There are many things to say when talking about The Rocky Horror Picture Show: the (at times) incomprehensible plot, the fabulous costumes, and a slew of fun facts, like how the actors were freezing for half of the shoot. But one thing will always be mentioned in one way or another: the community. Whether it’s the film’s cult status, the callbacks, or people dressing up for public screenings, at the heart of it all lies a group of people who love this movie dearly and make it the event that it is.
The world was first introduced to The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, when the musical premiered in London at the Royal Court Theatre to great success. After seeing it, Lou Adler bought the movie rights, and in September 1975, the now-iconic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show arrived.
Sadly, this time audiences did not take as kindly to it. Tim Curry in high heels and fishnets was simply too much for general audiences, and cinemas pulled it from their screens within weeks of its release. Both Richard O'Brien, the screenwriter, and Tim Curry have said they thought that was as far as it would go, with O'Brien saying, "That's it then, isn’t it? It’s all over. It’s been a wonderful few years." And O'Brien and Curry parted ways to pursue other things.
But how wrong they were.
On April 1st, 1976, the first midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show was held at the Waverly Theatre in New York, breathing new life into the film. The alternative and often queer audience that Rocky Horror attracted was a perfect fit for late-night screenings, and the cinema even played the soundtrack before the movie began to hype up audiences. Superfans would watch the film again and again, with some even claiming they had seen it over 1,000 times.
But the moment that cemented The Rocky Horror Picture Show as an enduring cult classic was Labour Day weekend in 1976. During a midnight screening, a regular attendee suddenly shouted, "Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch!" at the screen as Janet walked through the rain with a newspaper over her head. From there, callbacks became an integral part of the show, and in 1977 people even started bringing props like water guns to simulate rain or rice to throw during the wedding scene.
Furthermore, audiences started dressing up as their favourite characters, and after attending so many screenings and memorising the script, the concept of a “shadow cast” began to emerge. A shadow cast is usually a group of fans dressed up as the characters who perform the show in front of the screen as the film plays. This has become another staple of Rocky Horror screenings, with dedicated groups performing at different venues.
All this is a testament to the community that The Rocky Horror Picture Show has built over the years. The queer community in particular has embraced the film since 1975. Released only six years after the Stonewall riots in a period of major change in LGBTQ+ rights, its message of self-acceptance and its openly queer characters were especially groundbreaking for a film distributed by a major studio like 20th Century Fox. The fans who have seen it 10, 20, or 50 times have helped turn a box office flop into a $170 million success, and it has become the longest-running film release of all time. Even after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019 and restricted theatrical screenings of older Fox films, Disney granted Rocky Horror an exception. Its cult following has kept screenings alive around the world, from Halloween specials to venues that have made the film a weekly tradition. For example, the Museum Lichtspiele in Munich has screened Rocky Horror every week since 1977, decades after the film first stumbled into cinemas.
But as much as I can explain the film's plot or its history to you, to fully understand what Rocky Horror is, you have to experience it yourself. So grab your fishnets, water guns, and rice, go to a screening at your local cinema, and become part of the show, even just for a night.
"Don't dream it, be it." – Dr. Frank-N-Further
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