Published: October 25, 2009 05:00 pm      

‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ coming to Corbin

Thirty-four years after its release, this Halloween will be the first time the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will grace the big screen in Corbin. 

Tri-County Cineplex is hosting an Oct. 31 midnight showing of the 1975 cult classic musical as a fundraiser for the Corbin Main Street Program.

“’The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ is a classic, albeit one definitely aimed at adults,” said Main Street Manager Sharae Myers. “The film has some memorable musical numbers, like ‘The Time Warp,’ and it’s a great way to wrap up the Halloween events that Main Street has planned for downtown.”

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a parody of classic science fiction and horror films, and is based on the British stage musical comedy of the same name. The movie is the longest-running theatrical release in film history, and also the most successful and well-known of the “midnight movie” genre.

The movie features actor Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a cross-dressing mad scientist from another planet. Susan Sarandon plays Janet Weiss and Barry Bostwick is her fiance, Brad Majors — they play a preppy, newly-engaged couple from Ohio who get stranded with a flat tire and stumble upon Frank-N-Furter’s castle. There, they find all sorts of odd characters (aliens, most of them) who have come together for a convention where Dr. Frank-N-Furter reveals he has created a man with the “Charles Atlas seal of approval.” The film’s catchy musical numbers and flashy costumes pull together a rather bizzare plot. 

“What makes Rocky Horror a unique movie experience is the audience participation,” Myers said. Audience members often yell back at the screen, sing along, act out scenes and, of course, dress like the characters from the film. 

Attendees at Corbin’s Oct. 31st event are encouraged to dress up as their favorite character — there will be a costume contest before the film. There are even “shout back” scripts of the film, easily found at online fan sites, that tell audience members what to yell back in union at the film.

Tickets are $10 and all proceeds will benefit the Corbin Main Street Program. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Tri-County Cineplex.

The film is rated R, most notably for adult themes and sexual content, so, under Motion Picture Association of America, children under 17 cannot attend unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian.  

Also on Halloween night, a community performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will take place on Main Street at 7 p.m. Oct. 31. About 50 community volunteers have been practicing the dance from the iconic music video and will perform it dressed as zombies on Halloween. That will be followed by live music in Nibroc Park.