Patricia Quinn thought she knew everything there was to know about Rocky Horror fans.
The 81-year-old actor played the role of Magenta in the production The Rocky Horror Picture Show and in the 1975 film adaptation Rocky Horror Photo Show.
Story The story follows a naive couple who enter a nearby castle after their car breaks down during a storm. What follows is a mysterious night of chaos and seduction at the hands of mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
However, after years of meeting to promote the film, Quinn says she was unaware of the depth of the cult classic's fan base until she began touring the US and Canada in honor of the film's 50th anniversary.
“I thought I'd met every fan there was. I've been to a million Comic-Cons, over and over again. I didn't know anything until I started these tours,” she said.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show's 50th Anniversary Spectacular Tour stopped in Vancouver on October 1 and heads to Winnipeg, Toronto And Kitchener, Ontario.with Quinn later this month.
At each stop, Quinn said the reaction from fans was “incredible.”
“When I go on stage, people don't just applaud. They stand up and scream… If someone didn't have such an amazing response, I know I wouldn't be able to do it. That's what keeps me going.”
But what's so special about this wacky musical horror-comedy that has won generations of passionate and devoted fans? Quinn says her co-star Tim Curry, who originated the lead role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, gave the best performance at the film's recent screening in Los Angeles.
“Tim Curry's words were… it gives anyone permission to be bad. So whatever bad you choose, enjoy it.”
Chaotic, messy – and meaningful
Cameron Crookston, professor of cultural studies at the University of British Columbia, says: Rocky Horrorlife expectancy and generation span are “wild”.
“The fact that Rocky Horror …essentially playing constantly anywhere in the world for the last 50 years? I've never heard of anything like this, and it's only because people are hungry for it.”
Crookston said he has seen its impact on his students first-hand.
“Rocky Horror distributed in such a way that very few films from that decade [did]”,” he said. “When I tell my students a list like, 'Here are 10 '70s movies you'll love,' Rocky Horror“
He says part of the reason for the film's success is that over the past few decades it has become an important cultural touchstone for 2SLGBTQ+ people and has become a liability. Reminds me of the show CabaretThe film's aesthetic is campy and sexually liberated.
For example, Dr. Frank-N-Furter is shown wearing fishnets, a full face of makeup, and black underwear. And in the iconic dance number Time warp there is significant movement of the hip.
“I know a lot of drag artists, but also just weird people… especially people who are now, let's say, over 45 years old, who will talk about things like, 'Well, Rocky Horror was my entry point into weirdness.” And it’s amazing,” Crookston said.
At the same time, he suggests that the film has achieved such global popularity because it works on a variety of levels, from entertainment to social commentary.
“Everything about it is so chaotic and messy that I think it's easy to dismiss it as if it's just crazy fun, it doesn't mean anything. I think it means a lot.”
WATCH | “Time Warp” scene from The Rocky Horror Picture Show:
Crookston admits, however, that the film hasn't quite aged well.
For example, he points out that the film features prominently words such as “transvestite” and “transsexual,” which many consider outdated. He says this complicates the film's legacy for trans audiences, who find the language problematic and simplistic.
“This is not a manual for interacting with a gender diverse population. In the same way, if you study psychology, for example, you read Freud, but you also understand that this is not a modern text. Rocky Horror This is the Freud of weirdness.”
“It’s definitely overstimulating.”
For half a century, Rocky Horror Photo Show redefined what a “cult classic” could be.
The film is famous for its fan base – to the point that the fandom has its own Wikipedia page.
Fandom traditions include showing up at screenings in costume, shouting jokes, and using eccentric props such as newspapers, bubbles, and noisemakers throughout the film. Some screenings even feature a shadow or a group of live performers acting out the story on the big screen.
Shelita Cox, a drag queen from Victoria, has performed in several productions Rocky Horror. She says watching the film live is a theatrical experience unlike any other.
“It’s beautiful, it’s a chosen family, but it’s definitely overstimulating.”
Cox said the film's message of radical acceptance resonated with her since she first saw it, which was around the same time she was welcomed into the queer community.
“The straight couple is weird in that way, and it's kind of beautiful – that you have so many people who were in their body and knew who they were and were comfortable with who they were, even though they were aliens and power hungry and everything.”
Cox said the film is a joy to watch again and again, with or without a rowdy live audience.
The film, based on the successful musical, flopped in 1975. Ten years later, midnight screenings are filled with audiences who dress up in costumes and take part in the performance. Aired on CBC's The Journal on November 11, 1985.
“There are so many different facets and nuances to this story. And I feel like every time I watch it, you get something new.”
As a performer, however, Cox says she feeds off the passionate energy the audience brings. Rocky Horrorfrom the jokes people shout to the interactions of the props during the show.
“There are so many different things that affect how the audience may interact with you at any given show, but Rocky Horror it's almost always a good time.”
