A straitlaced couple gets a flat tire and looks to the residents of a remote castle for help, only to find them ruled and beguiled by the lipstick-wearing, leather-clad Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transsexual from Transylvania who's been making a man with blonde hair and a tan in his freaky upstairs lab. Sound familiar? It should — Rocky Horror Picture Show is only one of the most popular cult classics ever, and it continues to draw fans, who attend midnight screenings (some dressed like characters from the film) while an onstage "shadowcast" mimics each scene. Dressing up as Magenta — the saucy maid with wild red hair and a gleeful cackle — was my first attempt at rebelling against holiday conformity, though at the time, I was simply trying to be cool. I even went so far as to accept the "role" for a talent show-like event at my high school during which a group of us re-enacted the entire "Time Warp" scene complete with lip-synching and not-very-well-rehearsed choreography (much to our director's chagrin). My Magenta days have long since passed but it's still fun to go to the occasional RHPS screening event, especially when Halloween is right around the corner. Two such events are hosted by the Tampa Plain Dealers at Channelside Cinemas this weekend. Fri.-Sat., Oct. 27- 28, 10 p.m. pre-show, midnight screening, 601 Channelside Drive, Tampa, $7 admission ($1 extra for a prop bag), 813-221-0700, www.tampaplaindealers.com.
