“There is a place for everything and everything in its place” is a well-known aphorism that our mothers, fathers, teachers, etc have perhaps often quoted. At the essence of this quote is a nod to the need for humans to categorize and label everything. If something does not fit neatly into a preconceived little box, then there is a need for creating a new box. Moving away from the material and into texts and films our “boxes” are given the name genre. Genres have been created in order to categorize and identify texts. But what do we do when a text doesn’t neatly fit into a box? Why, we create another!
Leaving the abstract boxes, let’s focus in on film, and refocus and zoom one more time, and there, let’s focus on a film that goes beyond genre. A film that is a mix of genres, and is so bizarrely fantastic that you have to watch it over and over and over again. A film that has been playing in movie theaters for the past forty years. A film about a sweet transvestite from transsexual, Transylvania: Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS). RHPS is undoubtedly a highly regarded cult classic. RHPS is a unique cult classic because it goes beyond what a typical cult classic does, through nuancing audience interaction to audience participation. RHPS solidifies the importance of audience and culture in the formation and proliferation of a genre. Through engaging with the topic of genres, I want to discuss how the cult classic genre is created. Within this discussion, I want to discuss how a film evolves into a “cult classic”.
RHPS made its debut first on the London stage, then after mediocre success, the story made it’s way across the sea and to the States. Now produced and viewed as a film, the reviews and popularity were again mediocre, at best. Since RHPS had little ticketfare, it was straight to the midnight screen. The film about a nice couple, Brad and Janet, who take their newly engaged selves on the road to celebrate their romantic status, are thrown into a life changing experience. While out to meet their former professor they get a flat tire and stumble onto the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter during a rainstorm. Taking refuge in the castle, they’re present for the doctor’s unveiling of his newest creation, Rocky. Over the course of the night Frank seduces both Brad and Janet; Janet and Rocky have sex; Dr. Scott shows up looking for Eddie, his recently murdered son; and then things get a bit messy. Frank is discovered to be an alien with a dangerous device. At the end, Frank and Rocky are killed in an attempt to retrieve this device, and Brad and Janet are left to somehow subsume their normal life.
In 1976 this strange story and film opened at the Waverly Theater, a leading midnight movie venue in New York’s Greenwich Village, and the film slowly lost its mediocre status. Midnight screenings of the film soon became a national sensation, accumulating a large fanbase. The concept of midnight movies is that each Friday and Saturday night the same movies would be played at midnight. As a result the audience of the midnight movies was seeing the same movies over and over again. The viewing of these films became ritualistic, and every Friday and Saturday night, the audience would prepare for the viewing of their midnight movie.
KJ Doughton in “The New Dawn of the Midnight Movie” states that RHPS is the “undisputed catalyst that pushed midnight movies from oddball obscurity into a household term” (Doughton 52). In order to be able to unpack Doughton’s thought we first have to know what a midnight movie was and how RHPS made this change. Midnight movies are exactly what they sound like, movies shown at midnight. The Oxford English Dictionary defines midnight movie as “a film, usually regarded as of low quality, shown or broadcast late at night”. Typically, these films weren’t the big budget, or definite box office hits. Midnight movies were considered “B” movies. It’s really interesting that RHPS did not pick up it’s following until it was a midnight movie. The reason was, midnight movies had a reputation for being offbeat and anyone that was up watching movies at midnight, during the 1950s-70s was probably also a bit offbeat themselves. In their book Midnight Movies Hoberman and Rosenbaum state that the success of a midnight movie has to do with its “transgressing particular taboos” and “articulating a potent new fantasy” (19).Many of midnight movies tend to offer a social metaphor. RHPS does this as well, and it summarizes and reflects the youth ideology and aesthetic of the 1960-1970s. Now, circling back to Doughton, RHPS moves from “oddball obscurity” and into a household name because it extends itself past the odd midnight movie and into the cult classic status. RHPS is able to make this leap because of the social and cultural implications as well as the audience interaction.
