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"I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey."
What makes a cult classic?
There seems to be no exact definition that everyone agrees on, but the general consensus
is that it is a creative work that transcends its original failings to become an iconic
piece of fiction with a passionate fanbase.
So something like Star Wars would hardly be considered to be a cult classic, because despite
having a widespread and loyal community of fans, the film was a smash success with both
critics and audiences alike upon release.
Whereas something like "Fight Club" failed miserably when first released, but after years
of retrospective viewing is now widely considered to be a cinematic masterpiece.
Films like Blade Runner, or Evil Dead that weren't understood or appreciated in their
own time but through a loyal and passionate community of supporters who spread the film
through word of mouth, continue to reach a wider audience with each passing year.
And whether we're talking about a misunderstood masterpiece like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or
the "so-bad-it's-good" films like "The Room", every cult classic offers something different
than the regular theater fare of its day and stands the test of time precisely for that
reason.
But among the vast array of films now considered to be cult classics, none have had the same
long lasting impact or cultural significance as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show".
Originally a stage production called "The Rocky Horror Show", it premiered at the Royal
Court Theatre in London, in 1973.
Richard O'Brien, was an unemployed actor who began working on the script as a way to keep
himself occupied during a harsh winter.
It was born out of his love for the iconic Hammer horror films and B-movie sci-fi classics
like Tarantula and Forbidden Planet, mashed together with the bubble-gum rock of the 1950's
as well as the burgeoning glam rock scene of the 1970's.
He brought his script to Australian director Jim Sharman, who had garnered acclaim for
his work on Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar.
The musical was an immediate and smash success, consistently filling out the capacity of the
Royal Court Theatre before moving on to larger venues like the King's Road Theater, where
it eventually caught the eye of Lou Adler; a reknowned record producer who had worked
with Carole King and The Mamas and The Papas, who secured the American theatrical rights
to the musical and brought it to the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, premiering in 1974
with an all new cast with exception to Tim Curry, notably bringing in then mostly unknown
musician Meat Loaf for the roles of Eddie and Dr. Scott.
Throughout its original run in L.A. and London, several notable names were in attendence;
like David Bowie, Elvis Presley and Princess Diana to name a few.
"And Princess Diana actually requested to meet me because she was such a Rocky Horror
fan.
She said 'Oh yes, it quite completed my education."
After the unexpected success of the stage musical, O'Brien and Sharman began discussing
the possibilities of a feature film adapdation.
There was original talk of producing the film with a much larger budget and casting well-known
names in the major roles, with people like Mick Jagger being eyed for Dr. Frank-N- Furter
and Steve Martin for Brad Majors.
But Sharman decided to sacrifice the larger budget to retain the show's original cast
and crew.
Additional scenes were added to expand the length of the film, a musical score was provided
by Richard Hartley to fill the space between O'Brien's songs, Susan Sarandon and Barry
Bostwick were brought on board at the behest of 20th Century Fox who wanted American actors
in the lead roles, and Pierre La Roche, known for his work with Mick Jagger and David Bowie
was brought on board to redesign the make-up for the characters.
Many of the sets and props were directly taken from the vaults of old Hammer productions,
with the primary filming location taking place at Oakley Court, a Victorian-era castle that
was featured in Hammer films like "The Brides of Dracula".
Despite a troubled production due to the film's low budget, and the poor conditions of the
filming locations, production wrapped in 1974, with the finished film hitting theaters in
the summer of 1975.
"Yes it is a good film isn't it, died a death when it first came out."
The film was pulled from theaters after one just weekend, and the studio cancelled its
premieres in other cities across America.
Sometimes the magic of a stage show is lost in translation when brought to the screen,
or maybe the general of audiences of 1975 just weren't ready for something as off-kilter
and transgressive, but regardless of the how or why the film failed to find the same success
as its stage counterpart, and it seemed that the studio was ready to cut their losses and
shelf the film permanently.
"They didn't really know what to do with it, or what on Earth it was."
And that may have been the end of it, but Tim Deegan, who worked in the marketing division
at Fox, saw the potential for success in the midnight circuit.
John Water's film Pink Flamingos had already established that there was a market for campy
pastiche filmmaking, and Deegan thought that The Rocky Horror Picture Show might find a
similar success.
He convinced the studio to take a chance, and the film made its midnight debut at the
Waverly Theater in New York City on April 1st, 1976.
