I watched it once, many years ago, and came away with nothing more then a feeling of “WTF was that? What happened?”
I went to imdb and this is what the one and only review said:
I don’t plan to watch it again, can someone help?
Maybe you need to watch it with the right group of people. If ever there was a movie that requires a companionable crowd for full enjoyment, this is it.
No, I don’t think that’s possible. It is the epitome of despoilation already.
The soundtrack is great. The movie…depends.
Just watching the movie on tape can be excruciating. It’s horrible. Over-the-top script, over-the-top acting, over-the-top costuming, over-the-top choreography, over-the-top cinematography, cheesy production values. It sucks. I know it’s supposed to be a spoof, a parody, a satiric take on 50s/60s horror thrillers. The problem is that it takes that sensibility, wields it like a club, and pounds you over the head with it from beginning to end.
However, if you watch it the way it’s supposed to be watched, with a midnight showing crowd in costume, a floorshow, and a full audience participation experience, it transcends all of that to become one of the coolest geek events you can attend.
If you have to ask, you will never understand.
“It’s astounding…”
Unclviny
You’ve made the right decision. No help needed.
OK, plot. Since “spoil” is in the thread title, I won’t use spoiler boxes. Forgive me if I get some plot wrong. It’s been a while. I still obviously remember way too much about this movie.
Opening Lips sing Science Fiction Double Feature. Cut to wedding scene, where Brad proposes to Janet. They set out to Dr. Scott to get a blessing for their impending wedding (Dammit Janet number). Dr. Scott was the man who began it, Janet/ when he gave them their science exam-it, Janet. Next scene, rainstorm, their car breaks down outside a castle (Light over in the Frankenstein Place number). They go in, where they are introduced to the doorman, Riff Raff and his boss, Frank-N-Furter, a mad scientist. Transvestite alien mad scientist (Sweet Transvestite number). Also, there are two others – Riff Raff’s sister, Magenta, and Columbia, another woman. They are all aliens.
Frank is in the process of building a man. They are taken up to the lab for the great unveiling, where there is quite a party of mad scientists (Time Warp). They unveil Rocky, the perfect specimen of manhood that Frank has built to be his man toy (In Just Seven Days). It comes out not all is well in this little foursome; Riff has been trying to sabotage the whole man building thing (Sword of Damocles number).
In the midst of this, Dr. Scott shows up, in a wheelchair. He has been trying to bust up this alien mad scientist thing for some time and he’s here for the confrontation. Now I start to get hazy on the plotline. At some point, Eddie (Meatloaf) pops out – he’s been frozen and now is unfrozen and has come back to get his girl Columbia (What Ever Happened to Saturday Night number). Riff and Frank-N-Furter kill him and they apparently all eat him for dinner (unknowingly). Next, they go to bed, where Frank independently seduces both dork Brad and the virginal Janet. This awakens something in Janet, and she goes for Rocky (Toucha Toucha Me). Things spiral out of hand. Brad finds Janet and Rocky. Frank is perturbed and uses some kind of 1920s Transvestite Ray to paralyze Rocky, Janet, Brad, and Dr. Scott, dress them in garters and makeup, and put them into a stage production (Rose Tint My World -> Don’t Dream It -> Wild and Untamed Thing numbers).
Riff and Magenta (they are brother and sister remember) seem to be in love. They now make a power play to unseat Frank and take the whole mission back to Transsexual Transylvania, their home world. Frank, defeated, sings I’m Going Home. They use a more standard issue Death Ray against Frank, killing him. This sets Rocky off, and he climbs a radio tower on the stage production set carrying Frank (a la King Kong, radio tower a la RKO Radio Film Productions intro). Riff uses the death ray on Rocky. It takes a few shots to bring him down. Riff releases Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott who realize that the whole experience kind of freed their minds (whatever the last musical number is). The castle proves to be a spaceship, which blasts off for Transsexual Transylvania.
I’m not a big musical fan, but the numbers are pretty good. The plot doesn’t make a lick of sense, though. The whole thing is hella cheezy and I kind of think that’s the point – it’s a parody on 1950s sci-fi horror monster movies. It’s a totally different experience going and seeing a midnight show after drinking a bit. It certainly makes the movie more tolerable.
Oh, good grief.
Brad and Janet, two young students attending the wedding of classmates, become engaged after Brad declares his love for Janet (“Dammit, Janet”). They plan to share this news with their friend Dr. Everett Scott, in whose science class they met, but during a dark and rainy night’s journey, Brad’s car gets a flat tire. They remember passing a castle-like home a few miles back, where they hope to get out of the rain and borrow a phone (“There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place).”)
Brad and Janet arrive at the castle, but are disarmed and discomfited at the collection of oddly dressed and oddly behaving guests - as well as the castle servants Magenta and Riff-Raff - who all break into song (“Time Warp”). Brad makes an effort to remain friendly, but is interrupted the the arrival of the castle’s owner, Frank N Furter, a flamboyant man who musically proclaims that he’s a “Sweet Transvestite” from transsexual Transylvania.
