Rocky Horror Multimedia Project

"Indoor Frankenfurter" performing "I'm Going Home" from Rocky Horror Picture Show

Clad in a scarlet bodysuit, black boyshorts, a patent leather corset, fishnet tights and knee-high platform boots, the character listed in my program as “Indoor Frank-N-Furter” dramatically grabbed the ballet barre as the rock ballad began to swell behind her while she strutted her way out of the spotlight. Unbeknownst to me, behind her sultry demeanor and black face mask, the two of us happened to be sharing the same thought.

Please don’t fall.

Just as her song reached its climax, she swung her body over and around the barre, completing a full somersault before miraculously landing on-beat in those ankle-breaking boots.

Whew, alright, she did it. No skulls busted open or broken necks; I can breathe…

I mean, sure, it was Halloween. And sure, I had already danced with phantoms and been accosted by aliens earlier in the performance, but I had no interest in seeing human blood on the floor of that stage.

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As if Halloween in the year 2020 wasn’t ominous enough, why not throw in some cross-dressing college students, a mad alien scientist from Transylvania and a “Time Warp” or two?
The cult-classic 1975 movie musical Rocky Horror Picture Show has been a Halloween favorite for decades, and this year, theatre students at High Point University decided to revamp it by producing and directing their own “Rocky Horror Picture Show: Immersive Experience.”
The story follows Brad and Janet, an innocent young couple stranded on a stormy night who seek shelter at an eerie castle belonging to Dr. Frank-N-Furter, an eccentric “transvestite” scientist. Frank invites them inside where he and his equally peculiar friends are having a party to celebrate the reveal of Frank’s newest creation, Rocky, a chiseled muscle man designed for one purpose: Frank-N-Furter’s pleasure.

I didn’t know much about the plot of Rocky Horror before attending the immersive theatre experience besides its egregiously lewd nature, and I can’t say I learned much more about it as a result of the performance. The event tracked as more of a Rocky Horror-themed haunted house rather than an actual telling of the story. Though it seemed to be designed with fans of the movie in mind, the mini-performances and interactions with the performers made the experience an enjoyable one, even for a Rocky-Horror rookie like me.

My holiday plans consisted of a dwindling supply of Oreos and another weekend of procrastination before coming across a flyer for the event. With an ultra-rare, blue moon set to occur- the likes of which haven’t been seen on Halloween in 76 years- it was almost too perfect to pass up.
My curiosity proved too strong and before I knew it, I was securing my tickets.

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The experience was comprised of 13 primarily outdoor stations or “rooms” that sprawled across the campus of HPU from Hayworth Park and into the Empty Space Theatre in front of the Slane Student Center, each one representing a different moment or scene from the movie. Between each “room” were guides or “phantoms” who engaged us in minigame-like activities before leading us to the next stop.
With the supernatural full moon above serving as the primary light guiding our way and the haunting sound of crickets close by, I couldn’t stop myself from suspiciously examining every swaying bush we passed.

Audience members walked through in staggered pairs as to keep distanced from each other and the performers. After receiving our program and the mandatory latex gloves, the friend I conscripted to join me in the experience and I, walked tentatively down the darkened brick path behind the Slane Student Center and stepped into the world of Rocky Horror.

Waiting expectedly for us along the path were our first two phantoms dressed in all black, one toting a red parasol over her shoulder and the other holding a steering wheel in one hand while concealing the other behind his back.

“Hello and WELCOME to Rocky Horror!” they said in tandem.

“We will be your tour guides…” said the first.
“…and phantoms…” added the other.

“For the first…LEG of your journey…” joked the first phantom as he revealed the fake severed leg he had been hiding behind his back, and unceremoniously tossed it into the bushes.

After eluding to a few of the individuals we were to meet and another sprinkling of corny jokes (which I greatly appreciated), our phantoms directed us further behind Slane, through a small white gate and onto a wooded path. We followed the trail into a garden that would have made for a nice stroll in the daylight, but in the nighttime, fostered the kind of apprehension      only thrill-seekers would enjoy.
Had this experience been a scary movie, this narrow path would surely be the place of our murder.
My friend clearly had the same sentiment, boldly warning any potential tricksters, “If someone jumps out at me, imma kick ‘em.”

