Guess
what everybody? It’s October once again, which means it’s time for the 13 Nerdy Nights of Horror once again, dabbling into some of this year’s
horror films and give recognition to a few horror films of the past. So to
start things off, we’re going to be looking at a horror comedy musical that is
celebrating its 40th anniversary as a cult classic, “The Rocky
Horror Picture Show.”
Based
on the Broadway musical “The Rocky Horror Show” by Richard O’Brian, the film
tells of a couple, Brad and Janet, who seek shelter during a stormy night in
November, and find a castle. What they soon realize is that the castle is owned
by Dr. Frank N. Furter, a mad scientist from Transexual Transylvania, who allows
them to stay overnight, on the evening he brings to life his ultimate
experiment, known as Rocky.
I’ve
talked about this film in a brief summary earlier this year in my Top 10
Broadway Musical Movies, and I still hold to what I said: This is by far one of
the strangest films that anyone could possibly make. I mean, at first it feels like something made to challenge the Hollywood system, all the while playing tribute to science
fiction flicks and B movies prior to its release. If you were to tell anybody the synopsis without any knowledge of what it's about, they would think you're crazy. Hell, even the soundtrack
alone gives off that vibe of “What the fuck?”
Upon
its original release, the film was bomb that came and
went, but within time gained possibly the biggest cult following of all time. The
following is so big that even shows like “The Simpsons” and “The Drew Carey
Show” have made references to it. Whenever movie theaters show midnight
screenings of it, you’ll see people dress up as the characters, the audiences
makes snarky commentary (most of which are necessities to say), all kinds of
shit that would make you either annoyed by people who are disrupting the movie
or look back in shock at where you are right now. In fact, the only other film
to have a cult following similar to it is Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room”…but that’s
another story.
So
what is it about this film that makes it so treasured by people with every
passing generation? I mean, when you really look at the film on its own…it really
isn’t that good of a movie. For one, it feels dated, there are plot points that
come out of nowhere, characters do things that are completely left field and
inconsistent, it has some repetitive scenes…but in a bizarre way, it works.
Though that does tend to raise a big question: why is it okay for this film to
have such senseless chaos, yet NOT okay when other films afterwards do it? In my
eyes, I feel like it has something to do with how far off from reality it is and sticks to it. This film never tries to bring itself down to a more realistic tone, and just ends up getting crazier and crazier without any apologies. The film makers were passionately daring to make something that defies all possible logic and
normal reasoning you’d see in the typical play or movie that you can’t help but
respect and appreciate what they did to make this happen. That, and this was
the film that sky-rocketed the careers of Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, and
look where it got them down the line.
Overall,
what else can be said about “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” that hasn’t been
said already? It’s a film that has essentially defined the term “cult classic,”
and it’s kept its crown for forty years at this point. Is it for everyone?
Probably not. But if you haven’t seen it and you feel like giving it an
optimistic chance, then I’d say go for it. Whether you watch the film at home
with a few friends, or you go out to one of its midnight screenings at a movie
that plays it, there’s a chance that it will leave some kind of an impression
on you. Give it a watch and see what you think.
Rating: 10/10
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