The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Next up in "Halloween Month" is the 1975 film that is considered a classic, but I didn't get when I watched it, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." What's strange is that this was a stage production that could have been best left alone if it remained a stage production and wasn't adapted into a movie. The choreography, the compositions and especially the cast's attitudes are evident of a stage atmosphere. With this said, the laughter and the need for the audience only would make sense if the cast were on stage as opposed to watching it in a movie theater.

Still, the movie does have its moments and does do a good job. Like I probably already stated, it's just one of those movies that is hard to explain, and Roger Ebert said that you would have to use a handful of hyphens to explain it. The movie is about a pair of newlyweds, Janet and Brad (one of the most famous actresses Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick), who walk into a palace after getting a flat tire in the rain. They apparently walk right into people doing the time warp dance where the annual Transylvanian Convention is being held. The ruler of this palace is the ever scary looking Dr. Frank N Furter, who is, as he puts it, a transvestite from the planet Transsexual in a galaxy called Transylvanian (the famous song from this movie).

This stuns the newlyweds, which you can't blame them for, and before you know it, Dr. Furter reveals his new creation, who is macho man named Rocky Horror, played by Peter Hinwood. Ebert even stated in his review, "He has some experiments in mind that would have appalled the original Dr. Frankenstein, not to mention Janet and Brad." Meanwhile, the couple is introduced to the other residents in this palace, including a hunchback named Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien), his sister Magenta (Patricia Quinn) who is his lover and other members that are just too eccentric to even mention.

Ebert said in his review, "As we recall from the original "Frankenstein," not to mention "Young Frankenstein," not every monster turns out to be a success." What he means to say is that Dr. Furter had a couple of patients that are still lurking around the palace, including a biker named Eddie, played by rock star Meat Loaf, who breaks through the walls because he seems to have something against doors and you might look at him thinking of Hulk in leather. Janet and Brad seem to get into the convention and before you know it, everyone seems to be getting in line to be with Rocky Horror.

Dr. Furter is played by Tim Curry, who had this role in London and Los Angeles. You could say that he is the best part of the movie, but that's probably because he is having a lot of fun with this role, as he does with every role that he plays. He's also the only one that could hold his own, which is more than you can say for the other actors playing Transylvanian residents that just seemed to be pulled on screen during the musical numbers and look like they are in the wrong movie. Who cares, until the climactic moment where everyone is thrown into outer space, Dr. Furter keeps you entertained, even if you are crept out by his appearance.

Overall, like I have already said, I don't really get this movie, but if you like it, than by all means you seem to understand something that I'm not. Whatever the case might be, if you want to check this out, be my guest, but I don't really recommend it. Stay tuned tomorrow to see what I will review next for "Halloween Month."