Abstract
Movie houses blacken out the light and quiet audiences to direct and intensify the individual’s experience of the film. Psychoanalytic approaches to film theory tend to reinforce this taming of the audience by describing the audience primarily as individual spectators and ignoring their social performance—performance that is more blatant at cult films but is also important in traditional film venues. The spectators at The Rocky Horror Picture Show challenge the norm by misbehaving: They actively participate with the film in a physical way, transforming the show by adding elements of improvisatory live theater. Incorporating their bodies and voices into the viewing experience, the spectators defy the boundaries and limitations placed on them by a darkened theater designed for viewing pleasure only.1
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© 2008 Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock
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Levy, H.C., Levy, M.A. (2008). Mocking the Mirror. In: Weinstock, J.A. (eds) Reading Rocky Horror. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230616820_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230616820_6
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