The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Dissect, disassemble and reassemble to your hearts content, conjure any number of meanings and misinterpretations, then rewind, warp back in time, remove head from derriere and wallow in this absolute pleasure again and again and again.

A squeaky-clean young couple, Brad & Janet (Barry Bostwick & Susan Sarandon), get a flat tire on a late rainy night, and decide to stop off at a nearby castle to use the residents' phone and call for help. What they don't realise is that these are no ordinary residents: Dr. Frank N Furter (Tim Curry), with assistance from his servants Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien), Magenta (Patricia Quinn), and their ragtag bunch of fellow Transylvanians, has his own diabolical plans for the evening, set against a kick-butt rock 'n' roll music score....

Call me a twisted "Rocky Horror" fan, but I actually prefer to watch this cult classic movie-musical in the comfort of my own home, rather than going out to one of those midnight theatrical screenings that have made this 1975 film so popular. Oh, I'm sure there's great fun to be had at a midnight showing, but the fact is, you're not going to see or hear very much of the movie itself, what with the audience shouting & throwing stuff at the screen literally every two seconds (think of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" on speed), as well as the live cast performing in front of the movie screen! If you want to really *see and hear* "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" as you would any other film, watch it on video first. Then, when you've got the movie firmly etched in your head, head out to the theater. But NOT before!

Having said that, this movie version of the hit stage musical written by Richard O'Brien (Riff Raff himself), is a ton of great, naughty fun. It wonderfully sends up B-movie sci-fi/horror flicks, with a playful, healthy dose of blatant sexual innuendo thrown in for good measure. Classic, memorable rock 'n' roll tunes written by O'Brien throughout, including "The Time Warp," "Sweet Transvestite," "Hot Patootie"....the list goes on and on. And, of course, you have a spectacular cast, led by Tim Curry, who IS the larger-than-life Dr. Frank N Furter, and a young, attractive Susan Sarandon, who simply lights up the screen as Janet. But everyone else, including Barry Bostwick, Meatloaf, Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, and Charles Gray all make excellent contributons, too.

I love "The Rocky Horror Picture Show": it's very funny, sexy, and brilliantly performed, with great rock 'n' roll music t'boot. But I, personally, still prefer to watch it at home, where I can see the film in peace & quiet without being yelled in my ear, getting soaked, or having rice & toast tossed all around me!

Or I should say, the Sweet Transvestite of all cult films!

To those who haven't seen Rocky Horror, don't bother reading reviews about it. It won't mean anything. Don't rent it on DVD which it recently came out on. It also won't mean anything, because it's missing the thing that gave it and the stage play that preceded it life... the audience. By definition, a cult film is meant to be seen by a group. Preferably, a large one.

I saw Rocky Horror 20-something years ago, and wound up playing "Brad" with the players next to the stage. Something I would normally never do. Why? The show's energy sucked me in. More accurately, the audience's energy sucked me in.

The show, with a revved-up audience, is almost like a dialogue between the movie and the people watching it. It celebrates sex, hedonism, even while playing out the danger, violence, and tragedy it can result in. It allows the audience of mostly young kids to exude and rejoice in their sexuality, whatever it is. And without ever taking their clothes off. I think that is the real appeal of the show. There's a joyousness, and a strange innocence, in throwing raunchy comments at the screen, watching the live performers on-stage act out the scenes in racy costumes, and sharing the energy anonymously in the dark with strangers.

The live show with the original actors must have been electrifying. Plays always have more energy than films because of the immediacy of the live actors, and the energy must have been even more intense. I'll always regret not having the chance to have seen it.

The movie itself has been described too many times for me to give a synopsis. I will however say that it is really a collage of feelings, ranging from fear, trepidation, excitement, lust, joyous sexual fulfillment, more lust, tragedy, and a strange sadness at the end. Basically, all the emotions that make life worth living, in an hour and a half. However, the visceral enjoyment of this film, and the emotions it brings, will only be experienced with a large, highly energized audience. If you get a chance, and if you can get your reserved ego out of the way, go to a midnight showing in your area when you know there's going to be a big showing. Don't go expecting a logical, coherent storyline. Its about experience, not narrative. You'll get an experience that you've been missing your whole life. At the end, there is a message here, hidden under all the seemingly blissful hedonism. It takes a long time for it to become clear, however.

I wonder if O'Brian, its creator, was clever enough to have put it there all along?

By the way, there is no nudity or actual sex in the entire movie. For a movie with its reputation, that's pretty amazing. Compared to the slasher/gore fests passing themselves off as film these days, the movie is strangely quaint and innocent. But then, that's what true enjoyment of sensuality should be.

For a cult film, 10 out of 10 stars. It doesn't get any better than this as cult films go.

It's fairly easy to see why "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" became such a huge cult-favorite so quickly... So huge even that the fans went to screenings all dressed up like drag-queens, singing along with the songs and waving around cigarette lighters. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" simply is a tremendously inspiring movie and it's almost impossible not to start swinging yourself when the legendary songs such as "The Time Warp" and "Touch Me" are being sung by the vivid cast. The screenplay is adapted from Richard O'Brien (who also co-stars) play and it still comes across as very wit and all-knowing in its humor. There's spoofing and referring to everything from Universal and RKO-Pictures horror movies over typically 50's science-fiction to Hammer horror and the filming locations & set pieces are leftovers from other classic genre titles. The story is ridiculously simple and merely just introduces a young couple whose car breaks down near a ominous dark castle. When they go there for help, they're sucked into the eccentric world of transvestite Dr. Frank 'N Furter and his bizarre collection of servants and friends. The frenzied doctor created himself a muscled and blond-haired toy-boy and he's in the middle of presenting his creation when Brad and Janet (a great early role for Susan Sarandon) stumble in. The lines and song lyrics are often hilarious and far from politically correct and the lingerie costumes are quite nifty. All the acting performances are terrific but immensely divergent, since Tim Curry's Frank 'N Furter is extremely grotesque whereas Charles Gray's narrating character is straight-faced.

As an 18 y/o stranded in a small, bible belt town in the sticks of Missouri, I would drive 120 miles every two weeks to St. Louis to the Varsity Theater to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show during the early 80's. For me, it was a chance to live, to breathe free, as anything went; there was no need to conform to any narrow minded conventions, as I felt I had to survive at home. The first time I witnessed Tim Curry flinging open his cape, proudly proclaiming "I'm just a sweet transvestite, from Transsexual Transylvania," I knew I'd found a place to be myself. Even now, some 18 years later, that sight still gives me a thrill. Sure, the plot is ridiculous (on second thought, it had more to offer than 80 percent of the crap coming out of Hollywood then and now) and it is loaded with technical flaws. Still, I consider it the greatest film of all time. How many films draw a crowd of regulars weekly, create a sense of community, especially for people who, more than likely, felt as if they were not a part of any community, as I felt? Over the years, I've seen the film 64 times, and when I'm 80 I plan on getting up on my arthritic legs and doing the "Time Warp."