I have been won over! I remember when I was younger catching a bit of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW on television and I thought it was awful. I realize I just didn’t get it. Now the thing with Rocky Horror is it’s kinda suppose to be bad by design. You mesh the intentions with some crazy catchy tunes and some wildly fun acting and you have an all right movie on your hands. But I don’t think you can be a great movie if you are trying to be bad. Now with that said, audiences have embraced this film with one of the best cult followings in film history, bumping an all right film to greatness relying on the entertaining bag of tricks with audience participation.
Newly engaged goodie couple Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) get a flat tire in a terrible rainstorm. They seek refuge at a Transylvania castle where they are introduced to a colorful cast of people including Riff Raff (Richard O’ Brien), Magenta (Patricia Quinn) and London (Nell Campbell) all led by the flamboyant transvestite, Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry). Brad and Janet happen to show up on the eve of the Dr’s new creation, a man named Rocky made for his pleasure. After a murder, a couple of seductions and a few other zany musical numbers we discover everything that’s happening is a bit out of this world.
Bright red lips introduce the film singing the very campy and strange “Science Fiction Double Feature.“ The music in TRHPS is ridiculously fun! I defy anyone to not be singing “Time Warp” again and again. The whole segment has such a huge rewatchable factor. Out of nowhere the strange and creepy Riff Raff belts into song and dance then opens the door to the dancing Transylvanians introducing an awfully strange world. As soon as the song ends, Brad and Janet try to leave but walk right into the deliciously exuberant talent of Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter as he sings the second best song of the film “Sweet Transvestite.” He truly is masterful in his performance and I find myself captivated and giddy whenever he is on screen. The songs “Dammit Janet,” “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me” and Eddie’s (Meatloaf) “What Ever Happened to Saturday Night” are a few of the other great musical moments.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is a B-movie Rock Opera. It’s wild, crazy and weird. The production is poor and the story doesn’t make much sense but the performances are great and the music is catchy and fun. But what really pulls this film together is the audience participation. I highly recommend seeing this movie with true fans. It is an unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, that is not what I’m reviewing. However, the Blu-ray gets you a step closer. The fans love for the film is contagious and the Blu-ray is a definite tribute to them.
Video: (Widescreen 1.66:1) You have the option to watch the U.S. or the U.K. version. I can say the transfer quality is better than the original but that’s not saying a whole lot.
Audio: (7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio) The audio doesn’t match up all the time but low production doesn’t begat great audio.
Commentary By Richard O’Brien and Patricia Quinn: The two actors that played Riff Raff and Magenta give a light commentary with a few behind the scene facts-some interesting, most not. You can tell they enjoy the film and each other, seeming to talk more about random little moments they shared. O’Brien wrote the screenplay and the original musical play.
Alternate B&W Opening: Sort of like THE WIZARD OF OZ. Everything is Black and White up until Brad and Janet enter the party singing and dancing to “Time Warp,” a strange cheaper version of Munchkin Land.
The Midnight Experience: These can all be played while watching the film separately or simultaneously. This is where you can get more of a feel of the audience participation.
Late Night, Double Feature, Picture in Picture Show: A shadow box of fan actors performing almost exactly along with the film.
Vintage Call Back Track (Unrated): Gives the funny lines to yell at the screen during specific moments.
Prop Box: Choose from a variety of props to electronically throw at the screen.
Trivia Track: This gives a lot of interesting information about the film.
Rocky-oke Sing It! Sing a long with all the songs either with or without the film’s vocals and follow along with the lyrics
The Search for the 35th Anniversary Shadowcast: Don’t Dream It Be It (Part 1) (30:02): This goes through the long competition or interview process to find the right fan that has the right looks, moves and knowledge of the film to play each of the parts in the shadow cast that is played in the Midnight Experience feature.
An-tic-i-pation (Part 2) (28:12): Barry Bostwick helps narrow down the finalist until they have a winner for each character.
Mick Rock (A Photographer) (3:36): He talks briefly about being the only to take all the pictures of show on set.
Mick Rock (Photo Gallery): These are a slideshow of the photos he took
Deleted Musical Scenes and Outtakes (5:00) Two scenes that were wisely cut from the film for being a bit too slow. The first is by Brad a little remorseful after his romp with Dr. Frank.-N-Furter The second is by Brad and Janet for the film’s closing.
Outtakes (10:02) These are just several unused takes of the same scenes within the film.
Alternate Credit Ending (3:45) Not much different
Misprint Ending (1:54) Includes the ending scene from the deleted musical scenes but you can’t hear them sing.
Rocky Horror Double Feature Video Show (36:25): A rundown of the process, From the writing, to the stage version, the making of the film, its failure at the box office and finally its surgance as a cult classic. It includes many interviews with the stars.
Beacon Theater, New York City (5:26): Another quick look at the audience participation of the film in this specific spot.
“Time Warp” Music Video (4:41): An audience participation dancing and singing along with the song’s scene.
Theatrical Trailers, Pressbook Gallery and Poster Gallery:
BD Live
Live Lookup: Able to look at the current Internet Movie Data Base of the cast and crew’s most recent films.
Can I Be Frank?: Fans of the show dress up as Dr. Frank-N-Furter interviewing and trying out for the part for the shadowbox performance.
