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Rocky Horror Picture show gets midnight streaming on HBO Now, tweets encouraged


HBO has streaming’s answer to midnight showings of the Halloween cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show and hopes it will be just as rowdy. The premium network announced Wednesday that HBO Now will offer the first-ever midnight streaming of RHPS on Halloween in honor of the film’s 40th anniversary. Fans are encouraged to dress up with friends and share their viewing experience on social media.

Theater viewings always include outrageous costumes, a bizarre mix of props, food whizzing through the air, and loud singing — however out of key — but there’s no need to miss out on the fun, even from home. (In fact, some props, like water pistols and candles, may go over a lot better.) To maintain the spirit of the experience, HBO Now is calling for fans to get creative about bringing the film’s well-known participation cues to social media.

HBO Now is showing off emoji translations of some of the musical’s most beloved songs as an example of the kind of social engagement it hopes to see. The streamer also suggests that viewers create GIFs and videos to share, along with throwing rice at their tablets. HBO Now has already dibsed a Twitter hashtag to unite its midnight streamers: #RHPS40.

If you’re not currently an HBO Now subscriber, fear not. The streamer offers a free 30-day trial, so if you sign up now, you’ll be able to check out the midnight streaming. Another option is to find a friend with the service and enjoy a group viewing party, something the streamer is all for.

It’s a cool idea and potentially a cheaper alternative to the cinema, especially if you opt for the free 30-day subscription. However, as HBO’s standalone streaming service, HBO Now features the premium network’s addicting content, so intentions to cancel the trial may melt away.

Check out HBO Now’s emoji version of The Time Warp below.

HBO NOW: The Rocky Horror Picture Show “The Time Warp”

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Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
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