Richard O’Brien’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show” was originally released in 1975, and it has only been gaining popularity, notoriety, and momentum since then. The film, which is a cross between musical, comedy, and horror, has become one of cinema’s biggest cult classics, drawing devoted audiences as well as newcomers to the screen and stage every year. The movie is often shown alongside a shadow cast, or a non-speaking cast that acts out the actions being depicted onscreen. Audience members are encouraged to come in costume and participate fully in the show, which includes yelling certain phrases and throwing objects at predetermined points in the plot.
As part of CC’s “Halloweekend” festivities, Rocky Horror was screened in the Kathryn Mohrman Theater last Friday night. The Fort Collins based “Late Night Double Feature Rocky Horror Shadowcast” provided the live component, complete with costumes and elaborate performances. Included with admission were prop bags containing the appropriate items for audience participation. Each newcomer was marked with a red “V” for virgin. One CC sophomore marked with a V, Carly Cribbs, had “always wanted to see it, but wanted to see it live for the first time. You can see it online anytime, but I really wanted to see it live.”
Before Friday night, Cribbs had heard the song “Dammit, Janet,” but knew nothing else about the rest of the show. “I knew that people yelled things and threw things, but I had no idea what the plot of the movie was,” stated Cribbs. “It was weird, but so fun. In my head, I was picturing a movie with more of a plot. I knew it was weird, but it was weirder than I thought it was going to be, and I liked that!”
On the opposite side of the spectrum, sophomore Story Schwantes was first introduced to the movie at the age of seven. “My scandalous babysitter played it for me because he loved it,” recounted Schwantes. “I can’t really remember what I thought of it, but I apparently liked it enough to keep watching it.” Schwantes states that she can’t count how many times she’s seen it, but that it’s been “probably about once a year since then.”
Growing up, Schwantes was the only one of her friends who really got into Rocky Horror. “I knew hardly anyone who had seen it when I was in high school.” said Schwantes.
“The older people knew it, but I lived in suburban Minnesota, so nobody my age had ever really seen it.” The draw for her was always that “it’s utterly bizarre and really amusing. Also, solid music, of course.”
Every “Rocky Horror” fan, whether devotee or newcomer, has their own favorite scene and song. Cribbs said that she loved “when we all stood up and did the ‘Time Warp,’” while Schwantes’ “favorite song is, for sure, ‘Dammit, Janet.’” She also added that her favorite part of the movie is anything with Rocky, “cause he cracks [her] up, and is also so disturbing.” Sophomore Elena Perez added that her “favorite part is when Frank sleeps with both Janet and Brad. It’s just such a great scene.”
CC’s showing of “Rocky Horror” was a huge hit among the student body. “I’ll definitely see it again,” said Cribbs. “In Tulsa [Oklahoma], they have one on New Years Eve and I’ll probably go to that one. It seems like a fun Halloween tradition, and I’ll probably come again next year, too.” Schwantes said, “It was fun to watch the people who hadn’t seen it before having a really good time. I thought it was a good idea for the school to put it on. Yeah, “Rocky Horror’s” really big, but it’s not as big with our generation.”
Both students also agreed that having the shadow cast added tremendously to the overall experience. “It’s kind of a mix between theater and watching a movie, and you can’t help but enjoy it, even though it’s just the strangest thing,” said Cribbs. “I can definitely see how it’s kind of a release. People go and they can just kind of yell whatever they want. They can be goofy and silly and weird for whatever reason.” Schwantes also thought that part of the longevity of the show can be attributed to its “fairly timeless cast and, also, stellar music. It’s just so freaky that people don’t get over it.” “I could tell that a lot of people really valued the tradition of it,” added Cribbs.
This year Fox has released a new, modern version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” starring Victoria Justice as Janet Weiss and Laverne Cox as Frank n’ Furter. The production received a dismal review in the New York Times, and hasn’t done much better anywhere else. Most respondents have attributed this to the fact that the original film is incredibly hard (and according to some, impossible) to follow.
“I don’t think people are going to go for the new one,” said Schwantes. “It’s too much of a classic already to have a new one become big anyway.” Cribbs said that she doesn’t “even see how they could think about remaking it. Part of its charm is that it’s so old and kind of bad quality. Maybe people will watch it this year, but it won’t become timeless like the original.” Critics across the board have agreed that the Fox version probably won’t be shown with a shadow cast like the 1975 version. “It’s cool that Laverne Cox is doing it, though,” Cribbs said. “Maybe it’ll get other people to watch the original.”
The overwhelming reception and success of the event shows that, although the film came out 41 years ago, people are still willing to stand by the classic.
“Rocky Horror” was the perfect start to Halloweekend and students left Armstrong already anticipating next year’s show.