Life + Arts

Midnight Madness returns

Beginning Friday, River Oaks Theatre will launch their first Midnight Madness viewing of 2009.

A River Oaks Theatre tradition, Midnight Madness screens classic (and not so classic) films every Friday and Saturday night.

The first screening of the year will be The Princess Bride, starring Carey Elwes, is considered by many to be a satirical fairytale. Also being screened at midnight at a later date is Tron, Amelie and Conan the Barbarian.

Midnight Madness is perhaps best known for its screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a 1976 cult classic, complete with a live cast.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a quirky tale about a newly engaged couple that gets lost while driving and stumbles across the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite who is holding an annual convention for visitors from the planet Transsexual.

This interactive masterpiece originated in 1975 but was quickly shelved and considered a failure. After some slight revamping and tweaking, a new and exciting era of movie watching was born.

For many moviegoers, the idea of throwing rice, toilet paper and water during a movie is unfathomable, however this is all a part of the RHPS experience. The entire idea of this film is to get the crowd involved and let fun and action take control. Things such as screaming out profanities and shooting water pistols are perfectly acceptable.

After a successful 33 years, RHPS is the longest theatrical release in film history. RHPS is also the first movie from a major film studio to be in the midnight movie market.

One of the many things that distinguishes this film from many others are the 1950s style costumes. These costumes have become a must for avid RHPS viewers and dressing up in character is a way that seasoned fans display their RHPS solidarity.

Like many others around the world, Houstonians can join in on the RHPS fun. RHPS is performed the second Saturday of every month. For times and ticket prices call 713-866-8881 or visit http://www.landmarktheatres.com. For more on the Beautiful Creatures, visit myspace.com/houstonrhps.

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