THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW HALLOWEEN BALL Comes to Cinéma Impérial Next Month

Celebrating 25 years, the ultimate interactive cult film experience, The Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball returns to the Cinéma Impérial in the heart of Quartier des spectacles for six uninhibited shows. This is the only Montreal event presenting the original film with audience participation. Forty-eight years after its initial release, The Rocky Horror Picture Show remains relevant with themes of non-judgmental inclusivity and tolerance. Running from October 26 to 28,Click Here to this year’s long-running event are on sale starting September 28.

This 2023 Halloween edition goes back to the essence of early The Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings, there is no shadowcast. Moviegoers dress up as their favourite characters or any other playful outfit (encouraged but not compulsory); enjoy an eccentric costume contest; join in the Time Warp dance; shout out hilarious call backs to immortal lines in the film; and throw amusing stuff at each other in a beautiful, vintage movie palace.  There is a new MC this year guiding the crowd; the fabulous, talented and awarded Peaches LePoz (Jordan Arseneault).

The film’s timeless message of acceptance—it is okay to be different—draws people who are attracted to the unusual, to daring, and to campy fun. This satire of traditional gender roles fosters tolerance towards each other, from every viewpoint.

For LePoz (Arseneault), The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a totally unique cinematic experience. “Staying close to its roots, it is akin to watching an underground rock opera,” she said. “I want attendees to have the irreplaceable, shudder-inducing sensation of being part of a subcultural ritual. It's the maximalist version of when, as a teenager, you could go over to your friend's to watch a movie that your parents wouldn't let you see. It really is the ‘time warp’, again. Also, I love Susan Sarandon.”

In these isolating, working remotely times, society feels the need to defeat the dehumanising, and disconnecting impact of technology. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball is in a shared space where filmgoers are free to open their minds, get out of their comfort zones and express themselves, together. It is a tactile, visceral experience in joyful celebration.

This rock musical classic is the most popular cult movie of all time. It has a huge fan base and runs in theatres all over the world. In the film, engaged sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), stuck with a flat tire during a dark and stormy night, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), an alien cross-dressing scientist with a manic genius and insatiable libido. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters celebrating an annual convention, including a rocking biker (Meat Loaf) and a creepy butler (Richard O'Brien). Through elaborate dances and songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest lab creation: a muscle man named Rocky. The night’s misadventures cause Brad and Janet to question everything they’ve known about themselves, each other, love and lust. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a loving homage to notable B movie sci-fi and horror genres with an irresistible rock n roll score; a hysterical, mad ride that no audience ever forgets.

Newbies to the event (Rocky virgins) are welcomed with open arms. What are some things a first-time viewer should expect at The Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball? Keep an eye out for wacky props that pair up with legendary scenes. People get creative with their props but there are a few rules; the Imperial Cinema (and others around the world where the film is shown) no longer allows rice for the wedding scene because it’s so hard to clean up. For the rain scene people use squirt guns, and then newspapers are pulled out to cover heads. Filmgoers wave glow sticks or hold up lighters during “There’s a Light”.

Everyone attending is there to have a good time in a safe space for self-expression. One final message from long time film projectionist Johnny O, “Get silly—go all in on this experience in whatever way feels fun for you. Dance, laugh, yell, wear something fabulous and channel your inner Rocky Horror character. See you at the Picture Show!”

Student night returns: Thurs. October 26 only, students with a valid student ID will get $5 off the ticket price.