When I was getting too old for trick-or-treating, I worried about what Halloween tradition could replace those unearthly nights. October is my favourite month, and I needed a new ritual to sate my spooky appetite. When I discovered the Halloween showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in my town, I knew I had found the perfect festivity. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a wonderful mix of live theatre, cinema, and audience participation. As the movie plays, a shadowcast re-enacts what is happen onscreen while audience members yell callback lines and throw things at the screen. I wish I could go back in time and become a Rocky Horror virgin, just so I could pop my cherry again. Instead, I am writing this article to help all the other virgins out there have the best time of their life.
Watch the Movie
The first thing you’ll want to do is watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). While some may say that you should wait and see it at the show, I disagree. Watching Rocky Horror beforehand creates a more enjoyable experience as you are already familiar with the material and won’t be struggling to follow the story during the show. And, honestly, it’s just an awesome film. But remember, just watching the movie doesn’t count as losing your virginity!
Listen to the Soundtrack
Once you’ve seen the movie, download the soundtrack on your phone and don’t dare listen to anything else. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is like no sing-along you’ve ever seen, and knowing the lyrics will give you even more opportunities to participate. If you don’t have time to memorize every song, focus on classics like, “Science Fiction/Double Feature,” “Time Warp,” and “Sweet Transvestite.”
Learn Callback Lines
There are two ways to approach going to the your first Rocky Horror show: you can go in completely blind and pick-up callback lines during the show, or you can do some research and come prepared with snarky phrases. If you are interested in reading the callback lines or just want a taste of what kind of things people will be shouting, you can watch videos on YouTube or use find an online script, such as this one, this one, or this one. But remember that callbacks change from theatre to theatre, region to region, and year to year. Some basic callback lines include yelling “asshole” and “slut” every time Brad or Janet introduce themselves, or during “Dammit Janet!”, and making fun of the narrator’s neck.
Prepare a Costume
Wearing a costume to Rocky Horror, while not required, is a huge part of the fun, and there are so many options to choose from. If you want to wear something sexy and show some skin, you can dress in gold short-shorts like Rocky, or one of Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s lingerie ensembles. And you don’t have to be any specific gender to wear these outfits; the audience at a Rocky Horror show is one of the least judgmental crowds around. If you want to dress in something more flashy, try Colombia’s outfit, or consider a Riff-Raff or Magenta costume for something more classically spooky. Brad or Janet costumes are a good choice if you’d like to dress more modestly. It’s okay if you want to wear a non-Rocky–Horror-related costume too. There will be plenty of other audience members dressed in Halloween costumes outside the Rocky Horror canon.
Gather Your Goodies
One of the signature aspects of a Rocky Horror show is the use of props by the audience. Here is a list of the props you will want to bring with you, and when to use them:
- Bubbles – Bubbles have replaced confetti in more recent years, as most theatres do not enjoy cleaning up the mess it leaves behind. Use bubbles to celebrate the wedding as the party leaves the church.
-
Newspaper and spray bottle – When Brad and Janet are making their way over to Frankenstein place, cover your head with a newspaper and squirt your spray bottle at others to mimic rain. Watch out for the shadowcast as they love to get people wet!
-
Flashlight – Turn on a flashlight or use the one on your phone during the “There’s a Light” verse of “Over At the Frankenstein Place.”
-
Rubber gloves – Snap your rubber gloves at the exact three moments as Dr. Frank-N- Furter during his creation speech.
-
Noisemaker – Join the Transylvanians as they applaud Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s speech with your noisemaker!
-
Toilet paper – Throw that toilet paper as far as you can when you hear the words, “Great Scott!”
-
Toast – Before you go to your show, double check if your theatre allows toast-throwing. A lot have had to ban it due to screens being damaged.
-
Party Hat – Wear your own party hat during Rocky’s birthday dinner!
-
Bell – In the song “Planet Schmanet Janet” ring a bell when Dr. Frank-N-Furter asks “Did you hear a bell ring?”
-
Playing cards – Throw a deck of cards in the air when Dr. Frank-N-Furter sings “Cards For Sorrow, Cards For Pain” during the floorshow.
Buy Tickets And Line-Up Early
Don’t forget to buy tickets for your show! Buy them ASAP so you don’t miss your chance. This year, Excited Mental State, Toronto’s Rocky Horror shadowcast, is putting on four shows at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on Bloor Street. The shows are Friday October 27th at 11:30 P.M., Saturday October 28th at 11:30 P.M., Tuesday October 31st at 7:00 P.M., and Tuesday October 31st 10:30 P.M. As a general rule, the later shows are the wilder ones. Make sure to line up early so you can get seats on the ground floor and be right in the middle of the chaos. If the tickets are too expensive or you just can’t make it up to Bloor St. that weekend, don’t worry because the FSA is hosting a showing for FREE right here at York Keele Campus on Monday October 30th.
Participate!
The shadowcast will definitely have some special activities planned for the virgins. Do not be afraid to participate, as this is one of the most fun parts of the evening. Every theatre differs on their virgin initiation. For example, I had “V’s” written all over my face in red lipstick, got spanked by the shadowcast, and had to kiss a dildo. It was one of the best moments of my life! There is no need to be embarrassed to be a virgin, as Rocky Horror enthusiasts love welcoming people into our cult. Besides the virgin initiation, you can participate in other activities such as a “moan-off” or a strip race. Don’t be afraid to call-out during the performance, or even make-up new callback lines on the spot – that’s how the most iconic lines were born! And when you hear “Time Warp” or “Hot Patootie”, DANCE DAMMIT (JANET). If not, you will probably be squirted by a member of the shadowcast.
Now that you have read this article, you are prepared to lose your Rocky Horror virginity. And why wait? October is the best month to be freaky with Brad or frisky with Janet. I’m shivering with antici-