It’s a jump to the left.
And then a step to the right.
Put your hands on your hips.
You bring your knees in tight,
but it’s that pelvic thrust that really drives you insane.
It’s that time of year again- let’s do the time-warp. It’s Halloween 2013 and we’ve all got the 1975’s Rocky Horror Picture Show tunes escaping our red-smeared lips. For all of you fanatics who sit in your dimly-lit living room donning a corset and knee highs while watching RHPS on repeat, there is a place for you.
On Halloween night the Playhouse is opening its doors for a midnight screening.
“We thought this would be a fun way to celebrate Halloween this year. Obviously Rocky Horror Picture Show is a pretty iconic cult-classic and it has a really wide audience so we thought this would maybe appeal to a bit of a younger crowd and get a few different people out to the Playhouse,” said Alex Davis, communications director for the Playhouse.
Ticket sales have been steady and there’s been a casual buzz among campus folk, but why? It’s been almost 40 years since the transvestite alien Frank N. Furter first gyrated his leather encased junk across screens. But generation after generation continues to flock to this classic.
Alex Fox and Kelsey Pye are two students who have snagged some tickets for this week’s show.
“It’s just so weird, for me that’s the attraction to it. It’s not like anything else. You can go see a coming of age story, but they’re all the same, you don’t know what the hell is happening in Rocky Horror. It’s become a nostalgia thing because I just don’t think you’re going to see another movie like this,” said Pye.
“I first saw Rocky Horror when I was super young because my dad and mom always watch it and then one day they just let me watch it with them. So, I’ve just been consistently watching it since I was young. It just kind of grew into a traditional thing for my family to do,” said Fox.
Fox recalls her dad telling her stories about his college years. Every year around Halloween her dad would go to a packed screening and everyone would be jumping and dancing. In the 70s and 80s some theatres would have weekly midnight RHPS screenings and kids in their finest sequence would race to their fold-down seats.
Have the 21st century RHPS fans calmed down? Not even a little. There are no longer weekly screenings, but when one comes around it’s one hell of a time warp, it’s the 70s again and everyone is back in their fishnets.
“We’re hoping that people will be really creative and dress-up, whether you want to dress up as one of the characters specifically or come up with your own take, were open to anything and hope people really use their imagination when dressing up for the screening,” said Davis.
If you don’t show up in a full get-up don’t be surprised when a strangely dressed person taps you on the shoulder and asks “are you a virgin?” Don’t worry, in order to introduce all you virgins to the world of RHPS here is your guide to proper etiquette.
How to dress: You can never be wearing too much sequence, leather or make-up. The higher the heel, the bigger the bow-tie, the redder the lip is all the better. Over-sized pearls and golden spandex are also welcome. Remember this golden rule: there will always be someone else who looks more out of place.
Dancing: Although it’s not mandatory, you may find you’re the only one in the audience not moving your feet.
What to bring and when to use them:
Rice: As the newlyweds exit the church, you should throw rice along with on-screen wedding guest.
Newspaper: When Brad and Janet are caught in the rainstorm, cover your head with the newspaper when Janet does.
Flashlight: at “There’s a light” point your flashlight towards the ceiling.
Rubber gloves: Snap your gloves during and after the creation speech and later when Magenta pulls the gloves off.
Toilet-paper: Throw toilet-paper when Brad cries “Great Scott!”
Toast: Throw butterless toast when Frank proposes a toast.
Party hat: Put on the hat at the dinner table during the happy birthday scene.
The Playhouse is also hosting a pre-party before the screening. There will be a RHPS trivia contest, time-warp lessons, drink specials and a costume contest. Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.
RHPS pre-party kicks off at 10 p.m. on Oct. 31, screening starts at midnight. Tickets are 16 bones.
