How To Make A Classic…Cult Hit- The Rocky Horror Phenomenon

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, like most cult films, didn’t make a lot of money when first released in 1975 and it isn’t hard to see why. Although the songs are catchy they don’t really make a lot of sense, the characters and the plot are even wackier and the controversy Tim Curry would have caused must have been astronomical. None of these elements spell out box office success, but they are the reason that the film has its cult following today.

The film is parodying many sci-fi and B horror movies and in doing so it goes beyond anything we usually see. Each character in Dr Frank-N-Furter’s castle is larger than life and wouldn’t look out of place at a Lady Gaga concert. The plot is even crazier with Dr Frank-N-Furter trying to create a living, breathing sex toy called Rocky. These bizarre aspects might not have gone down very well with a 70s audience, but in the modern day this sort of experimental creativity is not just accepted, but also greatly followed by fans.

Tim Curry’s Dr Frank-N-Furter is easily the most bizarre and controversial aspect of the film. To me he might just seem like another Soho regular, but for others, especially audiences in the 1970s, he is like nothing like anything they have ever experienced. He represents the very styles and sexual appetites that were all tightly ignored in 70s America, but as our society has grown more liberal Dr Frank-N-Furter has become the embodiment of being true to yourself and your sexual identity. He has also become a fantastic Halloween costume.

The final part of the film that makes Rocky Horror a cult hit is, obviously, the music. Very few musicals can make as little sense as this one, but by having memorable songs such as ‘Sweet Transvestite’, ‘Touch-a, Touch-a Touch Me’ and of course ‘Time Warp’ (if you haven’t heard this classic there is a treat for you at the bottom of this article), the film manages to get away with it. The songs work for the audience because their adult content make them different; instead of singing about love and loss the cast sing about sex and lust. These saucy undertones work in favour of the songs and make them stick in the audiences mind.

Like many films with the cult brand Rocky was made at the wrong time. Now it has its deserved following and success with many special screenings going on around the world at any one time. But it is interesting to question whether the film got its cult status from being made in the wrong decade and being underappreciated. Would it have done so well if it was made in 2010? I would like to think yes, but I’m not too sure.