Welcome back to Spooktober, dear readers! Day 29’s movie is…
Title: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Directed By: Jim Sharman
Release Date: June 23, 2015
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+, and Apple TV
Synopsis: Sweethearts Brad and Janet get stuck with a flat tire during a storm and discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite scientist. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker (Meat Loaf) and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named "Rocky."
Non-spoiler thoughts: I am always shocked when I meet someone who has never watched this. I have seen it performed (10/10 recommend, so fun) before watching the actual film. It is kooky, fast-paced, and full of spooky fun.
WARNING: The following summary contains SPOILERS.
You have been warned…
Please note: Titles in parenthesis are the music numbers during the described scenes.
The film opens with floating disembodied lips, inviting the audience to a science fiction double feature. A future criminologist narrates and comments on the unfolding events throughout the story.
After attending a wedding, naive young couple Brad Majors and Janet Weiss get engaged and decide to celebrate with their high school science teacher, Dr. Scott, who taught them in the class where they first met ("Dammit Janet"). On a dark, rainy night, they get a flat tire en route to Scott’s house. Looking for help, they stumble upon a nearby castle ("Over at the Frankenstein Place") where an unusual party is underway. They are welcomed by the eccentric inhabitants, including the butler Riff Raff, the maid Magenta, and a groupie named Columbia, who perform the energetic "Time Warp."
Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a flamboyant transvestite mad scientist, introduces himself and invites Brad and Janet to stay for the night ("Sweet Transvestite"). With Riff Raff’s assistance, Frank brings to life a stunningly handsome, muscular man named Rocky ("The Sword of Damocles"). As Frank promises to transform Rocky into the ideal man within a week ("I Can Make You a Man"), a head-bandaged motorcyclist named Eddie bursts from a deep freeze. Frank, claiming it to be a "mercy killing," brutally slays Eddie with an ice axe. Frank and Rocky then retreat to the bridal suite ("I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)").
Brad and Janet are assigned separate bedrooms, where each is seduced by Frank. Meanwhile, Riff Raff and Magenta torment Rocky, who eventually escapes. Janet, upon discovering Brad’s betrayal, finds Rocky hiding in his birth tank. As she cares for his wounds, she seduces him under the watchful eyes of Magenta and Columbia ("Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me").
Dr. Scott, now a government investigator of UFOs, arrives at the castle searching for his nephew Eddie, who hinted in a letter that aliens had removed part of his brain. The situation escalates when everyone finds Janet and Rocky together, infuriating Frank. Magenta then calls everyone to a dinner that takes a horrifying turn when they realize the meal is made from Eddie's remains ("Eddie"). In the ensuing chaos, Janet runs to Rocky, provoking a jealous Frank to chase her through the castle to his lab. There, he uses his Medusa Transducer to turn Dr. Scott, Brad, Janet, Rocky, and Columbia into nude statues ("Planet Schmanet Janet/Wise Up Janet Weiss"/"Planet Hotdog").
After dressing the statues in cabaret costumes, Frank "unfreezes" them and leads a vibrant cabaret show, complete with an RKO tower and swimming pool ("Rose Tint My World"/"Don't Dream It, Be It"/"Wild and Untamed Thing"). The party is interrupted when Riff Raff and Magenta declare mutiny, intent on returning to their home planet of Transsexual, Transylvania. Frank makes a desperate plea ("I'm Going Home"), but it falls on deaf ears as Riff Raff kills him and Columbia with a laser. Enraged, Rocky climbs the tower with Frank's lifeless body, but after being shot, he falls to his death.
The castle then launches into space, leaving Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott crawling in the dirt. The criminologist concludes with a somber reflection on humanity's plight: "lost in time, and lost in space... and meaning" ("Super Heroes").
