It’s that time of year again– boys and girls of all ages dress themselves in fishnets, ruffles and little else, and paint their faces with rouge and wickedly black eyeliner. The evolution of adolescent costumes aside, I don’t speak of Halloween. I refer to the most sacred tradition of the Englert’s showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Adapted from the 1973 musical theater production written by Richard O’Brien, this musical-horror-comedy hybrid has since become one of the most celebrated B-roll films ever, developing a global cult following likely to exclaim, “Dammit Janet!” at any given moment.

Around Halloween, public theaters everywhere admit crowds of costumed people to view this much celebrated film, but with a twist. All conventional theater etiquette is tossed carelessly aside; those in the theater are permitted, even encouraged, to sing along with the movie, to shout obscenities and hurl things at the screen. In fact, at the door of these showings, viewers are often given goody bags at the door, containing glitter, confetti, or anything else generally messy and fabulous.

In true cult-following spirit, each showing comes with an initiation for those who haven’t been to a Rocky Horror showing before. All who fall under this category are marked with a bright red “V” for “virgin,” are then lined up on the stage, and must stand there as the rest of the room boos and yells derogatory things.

Iowa City’s own showing at the Englert regularly sells out each year. This year’s showing was last Saturday at midnight, and brought in many from Iowa City’s Rocky Horror following, including City High students. To demonstrate what Rocky Horror Picture Show is, we’ve included some selfie-fun from the show, courtesy of City High’s own.

To give an even more complete idea of the phenomenon of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, check out this gallery of professional photos taken from the 2012 showing (courtesy of Justin Torner Photography).