Why is ``The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', the original movie that was popularly screened, continued to be loved both now and in the future?

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2020.06.17Hiroaki Saito

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" synopsis

An ordinary young couple wanders into a spooky castle. The owner of the castle is Frank-n-Furter. A deranged science doctor from a transsexual planet (a planet without gender). At that time, inside the castle, the fruit of the doctor's love and dreams, the Android Rocky, is about to be born!

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Sticking to preserving the charm of the original stage play

In recent years, movie theaters in Japan have begun to adopt a participatory style, such as cheer screenings and screaming screenings, but the originator of this style is the 1975 The Rocky Horror Picture Show. right. They go to the theater in cosplay, yell at the characters on the screen, and play with the props they brought. And in the dance scene, they dance together.

This ``strange'' scene that changed the common sense of watching movies in theaters was recreated in 1980's `` Fame ,'' which gave a fresh shock to Japanese movie fans. This work, which has become a cult movie due to the combination of this hands-on experience, the work's wild pace, and the strong visuals of the main character, Dr. Frank Furter, is a perfect copy of one episode of the popular drama " Glee ". In `` The Wallflower '' (2012), there is a scene in which Ezra Miller glamorously plays the role of Frank and performs with the original footage in the background, so it has literally become ``legendary''.

"Glee" complete copy scene

Its origins lie in the stage play ``The The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'' It opened on June 19, 1973 at Theater Upstairs at the Royal Court Theater in London, and continued to be performed until 1980, gaining acclaim and expanding into larger capacity theaters.

Brad and Janet, an engaged young couple, get caught in a rainstorm and their car gets a flat tire. Frank Furter, a mad scientist who attempts an experiment on an android, arrives at an old castle, is welcomed by suspicious people, and a world of frenzy begins... This was a novel development at the time, and was wildly popular in London. A project to make it into a movie will soon begin.

20th Century Fox requested the casting of popular musicians for the film. Elvis Presley was also thought to be the first choice for the role of Eddie, and he himself expressed interest.

However, director Jim Sharman, who has been involved in directing the production since the stage version, is adamant about using many of the original cast members. Tim Curry as Frank Furter, Richard O'Brien as Riff Raff, who also wrote the lyrics, music, and screenplay, Patricia Quinn as Magenta, Nell Campbell as Columbia, will remain in the cast, as well as Susan Sarandon and the musician. The main cast, including Meat Loaf, were in the minority for the film.

Production costs were deliberately kept low to match the taste of the film, so the environment on set was not very good, and Susan Sarandon reportedly complained to studio executives.

The title of the movie version is ``The Rocky Horror Picture Show,'' with the word ``Picture'' intentionally inserted (in Japan, it remains ``The Rocky Horror Picture Show''). The film opened in the UK in August 1975, just two years after its stage debut. At first, movies were shown during the daytime like regular movies, but the theaters were empty. There is an anecdote that director Jim Sharman and Meat Loaf went to the theater for the opening performance during the opening week and there were no customers. However, in 1975, the stage version also made its way to Broadway. The movie gradually gained acclaim, and on April 1, 1976, midnight screenings began at the Waverly Theater in Greenwich Village, New York, and the film's ``legend'' was built.

An audience-integrated experience where you bring props, scream, and dance.

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