As a generally festive person, I love the holidays. I love doing the most to celebrate — decorations, festive attire, movie marathons, seasonal playlists. I do it all. And while Halloween is no exception, the movie marathon part has always been a bit difficult due to my fear of the frightful films. Although I rally through each season to watch classics like Halloween and Scream, I don’t quite enjoy them as much. That is until Rocky Horror came into my life.
Some of you might be asking yourself, “What is a Rocky Horror?” The simple answer to that question would be that it is a 1975 music horror comedy film about a young engaged couple that finds themselves in a chaotic castle filled with some very lunatic characters. It has references to horror archetypes, a soundtrack that is straight-up hypnotic, and a dream 70s pop-horror aesthetic. While thinking of it as the horror film made for musical theater nerds works, I believe that it is so much more than that.
To preface my passion for Rocky Horror, I want to take it back to the year 2010. The beloved millennial phenomenon Glee puts out their Halloween-ish special where the glee club performs The Rocky Horror Picture Show in a beautifully composed episode with an even better soundtrack companion. Before this episode, I had never heard a single song from the original film. But I soon became obsessed with the idea of the cult classic that Glee presented me.
I soon found the original film and was so captivated by it, I would add “Science Fiction/Double Feature” to every playlist at the time (which I honestly still do now). Each year my passion for this show grew and each year I learned so much about the culture surrounding it. Rocky Horror showings in theaters, for example, are filled with super fans who get dressed up, bring their own props, and react to the film as if they were in it themselves. It is a celebration of the weird and the wonderful, the embodiment of what Halloween if I’m being honest.
If you haven’t watched or experienced the cult classic that is Rocky Horror yet, there’s still time to catch a viewing in Boston before the season ends. And remember… don’t forget your spoons.
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