Shortly after its initial midnight screening audience members began returning for repeat
viewings, often yelling lines at the screen as a way of trying to one-up the other theater-goers,
with many of these lines being repeated verbatim to this day.
"There was a man who sat in the first row of the balcony and when the criminologist
says 'I would like to take you on a strange journey' he screamed out 'How strange was
it?'.
People laughed!
And I would go home and think of lines that we could shout at the screen the next week.
Eventually people started showing up in costumes, shadowing the performances on screen, and
even bringing props like newspapers or rice to use alongside the film.
These traditions became the standardized Rocky experience that spread the world over; with
costume contests, shadow casts, audience participation, props and call-backs dominating the midnight
screenings that by 1979 had been playing twice a week in over 200 theaters across the globe.
"Never has there been a cult movie like this one."
"I've seen Rocky Horror almost 400 times."
"Tonight's my 350th time."
"302 times."
"267 times."
"My name is Sal Piro and I'm President of the National Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan
Club.
Tonight is going to be my 425th time seeing this film.
You know, the Rocky Horror Picture Show has been a midnight phenomenon in this country
for almost 4 years now, 4 years running at midnight and it started right here in the
village, right here in Greenwich Village."
"You have people coming in caravans and buses from all over the country.
How much longer do you think this can go on in midnight movies throughout the country,
I've uh, some people are saying that it's kind of losing it's oomph.
That people aren't throwing the rice with the same degree of uh, enthusiam."
"Well you've got to realize that I live in England and I don't really see a great deal
of this activity, but Sal Piro who follows it very closely says 'ask me in another twenty
years and I'll give you an answer'."
"This is truly an honor to be here today, 39 and a half years ago when I went to see
the movie for the first time, and there was something there, and you are all proof; this
cast standing behind me, all the people it interests, all you people who dress up, all
you people who love the movie; you are proving why we're here 40 years later.
Thank you."
The film celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2015 and still shows no signs of stopping
any time soon, which has earned it the noteworthy achievement of being the longest-running theatrical
release in cinematic history; which says a lot about the devotion of its audience.
It's widely attributed to be the first movie known for its audience participation, and
is considered by many to be the most significant midnight movie of all time, if not the first.
And for a movie shot for about $1 million that was nearly canned after its initial box
office disappointment to go on to become this massive cultural phenomenon is no small feat.
But it speaks to what the film represents, and who the film appeals to and why.
This was a time before social media or the internet.
Before it was released on VHS or DVD, the only way to stumble onto the film was through
word of mouth or pure chance.
To get the details of the costumes and the make-up just right you couldn't pause and
study in an individual frame, to learn all of the lyrics you couldn't just play the songs
on repeat, you had to go see the movie time and time again, and for many it became a weekly
ritual.
Where you felt like you were a part of something bigger than yourself, in a shared space with
like-minded people.
Which at the time, wasn't easy to come by.
When you consider the cultural landscape of the time, where well-known LGBTQ spaces were
frequently raided by police, where members of the gay community were harrassed or assaulted,
where you could lose your job or your housing if your sexual identity became known.
Where nerds and geeks were frequently bullied and tormented for liking anything that wasn't
considered the cultural norm.
It's hard to imagine something like this now that we're living in a world that's much more
tolerant of these things, but back then it was a time when anyone who was deemed to be
different was regulated to the fringes of society, taught to conform or to get out;
but Rocky Horror gave them all a communal space to be themselves and to find acceptance.
It offered something for the self-identified freaks and the geeks and the weirdos with
a shared love of horror, sci-fi, musical theater, drag, and all things camp; it gave the marginalized
groups of society a space to explore their identity free from judgement or persecution
before those spaces were commonplace.
It was a place for people of all walks of life to coexist, whether gay or straight or
trans or cis, to let loose and have a good time.
And in the years since its release it's become so much more than just a film, it's become
a cultural movement that embraces sensuality and androgyny and freedom of expression.
It's often seen as a rite of passage for teenagers, who may be questioning their own sexuality,
and gives them an opportunity to see something different than what they've been taught.
The film itself acts as a parable, or a modern fairy tale where Brad and Janet represent
the template for the contemporary conservative American couple, who are taken on an alien
odyssey of endulging in the sins of the flesh.
"Come on Brad, admit it.
You liked it, didn't you?
There's no crime in giving yourself over to pleasure."
The Rocky Horror Picture show gave us permission to be different, and taught us a valuable
lesson about embracing your individuality.
"Don't dream it.
Be it."
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