My First Time Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience

By AJ Johnson

I recently had the pleasure of attending SCAD’s first ever showing of the 1975 cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. On the night of October 10th, the Lucas Theatre housed a sold-out screening of over a thousand viewers- perfectly timed for the spooky season.

For those who aren’t familiar with the film, Rocky Horror was actually adapted from a stage play, written by Richard O’Brien two years prior to the movie adaptation. O’Brien worked on the writing for the film as well, and even appears as a character in the movie. The adaptation was directed by Jim Sharman, and was an absolute flop at the box office. But it resonated with the queer community for its highlighting of gender fluidity and non-conformity through its colorful cast of characters, as well as those that just enjoy a great amount of campiness.

The story follows a newly engaged couple Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), who find themselves with a flat tire during a storm. In an attempt to get help, they discover the home of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transgender scientist. Throughout the night, Brad and Janet meet the kooky characters of Transylvania that populate the mansion and push the lovers to lose their innocence. These characters include a rockstar biker (Meat Loaf), a creepy butler (the man himself, Richard O’Brien), and a pair of sensual servants (Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell). The story is populated with elaborate dances and groovy rock songs as Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation- “Rocky”- who he deems to be the epitome of manhood.

The most alluring part of attending a Rocky Horror screening is the audience interactivity that developed with the cult following of the film. Historically, it is even common for a live troupe to accompany the film and lip sync along, but in the Lucas Theatre it was just us and the movie. Audience members still got more than enough out of the experience though, as upon arrival we were lovingly provided with a prop bag from a booth set up in the lobby. The bag consisted of items that we should use at certain points in the film, and they were detailed to us by an announcer before the movie started. The list of props and their uses are as follows:

• A sheet of newspaper to cover your head with as Janet does when she gets out of the car to follow Brad in the rain.
• A glowstick to illuminate the theater with when they sing “there’s a light” during the song “Over at the Frankenstein’s Place.” This replaces what used to be lighters and candles.
• A rubber glove to snap three times alongside Frank-N-Furter as he makes his “creation speech” before bringing Rocky to life.

• A noisemaker to cheer alongside the Transylvanians who are applauding the end of the creation speech.
• A party hat to put on your head during the dinner scene as Frank puts his own on.
• A bell to ring during the song “Planet Schmanet Janet” when Frank sings “Did you hear a bell ring?”
• Cards are showered throughout the theater when Frank sings the line “Cards for sorrow, cards for pain” during the song “I’m Going Home.”

If all of that wasn’t enough to get you looking for the next screening of this film, then let me describe the event as someone seeing it in a theater for the first time. For hardcore fans of the film, this is an all-out dress up event. So many people came decked out in character-accurate costumes and intense drag makeup, creating an audience that is just as whimsical and fun as the characters on screen. 

The announcers who went over the prop bags also prompted newcomers to stand up and partake in the “Virgin Ceremony”, which entailed reciting a pledge and being cheered on by the audience members who are familiar with Rocky Horror in all of its glory. We were even encouraged to dance in the aisles and sing along. And dance and sing we did. Learning how to do the “Time Warp” alongside people who knew what they were doing and people who didn’t (me) was the most fun I’d had in a theater in I don’t know how long. Pure joy and love for the campy theatricality of the film radiated from everyone in the building from top to bottom.

While this was not my first time seeing the movie, being there in the theater with a live audience made it an entirely new experience. Outside of the prop bag, there were dozens of calls and responses that I wasn’t even aware of as a novice fan. Despite this, it was fun to be able to catch onto the ongoing bits, like screaming profanities at Brad and Janet when they appeared on screen in a solo shot. No matter if you’d seen the film one time or one hundred times, everyone in that theater was bonded through the audience engagement, and it really felt like we were all one little community of weirdos that night.

I now understand why Rocky Horror screenings pop up every year, and have been for decades now. I hope it continues for many more years, and I am urging SCAD to keep up this tradition, because this night was clearly such a success. This cult classic is the perfect option for a Halloween outing, and is definitely being added to my list of October traditions. I urge the rest of you to do the same!

The HoneyDripper is the Savannah College of Art and Design’s juried comics and illustration blog, dedicated to publishing, promoting, and showcasing the finest in student work.​