When The Plaza in downtown Atlanta closed last March with every other movie theatre at the start of the pandemic, I told myself that, if it reopens on the other side, I would finally take in a midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. The everlasting icon of all midnight movies, the film that defined the “audience participation” movie event that other films (namely, “The Room”) have co-opted, “Rocky Horror” has always been a blind spot for me. This month, The Plaza finally continued their “Rocky Horror” events, and it was time to check this off of my list.
I don’t remember if I’ve ever see a quote about it from Joel Hodgson, but I can’t help but think that the “Rocky Horror” phenomenon, which has gone on since almost when the movie was released in 1975, was an inspiration on the concept of “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, which hinges on the idea of audiences making fun of the movie they’re watching. Of course, it’s one thing to watch people doing that with a TV between you; it’s another thing entirely to see it live. I’ve never had the opportunity to actually see a “Rifftrax! Live” or “Mystery Science Theater 3000” live performance in the theatre with the performers; that has to be a different experience entirely. But the structure of that allows for catching more of the plot and dialogue than last night did at “Rocky Horror”- that’s why this is a blog, and not an actual review; I’ll get to that another time. Now that I’ve had the live experience, the weight is lifted, and I’ll have a rough idea of the movie itself.
This was easily the most packed screening I’ve seen in well over a year, and it was great to see. That it was for “Rocky Horror” probably shouldn’t be as surprising as it was (most theatres are still, slowly, getting their audiences back). Of course I did not dress up, but I didn’t feel out of place, either; this was about taking in the experience for myself. In a way, the title of this blog is a lie- I did not do the timewarp, but it was joyous to see the audience do it, all the same.
The Plaza doing “Rocky Horror” isn’t just them playing the movie, and the audience just yells stuff at the screen. Leading the charge is Lips Down on Dixie, Atlanta’s longest running cast of “Rocky Horror.” Prior to the film, they did games, giveaways and comedy to get the audience warmed up. During the movie, the troupe played out the actions of the main characters- Brad, Janet, Riff Raff, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Magenta, Columbia, Dr. Everett V. Scott, Rocky, Eddie and The Criminologist- while other people in the theatre did the commenting. It was a delight; I get why it’s one of the most popular experiences The Plaza has throughout the year.
If I had any thoughts to offer on the movie itself, it’s that the music is wonderfully silly; Tim Curry’s performance is iconic; and I couldn’t help but think that Brad and Janet walked into the camp version of the orgy scene of “Eyes Wide Shut” at times. When I do watch the film for review, I’ll have more. I will say this, though- if you’re in Atlanta, and enjoy the theatrical experience, few experiences take that more literally than “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” It’s theatricality, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