As certain midnight movies began to gain popularity and there was an increase in “regulars”, so the attendance at a midnight movie evolved into a social experience. The audience became members in attendance of a sacred event. As Rosenbaum states the “devoted attendance at late- night screenings has too much in common with religious ceremony-repeated weekly observances, a congregation of believers, group responses, and sacred images-to avoid the obvious metaphor.” The midnight movie experience is similar and mirrors religious events such as a Catholic mass or Sunday school. Like these religious events, the midnight movie audience becomes a community of like minded individuals. These individuals gather on a weekly basis in order to celebrate and partake of the thing they loved.
The popular midnight movie was then easily able to slide into a “cult” classic generic term because of the cult like characteristics that happen during midnight viewings. Before discussing a cult film, it’s helpful to have a description of what cults do, and the semiotic relationship between a cult and a cult film. Again, bringing in the Oxford English Dictionary is helpful. The OED defines cults as 1. The action or an act of paying reverential homage to a divine being; religious worship. 2. A relatively small group of people having (esp. religious) beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister, or as exercising excessive control over members. 3. In extended use: a collective obsession with or intense admiration for a particular person, thing, or idea. In summation, cults consist of a group of people with specialized beliefs and practices, and this group of people perform rituals. As seen from the OED definitions, a cult members’ fanatical and exclusive attachments to such rituals and objects inspire them to view their membership as a part of a grand group. Not all fans or even superfans of movies are “cult”. Cult film audiences enact ritualistic duties, attending the screening of their film, and are readily involved in a community of others who hold the same fervor and admiration for the particular film.
Midnight movies were situated and played in order to create a cult following. The ritual and camaraderie among the audience/viewers was key to making a culturally subversive film. Now that a brief overview of what a midnight movie is, By establishing a genre and discussing some of the important characteristics of a cult film, I want to discuss how RHPS draws the audience into a cult.
Creating a new genre is slow but sure. Once the new genre is in place those particular films will easily be identified within the new genre. There are a two key elements in establishing a new genre, those elements are: culture and audience. Movies have to be watched, they have to be talked about, they have to be popularized, otherwise there would be no need in any discourse about film. With no viewers, then there is no purpose or care in how something is labelled. The second key to a genre would culture. A mass amount of people is necessary for a genre to take place, because the mass audience collectively places a film in a genre. There must be a cultural agreement on what genre to place a film in, otherwise everyone would have a list of their own and there would be no way for us all to coherently converse. As Richard Altman explains in Film/Genre, genres are created when a there is a large number of texts produced that are broadly distributed and homogenously received. The audience is able to recognize patterns through semantic and syntactic elements. The syntactic being the plot structure and semantic being concerned with “common topics, shared plots, key scenes, character types familiar objects or recognizable shots…syntactic aspects as plot structure, character relationships or image and sound montage” (Altman 89). Altman’s theory on genre, is helpful when we turn to how to describe the cult classic as a separate genre. The syntactic elements are similar, this is the typical people in an atypical setting and come out victorious (of sorts). However, semantically, cult classics don’t use the same images, but they are similar semantically in their audience involvement.
Continuing to flesh this idea out, Kinkade Katovitch provides helpful discussion,
Cult films are secular documents, celebrated as sacred texts by audiences and used as
shared foci to collectively create rituals and belief systems. They differ from popular re-
releases, fad films, films with cult qualities, and critical cult films in that they involve
typical people in atypical situations, sympathetic deviance, challenges to traditional
authority, reflections of societal strains, and paradoxical and interpretable resolutions. As Katovitch points out, cult films are very different from fad films or popular films. A cult film creates a system of beliefs and a community of believers. Katovitch points out a few of the generic characteristics of a cult film. There are three generic characteristics that I want to focus on and will be helpful in discussing how RHPS moves into its new genre: a cult film. The first characteristics is that cult films are about people being thrown into bizarre situations, second a reflection of the culture, and last would be the audience’s sympathy and attraction to the deviant.
