The Rocky Horror experience, so to speak, began as a play called The Rocky Horror Show which came out in the early 70's. Written by a heretofore unknown individual by the name of Richard O'Brien, the play was an attempt to both satirize and pay tribute to the horror and sci-fi films O'Brien had enjoyed as a child by utilizing comment elements of both genres and pairing them with the seemingly absurd bedfellows of rock and roll and sexual deviance. He wanted to create the kind of thing he would like to go see himself and that he assumed the general public was missing and would appreciate. The play was a great success both in its native England and in its subsequent American run. Little did O'Brien know, however, the strange life his new creation would eventually take on.
The play and the following motion picture The Rocky Horror Picture Show were set in the spooky castle so typical of the horror genre and filled with many of the usual trappings: the eccentric house servants (butler Riff Raff and maid Magenta), an unusual house guest (Columbia), the unsuspecting hero and heroine Brad and Janet, the house's lord and master, the oddly vampiric mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter and his creation "the monster" Rocky, the knowledgable interloper who threatens to upset all the mad scientist's plans (Dr. Scott). Plus there was the usual assortment of gothic surroundings, typical of the horror/sci-fi genres in some ways yet atypical in others.
The overlaying theme of sexuality infiltrates each character, giving them an added dimension not found in many sci-fi/horror films. Riff and Magenta, played by O'Brien himself and Patricia Quinn, are brother and sister but seem to show a devotion to each other that's a bit more than just familial. Columbia, portrayed by Nell "Little Nell" Campbell, is a Frank N. Furter groupie, complete with everything that term implies.
Our innocent "babes in the woods" Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) are not just naive in the general sort of way you'd expect but also total neophytes in the realm of sexuality. In fact, they're virgins and are therefore fodder and perfect victims for the self-described "sweet transvestite" Dr. Furter, played with great gusto by Tim Curry.
With his black cloak, pale face, and ruby red lips, Dr. Frank N. Furter's appearance suggests that of a vampire, but the good Doctor's vampirism is of a more sexual nature. He is not, in fact, a blood-sucking vampire but he does prey sexually on those around him, constantly using them for his own selfish purposes. He comes to Brad and Janet in their bedchambers, not because he wants "to suck their blood" but to initiate them into his world of sexuality and satisfy his own physical needs. The best example of this is his creation Rocky, whose sole reason for existance is revealed in the good doctor's statement "I've been making a man with blond hair and a tan and he's good for relieving my tension", if you know what he means(and I think you do).
Eddie, played to perfection by Meat Loaf (who also amusingly played his own uncle by portraying both Eddie and Dr. Scott in the American stage production), is an earlier victim of Frank's and also a rival for the rest of the cast's affection. That's apparent in Columbia's squeal of delight at his appearance and the rest of the cast's eagerness to dance and revel to his song "Hot Patootie(or Whatever happened to Saturday NIght?".This performance set the stage for Meat's entire musical career, with its ties to motorcycle culture, 50's influenced music shifted into overdrive and references to teen nightlife.
Dr. Scott, dryly played by Jonathan Adams, seems to be a measuring stick held up to show the level of the cast's depravity. He never waivers in his staunch stance of normalcy until his helpless surrender near the film's end.
The ridiculing of Dr. Scott helps promote the film's agenda of openness about and acceptance of deviant behavior. This agenda is a big part of the film's long-standing, always growing popularity, along with this primary message, so heartily embraced by its cult following: "Don't dream it, be it."
There's also the ear-captivatingly tuneful music of the film which, different from most musicals of recent film histor, is David Bowie and Sweet influenced rock and ballads. The choice of more "glam" rock influences helps to lend glam-rock's own air of ambiguous, androgynous sexuality to the film. Hence, ballads like Bowie's "Life on Mars" and "Ballroom Blitz"-like rockers such as "The Time Warp" become the suprisingly successful soundtrack to a satirical blend of sci-fi and horror that also acts as a send-up of social/sexual mores.
Richard O'Brien said he knew he had succeeded with his play when at the premier he saw Vincent Price sitting a few rows in front of him laughing constantly. Unfortunately, the film was not so well received. For instance, as related to me by my pizza delivery man on the night I wrote this, one theater in Arkansas cleared the audience out about twenty minutes into the film the very first night it ran. Police were called, presumably to confiscate the film, though I can't see how it posed any immediate threat to them.(It upset their time-honored rural perceptions of manhood, no doubt.-Dr. Mality). This was a rather extreme example but needless to say, America wasn't buying it.
As the film continued its short first run, its popularity amongst a small cult following grew and continued to grow when the film was released for a second run of midnight showings. It was then that patrons began to say the dialogue along with the film, even formulating responses to characters lines and eventually bringing props to use at key points in the film: rice to throw during the wedding scene, squirt guns for the rain scene, and so on. Some patrons went so far as to dress up as the characters and act out the film along with it. When O'Brien was approached for his opinion on this phenomenon, he responded by saying, "It's three levels of presentation: the film, the live cast and the audience participation and twe out of three ain't bad."
Having seen the film many times myself, both in the theater and on video, I can say that it is certainly not instantly accessible or even likeable. In fact, the first time I saw it, I thought it was terrible. But with repeated viewings, I came to appreciate it to the point where I'm not a big fan of the film, though not a fanatic. So give it a chance. Check out the internet for local theater listings of places that play it and get the full experience. See The Rocky Horror Picture Show or, as Riff Raff said in one of the film's original radio commecials, "I will drag you out of your house by the scruff of the neck. I will belt you about the mouth and mouth you about the belt, do you understand what I'm saying?!"