Review of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) by Matt M — 02 Nov 2013

From the mind of Richard O'Brien came perhaps the most eccentric rock and roll musical vision ever which burst onto the theatre scene first and then the cinema screens to become an unexpectedly huge success.

A happy innocent newlywed couple could not have ended in a whackier place. After their car breaks down, they get involved in a crazy jumbled plot involving transvestites, aliens, mad scientists and haunted castles filled with people who dream of returning to Transylvania.

An open homage to b-movies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show simply revolutionised the language of musicals both on stage and in the cinema by also drawing on the alternative flamboyant social cultures that had opened up and risen out of the seventies.

Sharman's film also has an immortal cult appeal that comes out of its right bizarre mix of distinctive sexual and visual appeal that has ensured it an evelasting success - the film has been running in cinemas ever since it was released and its screenings have become events.

But it's also the amazing soundtrack that features unforgettable numbers like the opening credits track 'Science Fiction Double Feature', 'Sweet Transvestite' and of course the Halloween party anthem 'Time Warp' that made this musical so successful.

To complete the picture, the cast turns in the right kind of fun performances, headed by a particularly iconic Tim Curry in the lead role of the transvestite Dr. Frankenfurter.