Our unfounded skepticism was put to rest soon after as we came upon Brad and Janet standing in an archway in the garden. After watching them get engaged to the tune of “Dammit Janet” playing from a nearby Bluetooth speaker, the couple had us engage in a ritual battle of agility and finesse: catching the bouquet. Surprisingly, my friend’s tenacity outweighed my five-inch height advantage, and she was crowned the victor.

We then bid Brad and Janet goodbye, exiting the garden and creepy wooded path to proceed to our next “room.” Knowing they’re the main characters of the movie, I expected them to make reappearances later on in the experience, potentially showing their characters descent into indecency as it occurs in the film. Oddly enough, they did not, leaving the squeaky-clean image of Brad and Janet as the only image of Brad and Janet.

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How does a schoolyard game help tell a story about a young couple being seduced and deflowered by a mad scientist? Not sure, but it served as a fun little segue into our next “room.” The next phantom/guide we encountered required we play a game of “red-light, green-light” before taking us to our next stop. He was dressed in all black clothing and heavy black eyeliner like our last phantoms, but instead of a plastic severed leg, this one carried a small plastic spray bottle of water to discourage any cheating on our part. Unlike the bouquet toss, I managed to win this game and was spared the spray of shame that my friend received as the loser.

Next, we headed “to the mansion,” also known as Slane’s outdoor entrance to the Café, where we learned how to “do the Time-Warp” dance with a hobbled hunchback and a guy dressed in a French maid outfit, complete with a feather duster, white apron and knee-high stockings. The steps were simple enough, clearly outlined in the song:

“It’s just a jump to the left and then a step to the right.” Easy, what’s next?

“Put you hands on your hips and tuck your knees in tight.” Piece of cake, I thought this would be something embarrassing…

“Now do a pelvic thruuuuuust…” Okay now, hold up…

Naturally, a group of unaffiliated freshmen dressed in Toy Story costumes walked past our scene with understandable bewilderment during our pelvic thrusting. Luckily, the actors were able to stay completely in character, though my friend and I, were not.

“Now let’s do the Time Warp AGAIN!” Oh Lord, not again…

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Our next stop was probably the most on-brand “Rocky Horror” moment of the whole experience: a striptease without the strip. After leaving the Time Warp, we made our way to a small clock tower about 100 feet away where an “Outdoor Frank-N-Furter” awaited. When we approached, a red-headed female performer in a black one-piece lingerie unit, garters and high-heeled combat boots was in the middle of her burlesque dance, accompanied only by a black chair and the pole of the clock tower. 

Bathed in a red spotlight, she danced to “Sweet Transvestite,” another popular song from the movie as we and other passersby looked on. Though her act was directly adjacent to three freshmen dorms, and despite several groups of onlookers, her dedication to her character and performance was impressive. My friend and I quickly agreed that we would not have had the courage to do the same.
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Several rooms and several phantoms later, we found ourselves sitting inside the Empty Space theatre watching a woman onstage in a scarlet bodysuit, black boyshorts, a patent leather corset, fishnet tights and knee-high platform boots pantomime her performance of the song “I’m Going Home,” Frank-N-Furter’s final ballad of the movie where he decides to return to his home planet of Transexual in the galaxy Transylvania.

Oh yeah, upon a reading a movie synopsis after I got home that night, I found out Frank-N-Furter is actually an alien. Go figure.

The performance was moving, even if the song playing from the Bluetooth speaker in the corner of the room was a little too quiet and I couldn’t quite understand the lyrics. I still managed to feel the emotion. Once again, my friend shared my sentiment, later saying “Man, I felt that…couldn’t really hear it though.”

After the end of Frank-N-Furter’s song, we exited to meet our next and final phantom, who led us to the fountain in front of Slane where we discarded our gloves and concluded the experience.

“It was a pleasure having you,” the phantom said ominously.

“Hope to see you next year…or not.”

And that was that.

Though I wasn’t overly familiar with the movie, some of the more risqué and scandalous elements of the movie were definitely toned down; however, the level of dedication of the performers and fluidity of the experience was quite impressive. Especially for a production that, according to student director Emmie D’Amico, operated on a meager $15 budget. Though I can’t say the experience spurred an interest in me to view the source material, I can confidently say that the energy and creativity of the student performers would encourage me to come “do the Time Warp again.”