Frank has been working on his greatest project - the creation of new life, a human being created from parts. The project is unveiled as a success, as the ultra-hunky Rocky emerges from the tank (“I Can Make You a Man”). The project’s celebration is cut short by the arrival of Eddie, a motorcycle-riding rocker rescued from deep-freeze storage, where he had apparently been placed there by Frank. (“Hot Patootie”). Eddie’s return is greeted with fury by Frank, who chases Eddie back into the freezer and hacks him to death.
Brad and Janet are persuaded to stay the night; they are assigned to seperate bedchambers and each is visited and seduced by Frank during the night. Janet, consumed with guilt at her betrayal of her fiance, accidentally activates a screen that shows her Brad and Frank in post-coital bliss. Even more distraught, she seeks comfirt in the arms of Rocky (“Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me”).
When Frank discovers the infidelity of his new creation, he’s furious. His fury is cut short by the arrival at the castle of Dr Scott. Frank icily insists that all join gim for dinner. It’s revealed that Dr Scott actually works for the government, and Frank believes Scott’s arrival has something to do with government surveillance, but Scott reveals he’s actually there because Eddie was his son. (“Eddie”). Frank then reveals that the “dinner” they’ve been eating is, in fact, Eddie. Repulsed, everyone runs, until they are corralled and turned into stone statues by a strange device operated by Frank. Frank positions and programs each statute to perform in a bizarre ‘floor show’ which culimnates in a pool orgy (“Rose Tint My World”).
The orgy is interrupted by Magenta and Riff-Raff, now dressed in other-worldly uniforms, who announce that Frank’s ‘mission’ has been deemed a failure, they have been placed in command, and Frank is now under arrest. Frank begs for a chance to explain himself. (“I’m Going Home”). Unmoved, Riff and Magenta advance on Frank, zapping him with ray-gun type weapons. Rocky roars with rage and carries Frank’s lifeless body away, finally succumbing to repeated ray gun blasts. Riff advises the Earthling that they should leave immediately, as the entire house is about to be transported back to the planet Transsexual.
Now, having read all that, I hope you see why it’s hard to summarize. Nor does that bare recital of events BEGIN to capture the experience of watching the show.
But - you asked.
Anaamika - Everything about this movie’s appeal hinges on the audience participation aspect. On its own, it’s a fun diversion maybe a couple of times. At the most.
Seriously, what’s not to understand? A clean-cut couple has a tire blow out and spends an incredibly bizarre night with a leather-clad alien mad scientist of indeterminate sexuality. Oh, and some stuff with a biker who had his brain taken out.
(Maybe you should rent the DVD like I did. Actually did a pretty good job of explaining things.)
Newspaper (Must be Cleveland Plain Dealer to be authentic)
Squirt guns
Toast
Rice
It’s been such a long time since I’ve been to a showing of RHPS, I can’t seem to recall what else one must have on one’s person to fully enjoy the experience.
For me, the movie is really enjoyable up until the stage-show scene where Brad, Janet, Dr Scott and Rocky are all in drag. At that point, I really start to lose interest.
Though the songs were good, it’s really a pretty bad film overall. It also was a flop when it first came out, until someone had the idea of doing midnight showings. People dressed up and the rest was history. But the film is really only watchable if you’re in a crowd that’s acting along with the action.
Coupla plot points clarified-
Eddie is Dr. Scott’s nephew, not son. I think Eddie was captured while delivering a pizza to the Castle & turned into FrankNFurter’s boy-toy, tho Columbia loved him.
Finally, Eddie was put on ice when FNF was done with him & decided to build Rocky.
Dr. Scott’s real name is VON Scott! gasp! One of those German scientists who came to work for the US Gov’t after WWII, like Dr. Strangelove, and his specialty is investigating the UFO Phenomenon. Both that & the search for Eddie led him to the Castle.
Also, IIRC, Frank used half of Eddie’s brain for Rocky, which helps to explain why neither of them is ot-nay oo-tay ight-bray. You can see the big stitched-up incision on Eddie’s head when he comes out of the deep freeze.
Bricker, is there anything you *don’t * know? Law, politics, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Thanks, everyone. Now I have doubly decided I won’t watch it but at least I know what happened!
I thought Columbia was a human. Just a groupie who came along for the ride more or less?
Also from what I read, in the proposed sequal which never got off the ground (but which songs where later recycled into “Shock Treatment”)
Rocky didn’t die, he was ‘invincible’ - that is how Frank created him. Rocky simply was knocked out by the Death Ray hitting him five or six times
Heck if you want great songs and absolutely nonsense storyline. Rent “Shock Treatment”. Patricia Quinn has stated in interviews that even to this day, she has zero idea what the movie was about (but the songs rocked).
The first part of the movie was great - it moved right along, the story was there, there were some laughs, great music, good visuals, nice editing, etc. But then it fell apart. The closing scenes were more a case of the movie ending rather than having an ending.