Just a couple of months ago, I wrote about The Rocky Horror Picture Show getting the cemetery screening treatment for Long Beach's Sunnyside Cemetery film series, and about my deep love for the movie's cult following. I said it once, and in honor of the film's upcoming screening this week at Frida Cinema, I'll say it again: RHPS is an unforgettable communal experience. This Friday marks the debut showing of the film at Frida Cinema, where a live shadow cast will mirror the actions of the characters in the movie in real time, like at any honorable RHPS showing. The Frida hopes to make screening this musical gem an ongoing event, presumably once a month. There's even an Instagram account for the RHPS showings, @rocky_at_the_frida_cinema.
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In case you're not familiar with the movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 film based on a stage musical about young conservative couple Brad and Janet who run into car troubles on their way to meet their friend Dr. Scott, and stumble into a large, dark mansion to ask for a phone. They realize that they have encountered the home of Dr. Frank N. Furter, a scientist and sweet transvestite from transsexual planet Transylvania who is making his very own Frankenstein-like creation, a muscular, tanned boy toy named Rocky Horror. So many boundaries crossed, songs sung and Time Warps done again, it's genuinely an enjoyable slice of '70s culture that was deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress in 2005. This film didn't make it at the box office during its initial release but was a draw at midnight movie screenings where viewers would act out the film and throw and yell things at the screen, ever since creating a participatory element to the film's future screenings.
It's been a long time since The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a big event in OC, although there were attempts to revive its fan base with lukewarm results in the past; Yost Theater aimed to make RHPS screenings a regular thing but limited turnout put the kibosh on those plans. It screens every now and then at South Coast Regency as well. Perhaps this is the moment in time and place where it could successfully take off on a regular basis and attract a new generation of fans who love to dress up and are already liberated from the sexual status quo. From one diehard fan, don't miss out this Friday night!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Frida Cinema Friday, August 15 11:30pm, only $10 for general admission or $7 if you're a Frida member. No word yet on whether throwing items at the screen for this screening is acceptable, but dressing up in your gayest apparel is highly encouraged (but where is it not tho?) Find the full details right here.
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Aimee Murillo is calendar editor and frequently covers film and previously contributed to the OCW’s long-running fashion column, Trendzilla. Don’t ask her what her favorite movie is unless you want to hear her lengthy defense of Showgirls.