A Review of the Rocky Horror Picture Show

Welcome to the movie review column! Today we’re reviewing an older, but iconic horror movie in honor of Halloween. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was directed by Jim Sharman, and featured Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and more. It’s a 1975 film, that was agreeably ahead of its time. What made this movie so different from others was its ability to combine horror, comedy, and a musical into one promiscuous masterpiece. The music is a wonderful mix of rock and roll and pop. 

The large motion picture was amazing on it’s own, of course, but what made it stand out were the more than interesting characters. Tim Curry played the role of Dr Frank-N-Furter, whose occupation was a scientist, with an eccentric side that expressed itself through dressing in feminine clothing. The story was narrated by Charles Gray, who was referred to as the Criminologist. You’re probably wondering why Richard O’Brien, who was the writer of the movie, wanted such outrageous characters to be the subject, and the answer is that the movie was more of a statement piece than anything else. O’Brien was inspired by the glam-rock trend that sparked in London. He had said, “Glam rock allowed me to be myself more.” 

Of course, the hardest part of this movie’s conception was the decade that it was made in. Although in 1975 people were warming up to the idea of LGBTQ+, it was still a widely unaccepted idea. Reception of the movie wasn’t good at first, according to Roger Ebert from the Chicago Sun-Times, and it was ignored by everyone. That included the people who now consider the movie to be a cult classic, and can’t count the number of times they’ve watched it. When the movie began picking up popularity, it divided fans of horror. One side of the argument thought that the movie was amazing, and did a great job of combining all of it’s chaotic elements. Others thought that the wit was too weak to sustain a film, and that all of the songs sounded the same. 

As aforementioned, the movie played a large part in the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, it was kind of one of the beginnings of a community. People identified with the embrace of sexuality, and sexual identity freedoms. Fans attended every show, and slowly began forming their own little community. They even went as far as to show up in fishnets, and excessive amounts of makeup. 

All-in-all, I really enjoyed the movie. I thought that its out there concepts, and fascinating ideas were quite captivating. However, if you’re a conventional horror fan, you may not find this movie to your interest as, again, it’s more of a statement piece than a horror movie. This movie can be found on Hulu if you have the subscription, or you can simply buy it on most other platforms. Go ahead, and check this movie out if it’s to your interest!