people and performance artists at its late night showings. They began to start shadow performances (where actors would mime the characters in front of the screen) and audience participation (where the most non-politically correct comments would be shouted out to comment on the character's actions), bringing more revenue to the theaters that were showing the movie. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," to this day, has the longest-running movie release in cinema history, having a continuous limited run since its release in 1975. Having seen the movie quite a few times before at home, I was excited to finally experience this movie in full action and (as the cast puts it) "lose my virginity."
Rounding up three other friends/willing participants in this adventure, we set out to the AMC in Boston Commons around 11. We were in plain street clothes, a stark contrast among costumed moviegoers. Some were obviously portraying the main characters, while others just wore simple Halloween costumes. As we entered the auditorium, crew members advertised what was endearingly called a "bag of shit," or props to use during the performance. We handed over a few dollars, took our "shit" and went on our way.
As it was Halloweekend, the opening festivities went on for a while. The supporting cast and crew hosted a costume contest, recreated several internet sketches (such as "Goofy Sings Evanescence" and "Clitter") and lip-synched to the Spice Girls. Then, it was time to humiliate that night's virgins. I had chosen not to mark myself as a virgin that night, but those who were chosen were then forced to imitate their favorite cartoon character having an orgasm. A man in drag won that for his impression of Maleficent, and therefore was cast as Betty Monroe for the first scene.
Finally, the movie started. Right away, the infamous commentary started from the supporting cast, who stood in the aisles throughout the movie. The obligatory classic lines were there, like "Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch" and "Castles don't have phones, asshole." Some more recent (respective to the seventies) comments were also added, featuring topics like the Donald Trump sexual assault accusations and Chris Brown's physical assault incident.
The shadow cast was absolutely flawless, matching their movements completely in sync with the film. The dedication that these actors have to the show shows during their performance. It's not just a hobby for them, rather it's a full-scale production and a way of life.
What was also really nice about the Rocky Horror community here is that they live to their professional troupe name, the Full Body Cast and promote body acceptance. The roles of Janet, Frank-N-Furter, Columbia, Magenta and Rocky were all played by curvier women who were more than comfortable wearing tight-fitting corsets and other revealing outfits, promoting the idea of body acceptance and self-confidence. In a society where shaming heavier people (especially women) is prevalent, this was refreshing and awe-inspiring to see.
Having seen "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" before and knowing the plot, experiencing it in a movie theater with the shadow cast was a completely different experience. For those who like it easy on the ears (either in content or volume), it isn't something that should be recommended. However, for anyone who wants a unique movie-going adventure that will likely never be done with any other film, going to this late night science fiction double feature is well worth every minute.
