The Rocky Horror Picture Show / Shock Treatment
Mahoning Drive-In Theater - Lehighton, PA
Arguably the most loved cult film in the history of cinema finally hit the big screen at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater on Friday and Saturday.
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| Show banner designed by Andrew Kern |
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| Show poster designed by Tom Bifulco |
The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been one of the most frequently discussed films in our friend group when the subject turns to what we would book at the Mahoning if we could create our own weekend. Some of the folks who I've spoken to suggested that it appear in the first half of a double feature with its theatrical follow-up, Shock Treatment. Those people have gotten their wish.
Donnie was walking around the lot prior to showtime handing out some Rocky Horror currency. I'm not sure where it's from, but I thought it was pretty cool.
There's an unofficial competition for the top score on the Ms. Pac Man machine. Tom put up a pretty good fight, but the record still belongs to Rob with just under 200k. I haven't gone for the top score yet, but I think this is going to become my new mission for the 2025 season.
There was also a costume contest on the photo stage outside of the concession building prior to showtime. I'm not sure who won, but there were dozens of folks who showed up in pretty awesome costumes.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show hit the screen as the sun went down. Seeing it on the big screen at the Mahoning was an awesome experience. My dad is a massive fan of this film, which he discovered at midnight screenings while he was at Penn State in the late 70's. I've seen it many times throughout my life, including with my dad in our living room when we lived in South Florida, and although I don't remember all of the callbacks, I definitely have committed all of the music to memory.
Speaking of the callbacks, one of the concerns that I had was that the fan participation aspects of the Rocky Horror experience would get lost with folks spread out across a large drive-in theater. I'm happy to say that this wasn't a problem. Throughout the entire movie, the callbacks echoed throughout the lot. I can only imagine what the locals were thinking when they heard a few hundred people shouting "asshole" and "slut" from their kitchen window.
The second half of the double feature was the 1981 film Shock Treatment. This is a quasi-sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show which is best known for being the movie that some have declared as being "even better than Rocky Horror". I disagree. In fact, I'd argue that stating that Rocky Horror is the better of the two films would be damning it with faint praise... like sitting at Thanksgiving dinner with your family and announcing that the meal is much better than what they served on the airline on your way there.
I'll give Shock Treatment credit for being ahead of its time in its depiction of reality television and for exploring a few other interesting ideas relating to mental health and celebrity obsession, but I don't think that these ideas are executed well. It doesn't look great. The songs are forgettable and kind of lame, especially in comparison to the music in Rocky Horror. The acting performances are over-the-top, but not in a way that's fun or memorable. The movie definitely has fans that would disagree with this assessment, but for me, the only reason I'd recommend that anyone watch this movie is to be able to say that you've seen it. This was my second time seeing it, and I strongly doubt that there will be a third.
And that's a wrap on what I hope will be the first annual screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater.
