(Capture from “The Time Warp”).
Last friday, I went to see the LDOD shadowcast production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Plaza Theater. I’d seen this movie a few years ago, but that was back in pandemic times. I wanted to refresh my memory, and in browsing through the Plaza’s website I found my opportunity.
For the uninitiated (“Rocky Horror Virgins”), RHPC is a “midnight movie”––it was terribly panned at release in 1975, but quickly gained an extreme cult following (largely through midnight showings). The movie is an incredibly cheesy sci-fi comedy musical with intense Queer themes (quite the shock for 1975), including crossdressing, bisexuality, lots of gay sex, trans and gender non-conforming characters, and more. It was also made on a budget of just over a million dollars and was shot in less than a month.
Knowing details of the production in advance, I decided I’d try to pay attention to how the producers of RHPC scrimped with their costumes and production design; if Star Trek can put a horn on a dog and call it an alien, surely the good people of Rocky Horror can pull something off.
(The aforementioned cone dog.)
I was able to get in two observations before I mind fell into the time warp itself.
1. They definitely blew the entire budget getting Tim Curry to agree to do this movie. There is none left for anything else. Observe this laser effect. Also the “laser” is the head of an actual pitchfork.
2. These cheesy costumes and bad effects are somewhere in the realm of purposeful. Faced with a tiny budget and absurd production schedule, the filmmakers chose to lean-in to camp and cheese. These special effects are terrible––this is one frame, but as the camera shakes in the scene, the special effects stay static. They were clearly drawn on in a great rush. What’s stranger, though, is that it also doesn’t draw us out of the story. If you’re at all willing to believe in the absolutely absurd reality of this film, then an actor who forgot to smooth their contour or a group costume that is quite literally a pack of birthday hats won’t pull you out.
…
You know what will? Dozens of people in the theater shouting at the screen. And shooting water guns at each other. And acting out the movie. And being incessantly horny.
These shows are an absolute ton of fun. High art? Absolutely not. But a great blend of terrible cinema, live theater, and the power of fifty years of cult fandom? Absolutely.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show runs every Friday at 11pm at the Plaza Theater. Tickets are about $18. Go see it.
Also they have raffles and I won a set of the game Clue.
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