Here’s an admission that will get me kicked out of any self-respecting nerd group: I deeply, deeply prefer digital media over physical media.
That means I stream movies and TV shows rather than using physical media, but I make one seasonal exception every year around Halloween. That’s when I bust out the Rocky Horror Picture Show Blu-ray, a disc full of immersive digital extras that streaming just can’t offer.
Spaced Out On Sensation
For context, I’m one of those people who enjoys going to The Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast performances. If you’ve never had the pleasure, these are performances where the movie is broadcast on a screen while performers in elaborate cosplay lip-sync and generally re-enact the movie on stage. Meanwhile (in a tradition that dates back to this film’s days as the original midnight movie), those of us in the audience shout certain words and phrases at key times during the production, effectively turning the whole thing into an interactive experience.
To an outsider, all of that likely seems exceedingly silly. To longtime Rocky Horror fans, this is how the movie is meant to be experienced: in a room full of crazed fellow fans, all of whom are doing their own time warp in making this 1975 film feel fresh and new again. Unfortunately, if you are too busy to attend a shadow cast performance or don’t have any playing close to your area, it’s nearly impossible to recreate this experience at home.
Like You’re Under Sedation
No points for guessing, but this is where the Blu-ray comes in. Sure, I could always stream The Rocky Horror Picture Show (currently playing on Hulu) to simply watch the movie, but streaming doesn’t offer any of the extra features available on physical media. Fortunately, the Rocky Blu-ray disc I have, which is the one disc that stays in my player year-round (no, really), allows me to recreate the shadow cast experience without leaving the house.
For my purposes, the most important feature is one that offers a picture-in-picture mode where (as you would get with a real, live show) a shadow cast recreates the movie while the main film plays behind the actors. You can also toggle on a mode where some of the infamous audience callbacks appear as text pop-ups. Finally, there’s even an interactive feature where you can throw virtual props around the screen, just like audiences at these live shows do.
Let’s Do the Time Warp Again!
Obviously, this at-home experience isn’t quite as immersive as attending a real shadow cast performance, especially for a people person like me. However, this experience is leaps and bounds better than just watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show on streaming. And it helps me tap into some powerful nostalgia…namely, my memories of attending countless previous shadow casts!
This isn’t the only way to experience the Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast glory. For example, the earlier DVD version has an actual audience participation audio track, which is even more immersive than my beloved text pop-ups. But whatever disc I choose to pop in, one fact remains clear: physical media provides the definitive way to experience a subversive cinematic classic that’s been scandalizing audiences for over half a century.
Don’t Stream It, Be It
Every spooky season, this serves as a reminder to me, the “digital is best” guy, that there are some experiences that streaming just can’t offer. And a reminder that, despite my digital proclivities, it’s still important for me to go out and buy the physical discs of the films and shows I like the best. Without a thriving physical media market, we’ll lose some of the coolest multimedia experiences of the past two centuries.
When you have the feature-filled discs of your favorite films, though? You can do the time warp again and again, and a perfectly bespoke experience is just a click or two away. Or, as Dr. Frank-N-Furter might say: don’t stream it… be it!
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