About Rocky Horror
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is based on a hit London West End musical which, after touring the U.S., was adapted into a movie released in 1975. Although it wasn’t a traditional success, it gave birth to a phenomenon that’s still going almost 50 years later.
After failing at the mainstream box office, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was primarily shown only at midnight screenings around college campuses. Audience members would return for every screening and eventually started shouting back at the screen. Legend has it, the first call back line was directed at Janet when she gets out of a car covering her head with a newspaper in the rain – “Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch”.
Eventually, these screenings turned into a place where people would not only shout things at the screen, but would come dressed as the characters from the film and act it out in front of the screen. This came to be known as a “shadow cast”.
Nowadays, The Rocky Horror Picture Show can be seen in cinemas around the world complete with a shadow cast of actors miming and lip-synching their way through the film in costume and an audience full of people shouting at the screen, dancing along, and throwing props at each other. Other films like Repo! The Genetic Opera have also been adapted as shadow casts but there’s still nothing quite like Rocky Horror, the cult film that started it all.
Dixie Rect as Franknfurter
About Excited Mental State
Rocky Horror has always had a place in Toronto, starting in the ‘70s at the long gone Roxy Theatre before making a home for ourselves at the Bloor Cinema, now called the Ted Rogers Hot Docs Cinema. for over 30 years. When scheduled we generally perform the last Friday of the month, with four shows for Halloween and occasionally also appear as special guests at other venues throughout the year.
In May 2024 the HotDocs Theatre shut down. temporarily for restructuring and we are currently appearing at other venues around Toronto including Paradise on Bloor and Fox Cinema.
Excited Mental State is run by volunteers who are relatively ‘normal’ people during the daytime but come out once a month bound by a love of all things Rocky Horror. All of our props, costumes, and equipment are funded by audience donations at shows and through sales of merchandise, so please support us if you come see us!
That ain’t no crime!
The Rules
- This is not a normal movie experience. Everyone is free to yell and dance as much as they want, so don’t shush people!
- That being said, please don’t just shout “Boring!” whenever the Criminologist is on stage. There are far more creative things you can talk about, like his lack of a neck.
- Do not block the aisles or run up on stage uninvited. Let the performers do their job.
- Absolutely no smoking, no drugs, and no outside alcohol in the theatre. We will have no problem ejecting you- we already have your money.
- Don’t throw things or squirt water at the cast, at the screen, or at the lights. That’s what the virgins are for.
- You may bring props to throw, but please note the theatre doesn’t allow open flames or the throwing of rice and toast.