You’re a hot dog, but you better not try to hurt her,
Frank Furter.
The Rocky Horror Show, Richard O’Brien’s bizarre tribute to horrors past, did well enough on stage to catch Hollywood’s attention. Although not terribly successful in its initial run, the movie adaptation gradually became the definitive cult film. Fans still look forward to each screening with antici….
Say it!
…pation!
Cast, Crew, and Other Info:
Director: Jim Sharmin
Writers: Richard O’Brien, Jim Sharmin.
Features:
Tim Curry…Dr. Frank-N-Furter
Susan Sarandon… Janet Weiss
Barry Bostwick…Brad Majors
Richard O’Brien…Rif Raf
Patricia Quinn…Magenta
Little Nell…Columbia
Jonathan Adams…Dr. Everett Von Scott
Peter Hinwood…Rocky
Meat Loaf…Eddie
Charles Gray…The Criminologist
Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca
Premise:
A nerdish couple, en route to visit the science teacher who brought them together, find themselves stranded in a castle on the night of a bisexual alien transvestite mad scientist’s crowning achievement. Old-school horror films and sexual mores– both of which invest heavily in the fear of the unknown– get sent up.
High Point:
The musical numbers: specifically, “Time Warp,” “Sweet Transvestite,” and the final floor show.
Low Point:
“Happy birthday dear Rocky….”
The Scores:
Originality: 5/6 No one had raided the cinematic past in quite this manner before O’Brien. We get horror movie sets spliced with 70s kitch and camp, American Gothic references, gratuitous bikers (“Yes, life’s pretty cheap to that kind, Janet”), the RKO logo, an Elsa Lanchester hair-do, silver alien suits, and mock Esther Williams in a swimming pool painted by Michaelangelo. Columbia plays like a day-glo Deitrich blended with a punk Betty Boop. One of those “mind-warping” EC horror comic from the 50s even makes a brief cameo. This film had cinematic Easter Eggs before they were a concept.
Effects: 2/6. Even for deliberately low-budget effects, these are low budget effects. Seriously, two bright kids with a camcorder could do better.
Story: 4/6: The story does not always move smoothly from scene to scene.
Acting: 5/6: It’s deliberate camp, but well-done camp.
Production: 4/6 The sets look great. The editing is actually kind of sloppy in places (watch the opening wedding sequence carefully, for example).
Emotional Response: 4/6
Overall: 5/6. A demented museum piece, everyone needs to view this film at least once.
In total, The Rocky Horror Picture Show receives 29/42.
Additional Comments
The DVD includes optional audience participation cues and effects, and the restored, complete version of the song “Super Heroes,” inexplicably missing from the theatrical release for two decades.
Halloween Countdown to date
- October 1: Witchcraft
Through The Ages - October 2: The Evil
Dead - October 3: Evil Dead
2: Dead By Dawn - October 4: Army of
Darkness - October 5: Ghostbusters
- October 6: Ghostbusters 2
- October 7: The Little
Shop of Horrors (1960) - October 8: The
Terror - October 9: The
Shining - October 10: Throne of
Blood - October 11: Ringu
- October 12: The
Ring - October 13: The Sixth
Sense - October 14: Signs
- October 15: Sleepy
Hollow - October 16: Neil
Gaiman’s Neverwhere - October 17: Mary
Reilly - October 18: Ginger
Snaps - October 19: Dark
City
still just a jump to the left
Willis O’Brien? Come now.
That aside, I love the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and have been involved in a cast in Southern California for two years now… there’s plenty wrong with the film, but it was almost written for audience participation. If anyone’s bored on Halloween night around ten, totally come check the show out.
I agree with the effects score, they are pretty horrid even considering, especially the “castle liftoff” scene which is clearly a cardboard prop being lifted in front of the real castle… you can easily still see the actual castle through the anemic smoke.
Re: still just a jump to the left
That introductory error has been corrected. Willis, of course, was responsible for something going wrong for Fay Wray and King Kong.
Re: still just a jump to the left
Miles, on the other hand, was responsible for something going wrong in the Holodecks.
Re: still just a jump to the left
Shaka was there when the walls fell.
Re: still just a jump to the left
Since Darmok and Jalad were at Tanagra?
Re: still just a jump to the left
STOP! STOP!! PLEASE DEAR GOD WON’T YOU STOP!!!
Re: still just a jump to the left
Uh-oh… I broke Hitch
*runs away*
Effects
I totally disagree about the effects: it was a plus that they are as
awful as they are. They were awful in almost all of the movies they
reference, it’s part of the genre.
Also considering that it was filmed for about $1.2M, I think it’s amazing that they even
had cardboard. Even converted to today’s dollars, that’ll get you, what? One
episode of
CSI?
Cult Classics
Right behind RHPS are The Apple and Xanadu- I just saw a double feature of them on the big screen- trippy. Ever seen Heavy Metal Parking Lot too? Now there’s a Goth Parking Lot- http://www.paidtobenice.com. damn- spooooky