For those of you who have seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show, you know it’s not about seeing Susan Sarandon in seventies lingerie. The movie aired at the Rialto over Halloweekend; it has become a launch pad for people to experiment with sexuality and gender in ways they might have never before. For one night, those usually confined to their gender-scripts can forego their boundaries without feeling judged or scrutinized. Rocky Horror is a communal experience; a safe place where anything goes and no one feels threatened. Plus, how often do you actually get to be active while watching a movie, to play out the feelings that it evokes?
Halloween has become a means for people to embody an attitude they otherwise wouldn’t feel comfortable expressing. Rocky Horror, especially in an alternative and progressive city like Montreal, is even more open to that freedom. And, come on, a little drag is good for you.
– Dana Drori
Images by Laura Petryshen (above) and Alexandra Miekleham (below)