Patricia Quinn thought she knew everything there was to know about Rocky Horror fans.
The 81-year-old actor originated the role of Magenta in the stage production of The Rocky Horror Show and in the 1975 film adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The story follows a naive couple who enter a nearby castle after their car breaks down during a storm. What follows is a mystifying night of chaos and seduction at the hands of the mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
After years of doing meet-and-greets in support of the film, however, Quinn says she knew nothing about the depth of the cult classic’s following until she started touring across the U.S. and Canada for its 50th anniversary.
“I thought I’d met every fan there is to meet. I’ve done a million Comic Cons, on and on and on. I knew nothing till I started these tours,” she said.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular tour stopped in Vancouver on Oct. 1, and is making its way to Winnipeg, Toronto and Kitchener, Ont., with Quinn later this month.
At each stop, Quinn says the fan response has been “beyond belief.”
“When I come on the stage, people don’t just clap. They stand up and scream…. If one didn’t have that amazing response, I know I couldn’t do it. That’s what keeps me going.”
But what is it about this eccentric musical horror comedy that has earned generations of fervent, loyal fans? Quinn says her castmate Tim Curry, who originated the leading role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, put it best at a recent screening of the film in L.A.
“Tim Curry’s words were … it gives anyone permission to behave badly. So whatever your choice of badly is, enjoy it.”
Chaotic, messy — and meaningful
Cameron Crookston, a cultural studies lecturer at the University of British Columbia, says Rocky Horror’s longevity and reach across generations are “wild.”
“The fact that Rocky Horror … is kind of basically continuously playing somewhere in the world for the last 50 years? I’ve never heard of anything like that, and that is only because people have a hunger for it.”
Crookston said he’s seen its impact first-hand with his students.
“Rocky Horror circulates in a way that very few movies from that decade [did],” he said. “When I tell my students a list, like, ‘Here’s 10 movies from the ‘70s you would totally love,’ everyone’s seen Rocky Horror.”
He says that part of the reason for the film’s success is that it became an important cultural touchstone for 2SLGBTQ+ people and drag over the last few decades. Reminiscent of the show Cabaret, the esthetic of the film is campy and sexually uninhibited.
For instance, Dr. Frank-N-Furter is introduced wearing fishnets, a full face of makeup and black lingerie. And in the iconic dance number Time Warp, there is a significant amount of hip-thrusting.
“I know a lot of drag artists, but also just queer people … especially people who are, say, older than 45 now, who will talk about the fact that like, ‘Well, Rocky Horror was my point of entry into queerness.’ And that’s amazing,” said Crookston.
At the same time, he speculates that the film has had such global popularity because it works on many different levels, from entertainment to social commentary.
“Everything about it is so chaotic and messy that I think it’s easy to dismiss it as like it’s just crazy fun, it doesn’t mean anything. I think it means a ton.”
WATCH | The Time Warp scene from The Rocky Horror Picture Show:
Crookston acknowledges that the movie has not aged perfectly, however.
For example, he points to the way words like “transvestite” and “transsexual,” which are widely considered outmoded, are prominently spotlighted in the film. He says this complicates the legacy of the film for trans audiences, who see the language as problematic and reductive.
“This is not a how-to on engaging with gender-diverse populations. In the same way if you’re studying psychology, like, you read Freud, but you also understand this is not a contemporary text. Rocky Horror is the Freud of queerness.”
‘It’s definitely over-stimulating’
For half a century, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has redefined what a “cult classic” could be.
The film is famous for its following — to the point that the fandom has its own Wikipedia page.
The fandom’s traditions include showing up to a screening in costume, yelling out jokes and using eccentric props like newspapers, bubbles and noisemakers throughout the movie. Some screenings even feature a shadow cast, or a group of live performers that act out the story alongside the big screen.
Shelita Cox, a drag queen based in Victoria, has performed in multiple stagings of Rocky Horror. She says going to see it live is a theatrical experience unlike any other.
“It’s beautiful, it’s chosen family, but it’s definitely over-stimulating.”
Cox said the film’s message of radical acceptance has resonated with her in a big way ever since she watched it for the first time, which was around the same time she was being welcomed into the queer community.
“The straight couple is, like, the odd ones out in it, and that’s kind of beautiful — that you have just so many people who were in their body and knew who they are and comfortable who they are despite being aliens and power hungry and everything else.”
Cox said it’s a film that is rewarding to watch over and over again, with or without a rowdy live audience.
The movie based on a successful stage musical bombed in 1975. Ten years later, midnight screenings fill up with an audience that dresses up in costumes and participates in the spectacle. Aired on CBC’s The Journal on Nov. 11, 1985.
“There’s so many different facets and nuances to the story. And I feel like every time I’ve watched it, you get something different.”
As a performer, however, Cox said she feeds off the passionate energy audiences bring to Rocky Horror, from the jokes people call out to the prop interactions during the show.
“There’s so many different things that influence how an audience can interact with you at any given show, but at Rocky Horror it’s almost always a good time.”
