Karen’s Quirky Style Does the Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) is my favorite movie of all time. I’ve seen it at least 30 times. I’ve gloried to dress as Frank’n’Furter in a corset and fishnet stockings more than once. When the new glass elevators were revealed at the 14th Street subway station, it was the first thing that popped into my mind!

A cult classic musical, I first learned of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) as a teenager. I read about the movie in a novel about a teenaged girl who lived in New York. She was transformed when she saw the film in a packed movie theater, overcoming her shyness and stripping down to her camisole during the floorshow scene.

This seemed so daring, it made a strong impression on me. I was also very shy at that age! My parents wouldn’t allow me to see the film until a few years later. At the time, I resented the fact that our parents prevented my sister and me from seeing shows and reading books that they deemed inappropriate for our age. But looking back, I’m grateful that they tried to protect our innocence and gave us the chance to mature gradually.

The theme of the movie is spelled out in the song “Don’t Dream It, Be It”: Give yourself over to absolute pleasure. When I finally saw RHPS, at a classic Halloween midnight showing, it affirmed my teenage ideals of hedonism and sexual freedom. Hooray! I watched in amazement. There was too much to take in all at once, with people in costumes acting out scenes from the movie in the aisles of the Ridge Theatre in Vancouver. I also fell in love with the fantastic soundtrack, and soon owned it in on vinyl.

This year is the 49th anniversary of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and it’s having a resurgence this Halloween, with some of the original cast members touring North America. Movie attendance dropped to almost nil during the first few years of the pandemic. Sadly, New York’s home for RHPS, Cinépolis on West 23rd Street, closed in January 2023.

I feel a tug of sadness in my heart every time I walk past the boarded up Cinépolis, where I first saw RHPS in New York, pre-pandemic, with my friend Lew (a virgin). We were among a dozen filmgoers, almost outnumbered by the NYC RHPS Shadow Cast and Crew, who acted and ran lights and put on special effects. They sold a little packet of props in the lobby for a dollar: a page from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, some playing cards...Back in the eighties, we threw rice and squirted water pistols, but this is no longer encouraged by movie theaters.

I was delighted to discover that the movie has a new home in Manhattan, at the Village East Cinema, which shows the film with the NYC RHPS Shadow Cast at 10 PM on the first and third Saturday of every month.

If you have never seen the movie, you are deemed a virgin the first time you go. Your status will be celebrated by the rest of the audience, so don’t be shy! This is what they call an “audience participation” movie!

RHPS was first produced as a play in 1973 in London, The Rocky Horror Show, with music, lyrics, and book by the talented Richard O’Brien, who we all know and love as Riff Raff. He also co-wrote the screenplay, with director Jim Sharman, for the film adaptation. With a devoted cult following and midnight showings around the world, the RHPS is the longest-running release in film history. Many major cities have a “shadow cast” that acts out the full movie with costumed characters. And many members of the audience also dress up.

So dress in black, put on a pair of fishnets (rips are ok) and get to a showing this Halloween! And watch out for the elevator scene!

Halloween 2024 Showtimes in NYC and Region

All shows feature the NYC RHPS Shadow Cast.

* Manhattan: RHPS New York Home—Village East Cinema, Saturday, November 2, 10 PM.

* Manhattan: City Winery, Thursday, October 31, 7 PM and 10 PM.

* Brooklyn: Kings Theatre, Thursday, October 31, 8 PM. With Barry Bostwick (Brad Majors).

* Manhattan: Hard Rock Café Times Square, Tuesday, October 29, 7 PM and 10 PM.

* Patchogue, Long Island: Patchogue Theatre, Sunday, October 27, 6:30 PM. With Little Nell Campbell (Columbia).

* Staten Island: St. George Theatre, Friday, October 25, 10 PM. Pre-show concert by The Flesh Junkies, 9 PM.

Style Notes

Andrea T New York made this amazing black satin, silver lamé-lined cloak. Reminiscence on Fifth Avenue is my fave place for fishnet stockings, and they also had these huge pearls. I customized a pair of Jessica Simpson strappy platform sandals (DSW) with glitter and rhinestones. I found the purple sequin-spangled corset, gloves, and briefs at Funtober.com. The dagger-through-the-heart “Boss” tattoo from Deadly Sting Tattoos was designed by NYC RHPS Shadow Cast member Jen D! And the curly black Frank’n’Furter wig is official Rocky Horror Show merch by Richard O’Brien, available at HalloweenCostumes.com.