Rocky Horror and Pop Culture

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a ritual. It is a cult that, for the past 30-some years, has been a sensation all over the world. For at midnight on certain Fridays every month, people from around the globe participate in one of the greatest social gatherings pop culture has ever witnessed. The name of this fascinating ritual is “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is actually adapted from a stage musical, entitled simply “The Rocky Horror Show,” and it was written by Richard O’Brien and adapted as a screenplay by Jim Sharman, who was also director of the motion picture (Lloyd 261). When “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” first opened in cinemas in 1975, it received, to say the least, reviews of indifference from most of the critics, despite the fact that the stage production succeeded on the London stage (Lloyd 261). However, shortly after its release, word began to spread that it was a movie to be watched at midnight (Lloyd 261). This changed everything. Since then, the film has grown into a world-wide cult gathering that includes dressing up as various characters from the film (or simply cross-dressing,) a live action stage show that involves actors playing the various roles and mouthing every word of the text, and a scripted exchange of dialogue between the audience and the film (Lloyd 261).
I, myself, have been to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” twice, (the night of October 3rd being my second time,) and will most certainly continue attending as often as I can. However, while watching the film that night, I thought it would be a marvelous topic for this paper. I really analyzed the story and characters and soon realized that they fit in perfectly with what we have been discussing so far in this course. I shall demonstrate.
The story takes place in Denton, Ohio, and focuses on Brad Majors, (played by Barry Bostwick,) and Janet Weiss, (Susan Surandon,) a very “normal, ordinary” couple who are just recently engaged. One night, they decide to drive off together to share the wonderful news when the car’s tire goes flat. In search of a telephone to use, they stumble upon the castle of the ambiguous Dr. Frank N. Furter, a transvestite scientist who is housing transsexual guests from a galaxy called Transylvania. Seeing that they are virtually stranded, Furter extends his hospitality to them, to which they reluctantly comply. It is then that he intends to show them Rocky, a “love-toy” in human form that Furter created for the relief of sexual tension. By the time Brad and Janet leave Furter’s lair, they have changed forever (Lloyd 261).
In my opinion, Brad and Janet are perfect examples of the “ideal” conservative Christian couple. They have a very broad, “simple” mindset. They start off as two very innocent people in a playful, adoring romance. The symbolism is present as well, for the first image the audience sees after the introduction to the film is a cross atop a church steeple. Basically, Brad and Janet are the average small-town couple, “unpolluted” by more liberal, open-minded ideas. Janet Weiss, in particular, is everything a woman shouldn’t be: completely obedient to the man. It’s almost as if she has no mind of her own. Whenever I watch her, I cannot help but think of de Beauvoir’s article “The Second Sex.” She refers to the woman as “other” while man is the Absolute:
“She is defined and differentiated with reference to man and not he with reference to her; she is the incidental, the inessential as opposed to the essential. He is the Subject, he is the Absolute – she is the Other.” This most certainly applies to Janet in the beginning of the film, for she constantly has to rely on her precious Brad for guidance in everything.
Enter Frank N. Furter and his minions. To me, he is the absolute essence of the free-thinking liberal idea that challenges the beliefs of Brad and Janet. Not only that, but he is the voice of all the things that they keep to themselves. So to speak, he is the voice of their deepest, darkest desires.
In terms of tapping into said feelings, however, none of the characters goes through as drastic a change as Janet. After witnessing the birth of Furter’s “human sex-toy,” Rocky, her curiosity gets the better of her, and we (the audience) see her liberate herself and succumb to her desire in the form of a hilarious musical sequence entitled “T-T-T Touch Me!” The lyrics go:
I was feeling done in/couldn't win
I'd only ever kissed before.
She continues:
I thought there's no use getting/into heavy petting
It only leads to trouble/and seat wetting.
This line explains it all:
I've got an itch to scratch/I need assistance (lyricsdowload.com 2).
This clearly shows just how much Janet has changed as a result of being Frank N. Furter’s “guest.” Not only that, she can now tap into the deeply repressed feelings that she has been (taught, perhaps?) to keep to herself. An independent, contemporary woman is born! I have no doubt in my mind that McDonald, author of Romantic Comedy: Boy Meets Girl Meets Genre would agree that Janet Weiss is the epitome of the radical romantic female character!
As you can see, Richard O’Brien’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a perfect parallel of modern times. It shows the clash between conservative and liberal ideals and how said ideals can change people’s perspectives.
Bibliography:
Lloyd, Ann. 501 Must-See Films. Octopus Pusblishing Group Limited. London, England. 2004.
www.lyricsdownload.com/rockyhorrorlyrics