In 1992 my parents had gone away for the weekend leaving me alone in the house. I had, by this point, been travelling to NYC on my own and staying out late, etc. So, out of boredom and not wanting to spend the night sitting there playing Sega Genesis, I called a friend of mine up who’d mentioned that she went to midnight screenings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show which I had recently been introduced to. At the time, it was not available on home video in the U.S.  I had seen clips on a late-night variety program called Night Flight. I managed to acquire a 5th or so generation VHS bootleg that had originated somewhere in Europe I was told via fellow convention goers that were my lifeline to the weird cult movies that would grow to be such a major part of my life. Still, I knew nothing about the experience of seeing it “live”. All that was about to change.

Soon, very soon, afterwards, I found myself a part of the shadowcast at Cinema 35 in Paramus, NJ. I made a LOT of great friends there. Some of which I still hold on to, very dearly, today. These people would end up being a family outside of the one I didn’t necessarily have at home.

Allow me to clarify. Put on your feels helmet, shit’s about to get deep. Continue reading →