[The most participatory movie of all is Rocky Horror Picture Show.] As anyone between twelve and twenty-five must know by now, the film is a transvestite tease that blithely parodies old monster movies, and its rock score flirts with the styles of the late fifties and midsixties…. The movie includes many tributes to cinematic history; one beguiling sight-gag is a shot of [Frank N. Furter] from below as he floats face down in a swimming pool—in homage to William Holden's corpse in Sunset Boulevard. (p. 66)

[The] bulk of the audience appears to be as deeply involved in the film as the individual performers. Throwing rice during a wedding scene, spraying one another with water in a thunderstorm, and hurling rolls of toilet paper and cards at appropriate moments, they keep their flashlights circling over the screen and the ceiling…. The aisle is full of noises….

At times...