Cult Classic with a Twist: Drive-In Rocky Horror Picture Show

by: Kate Fassler

One of the many things that LMK Drive-In Theaters is known for is doing unique events for people of all ages to love and enjoy. One of our most loved is the Rocky Horror Picture Show Night, which happens during the week of Halloween. The successful event started when we were locked in our houses with no way to watch a movie besides on our TVs and phones. While being stuck by ourselves, LMK wanted to have the excitement of seeing a screening of the movie, but in the comfort and safety of their vehicles.

Rocky Horror is a cult classic movie from the 1970s. It was not a hit at first, but the movie became beloved by movie-goers over the years. The film has been known to do midnight showings of the movie in theaters all over the country. LMK wanted to partake but was uncertain if it would happen because of the pandemic. One of our founders, Kate Fassler talked about doing it for years but was ultimately worried about safety. 

"I love the movie so much and the events that are created because of it. When creating LMK,
one of the things I wanted to do was to have a Rocky Horror night," said Fassler. "We planned for the 2020 Halloween season, but the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic had us anxious. One of our goals as a company was to please our customers and let them enjoy anything we do, so the safety of our customers was the biggest concern."

However, drive-in movies were resurging after many years, and LMK wanted to do something special for the Halloween season. So, the company put on its first-ever "Rocky Horror Drive-In Picture Show" on Oct. 25, 2020. The event was met with much success and was loved people who attended. 

Eliza Casey, an attendee of the event, said she loved the creativity of the recent despite being in her car. "I just loved the event. Rocky Horror is one of my favorite movies. It was so fun, despite the fact we couldn't do all the things at a normal Rocky Horror event."

Audiences Particpation

Attendees shouted references at the movie, threw things towards the screen, and belted out in song when a certain scene came on the screen. Attendees also had the ability to dress like their favorite characters from the movie. The event even had performers that were in costume and makeup like the characters and performed socially distanced. "One of my favorite parts was when the song 'Time Warp' came on and I could hear everyone sing the songs. It felt like we were in the same theater, despite being separate y cars," said Casey.

Not only was there audience and actor participation but there were themed food and snacks during the screening. They were all related to the movie and the songs in some way. Some included "Damn it, Janet Punch" and "Hot Patootie Popcorn".

"That was also one of the best things about it. One of our other founders, Megan Kelly, came up with the idea of themed items and she and the other founder Lucia [Sacerdoti] came up with names. We wanted to make sure they are good but punny," said Fassler

History of the Rocky Horror Picture Show

Many may love Rocky Horror, but that was not the case when it came out. The movie was a campy twist on average, cheesy sci-fi movies. It first became a musical in 1973 in a little studio above the Royal Court Theatre in London. The musical became a hit that went to the West End (London’s version of Broadway), and then to Los Angeles, CA. It was so popular that they decided to make a movie. The movie however did terribly among critics and audiences. It was pulled from eight theaters and the Halloween opening night was canceled.

Even though the movie was not seen positively by critics, more people began to love it for its camp and fun. It also had moments of bending gender, crossdressing, and same-sex relationships. The movie was embraced by different communities, especially the LGBTQ+ community.

Future of the Event

Fassler talks about the value of the movie even still to this day and brings the movie to the LMK drive-ins. "The movie means so much to so many people. So, I wanted to have that feeling of togetherness and excitement when people watch the movie at any time. I wanted people to have this feeling despite being distanced from each other."

After the success, LMK promises to do more in the future, or many another one in the same year. "It takes a lot of planning, but the excitement and love that people had after the event reassured us that we should do it again. The movie and screenings are usually done during the Halloween season, but the success of the event has the company thinking about maybe possibly doing another one soon," said Fassler

LMK has not announced the next showing of the popular but promised to keep the drive-in aspect of it every time it happens. They hope that more people will attend and the next turn out will be bigger than the first one.

To have updates, make sure to follow LMK here or on their social media to get the information!