Now that an understanding of a midnight movie, cult film, and the generic characteristics of each it’s time to now move into the linchpin of cult films and he popularity and longevity of RHPS. In every way possible, the audience is crucial and of utmost importance to the film. In many ways this film is for moviegoers and movie lovers. First it’s a musical, and the songs have some of the most delectable quotes such as during the unveiling of Rocky, Frank sings, “Such dynamic tension I don’t understand/in just seven days/I can make you a man”. Then later Janet sings with a new found sexual appetite, “Toucha-toucha-toucha- touch me, I want to be dirty, thrill me chill me fulfil me, creature of the night” and so many more. Additionally, although the film has been out for over forty years the music of the film is still readily available, and comes in different mediums. Personally, I’m happy to say I own the soundtrack on mp3 and vinyl. The music and lyrics is one pivotal way in which the audience is able to involve themselves in the film. Connecting back with the cult characteristics, it’s an interesting thought that most religious events have a time of singing and reflecting. RHPS readily gives the audience the hymnbook to sing along. Further, the song and dance “Time Warp” gives the directions to the dance, this too makes the ritual actions easier to follow.
As stated before RHPS has been showing in theaters for the past forty years. It is constantly being played in theaters and on the small screen. Not only has the film been playing for almost half a century but it is necessary to lay out what happens during a screening. A RHPS virgin may be caught off guard and a little overwhelmed when he learns what happens during a showing of RHPS. A few of undertakings include talking and yelling at the characters on screen. The audience is expected to yell at the characters, not to give away all the secrets, but yelling “asshole” at Brad and “slut” at Janet is a normal and expected thing to do. Another expectation: bring some props. On item on the prop list is rice, this is for throwing during the wedding scene. Another optional, and suggested, expectation is wear a costume, preferably dress like a character in the film. A quick example can be observed in the picture above.
The RHPS audience is usually divided into three categories, the first are the die hard veterans. These are the full participants, the people who have seen the film over and over and over again, and can quickly and happily reenact any scene throughout the film. The regulars are the evangelists of the group, and are usually the ones bringing in first-time viewers. The second category would be the occasional viewer. This person is able to participate in the rituals, but hasn’t fully imparted and attached the film to their daily life. The film is a source of entertainment, not an obsession. The third category would be the dabbler. This person is observant, and enjoys and appreciates the film. However there is little attachment to the communal experience, and the individual will probably not go beyond just observing.
During a show the regulars of RHPS, are all decked out in costumes and ready to fling and scream at the production. This flinging and screaming enforces the ritual and communal aspects of the cult film. The audience is brought together through many levels. First there being a rite of passage for newbies, or “virgins”, then the community that is built through the involvement with the film only reinforces this bond amongst the viewers.
The audience involvement is key to understanding how RHPS moved from a “B” midnight movie and into the cult classic. The film time and time again invites the audience to involve themselves. As seen from the picture to the left, there is an abundance of sources, easily found on the RHPS fan website, that will help make any virgin feel comfortable and ready for their first time.
Semantically a film about a couple from Denton, Ohio who stumble upon an alien transvestite doesn’t seem to generically fit anywhere. However, on closer inspection the story of a “normal” person thrown in a strange situation, and then has to learn how to cope with the strangeness of this new situation, all begins to sound much more familiar. Additionally, the semantic elements of the film, or the images and small soundbytes aren’t reproducing or reflecting a group of films, but the semantic elements are reflections of the culture at large.
