Interactive 'Rocky Picture Horror Show' premieres at Hangar

Drugs, sexual debauchery and rock ’n’ roll are the main themes of the 1975 production “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Students, community members and one fluffy, white, service dog named Shadow sat in a dark theater with goody bags full of items to participate in the interactive viewing of the movie Oct 30.

The viewing was a fundraiser for Sigma Gamma Epsilon, an Earth science honor society.  Tickets cost $5 and included entry and a goodyy bag.

Towards the center of the room sat a group of three friends; juniors Hannah Lucas, Kyle Harris and senior Brady Netzel.

Lucas had seen “Rocky Horror” three times before. Harris had seen it five times. This, however, was Netzel’s first showing. The three decided to make a night of the viewing by watching the show and then going to Applebee’s for chicken wings to celebrate Netzel making it through his first viewing of the movie.

“All I can really say is ‘what?’” Netzel said at the end of the show. “I have no clue what I just watched.”

“Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a comedic horror musical with a convoluted plot involving aliens, a Frankenstien-inspired creation and murder.

“I’ve seen this movie several times,” Harris said. “There are still parts I don’t quite get.”

“Rocky Horror Picture Show” may have been a critical and commercial failure when it first debuted, but it has since become a cultural phenomenon with popularity in the LGBT community, and as a refrence in pop culture hits such as “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky.

However, it’s well known for it’s interactive viewing, both as a stage production and movie.

An interactive showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” requires several items and cues for the audience. The bags, provided by Sigma Gamma Epsilon, included rice, newspapers, spray bottles of water, rubber gloves, noise makers, a slice of toast, party hats and two playing cards.

During the show, two girls would initiate and demonstrate how to use props, such as throwing rice at the end of the wedding scene or using the noise makers when Rocky is “born.”

“It’s a lot of fun to throw things at the screen,” Lucas said. “It’s not something you really get to do at a normal movie.”

The audience was also encouraged to get up and do the iconic “Time Warp” dance and sing along.

The interactions weren’t just fun for the audience but also for Shadow the service dog, who couldn’t stop wagging his tail. 

After the toast was thrown, the dog quickly went to the front to munch on the stale bread. 

“You don’t really expect a dog to appear,” Harris said over his order of chicken wings. “It was a little distracting to be watching a movie and all of a sudden this dog is at the front eating toast.”

Though a dog appearing in a theater wouldn’t be as strange as Meatloaf riding out of a deep freezer on a motorcycle, the trio did enjoy their time at the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“I’ll probably see it again,” Netzel said.