The Rocky Horror Picture Show first premiered at the Westwood Theatre in Los Angeles in September of 1975. The film, despite its release in a few key cities, was considered and immediate failure commercially and critically and more or less was moderately forgotten.

April Fools’ Day, 1976, the future of the Rocky Horror Picture drastically changed. A an executive from Fox Film Corporation convinced the company to place Rocky Horror as a midnight showing at the Waverly Theatre. The Waverly boasted a few successful midnight showings of other films, and the theatre’s manager, Denise Borden began to aggressively promote the new film, with which she had become fascinated.

At the first midnight showing of the film, Borden played its soundtrack to boost the hype and excitement of the audience.  The dynamic atmosphere of the theatre naturally elicited responses from the audience members, such as Louis Farese, two women named Amy and Theresa, Lori Davis, and Bill O’Brien.

These few filmgoers returned again and again for showings of the film. Louis Farese began to shout back at the screen, a response he called “counterpoint dialogue”. The audience began to join in. Slowly, the regulars’ participation evolved into lip-synching to the songs, which led to mini-floor shows in front of the screen. The Halloween season influenced the crowd members, who dressed up as Rocky Horror characters for parties, which transferred over to their Rocky Horror movie screenings. Thus began the long and hearty tradition of audience participation at Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings.

The audience participation is an integral part of the film’s unique niche in the cinematic world. Diehard fans gather at yearly (at Halloween), monthly, weekly, or even daily showings of the film dressed to the tee as Rocky characters. A shadow cast, which usually holds auditions at individual theatre locations, performs in front of the screen the mirror image of what appears on screen. The audience, in turn, is expected to shout memorized audience lines at the screen, and utilize numerous props at designated moments throughout the show. The participation creates an interactive viewing experience found nowhere else in the cinematic world.