Lister

By Per Lange
Translation: Mette Dahl

It is late evening just after sunset and music can be heard from all festival stages. But in front of Roskilde Cinema, about 1000 people are standing in line, waiting to watch the cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Many of them are dressed in costumes and a lot are hardcore fans who have seen the film hundreds of times.

Through the years a whole set of rules have developed among fans who watch the film together. This means that while watching the film, the audience has to react and take part in the action on screen.

One example is the scene in which the actors are gathered around a table at a dinner party. The host proposes a toast and says "a toast" - and at this, everybody watching the film throws toast bread at the screen. And acts like this can be found all through the film. And the rules are constantly modified to add new crazy audience acts.

This is why Roskilde Cinema has hired the flamboyant guitar player from the Danish rock band Sort Sol, Lars Top-Galia, who is also a big Rocky Horror fan - he will explain the upcoming procedures to the Rocky Horror virgins - the ones who never watched the film before.

And after this introduction everybody was ready to let the film begin. The tent is tense with wild party atmosphere and people are already using their water guns, even though they are only supposed to be used 35 minutes after the film starts. And as the film plays, it all escalates with dance, rice tossing, newspaper hats, toast bread and water fights.

It became a fantastic night with some of the craziest people at the festival.