A second syntactic characteristic of the cult classic would be the audience’s identification with a subversive character. Cult films’ leading characters are social outsiders. They are typically identified as an “Other”. The character is exaggeratingly made different from the rest of the cast and audience, and is stigmatized as out of place. In RHPS this character is Dr. Frank. There is much about Frank that makes him very different from the rest of the cast, he is aggressive, violent, explicitly sexual, and all while wearing a corset and fishnets. A final aspect of Frank which alienates him from the cast and audience is that he is actually an alien. In spite of these elements, the audience still has a favorable view of Frank, in fact they are empathetic towards him and may even identify with him. As the deviant with whom the audience identifies, Frankenfurter also boldly asserts himself as presiding over sexual episodes that invert traditional American values with deviant sexual dress, appearance, and preference. Frank appeals to qualities that mainstream conservative culture disdains. Remember, who was originally seeing the midnight movie… the socially othered and “offbeat” individual. This individual was able to identify with Frank because Frank also didn’t fit in with his societal norm. Instead of crushing beneath it, Frank rose above and established himself as a leading man. As is seen in the picture to the left, Dr. Frankenfurter, though dressed in a garter belt and corset, exudes the punk look of 1960-70s teenagers, down to the cigarette and tattoo.
Generically, Frank is the cult leader of this cult classic. The deviant individual draws in those culturally othered and provides a place for them. Following the lead of the doctor, the audience not only sees a reflection of himself, but also being in which to exude. One of the ways would be the sexually explicity and hedonistic ways of Frank. For instance, when Brad and Janet have come in from the storm, Frank greets them:
Frank: Enchanté. Well! How nice. And what charming underclothes you both have. But here. Put these on. They’ll make you feel less… vulnerable. It’s not often we receive visitors here, let alone offer them… hospitality.
Brad: Hospitality? All we wanted to do was to use your telephone, goddammit, a reasonable request which you’ve chosen to ignore!
Janet: Brad, don’t be ungrateful.
Brad: Ungrateful!
Frank: How forceful you are, Brad. Such a perfect specimen of manhood. So… dominant.
Ignoring the conservative mainstream and going straight for the pleasure principal, Frank’s character makes no attempt to be anything he is not. Which is a lover of all.
As I conclude, I want to return to the generic importance of culture. RHPS does much to situate itself in its culture through music, sex, dress, etc. But another way in which RHPS not only situates itself in culture, but also opens up the audience’s interaction would be the references of movies. Like I stated before, this film is very much a movie for movie lovers. There is a ridiculous amount of pop cultural references. A few including: Charles Atlas, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Frankenstein (novel and ), Dr X, King Kong, The Invisible Man, Flash Gordon, It Came From Outer Space, Jaws, and so many others. Many of these films are mentioned in the first song “Science Fiction Double Feature”, immediately the film sets the mood up for a participatory experience.
Within this block there are almost ten references, we almost one reference per line. By acknowledging the overflow of pop culture references, the film shows that it is very aware of the audience and wants the audience to participate and become a part of the RHPS phenomena. This referencing of other films situates the audience in a state of reflection and nostalgia. RHPS begins by bringing up memories from other films, and situates itself in a way that encourages devotion towards films.
RHPS is very much about the right place, right time, right script, and right amount of cultural subversion. RHPS is a unique cult classic because it goes beyond what other films do. RHPS was a film that crossed over many genres and found its home in the cult classics. RHPS creates a community of individuals who enact in ritualistic customs and rites, thus forming a cult gathering. Uniquely, RHPS anchors the tropes of its genre so artfully that it has still not lost its popularity or relevance. In summation RHPS reminds us that the most important element and the crux of a cult classic is not just audience reception, but is audience involvement. RHPS is a helpful tool in the discussion of cult classic as a genre as it reveals the moves that a film makes when becoming a cult classic. RHPS has been shown in theaters for the past forty years, here’s to next forty years of doing the Time Warp.
Sources:
Doherty, Tom. Film Quarterly 37.1 (1983): 54–55. Web.
Hoberman, J., and Jonathan Rosenbaum. “Curse of the Cult People”. Film Comment 27.1 (1991):
18–21. Web
Patrick T. Kinkade, and Michael A. Katovich. “Toward a Sociology of Cult Films: Reading
“rocky Horror””. The Sociological Quarterly 33.2 (1992): 191–209. Web.
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The Official Fan Site!” The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The
Official Fan Site! Web.
Tinkcom, M..”The Rocky Horror Picture Show (review).” Science Fiction Film and
Television 2.2 (2009): 311-314. Project MUSE. Web.
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