Tags
cult classic, Fad, glitter rock, Lou Adler, movie, musical, Rocky Horror, Rocky Horror Picture Show, stage
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1970s)
The Rocky
Horror Picture Show is one of the most consistent, or should that be recurring fads
for 35 years.
Rocky Horror started in 1973 as a British stage musical created by Richard O’Brien. At the time the “glitter rock” movement was in full swing. The popularity of the movement and the play led filmmaker Lou Adler to capitalize even more by bringing it to the big screen. He cast Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon as a nerdy couple abducted, then seduced by Dr. Frank N. Further. After Dr. Further is killed, they find out his castle was part of an alien invasion. By spoofing both horror and science fiction movies and throwing in the glitter rock theme, Adler anticipated a hit. By the time the film was completed, the glitter rock movement had waned in popularity.
To avoid a box office bomb, Adler put the film Rocky Horror Picture Show in limited release and only permitted midnight showings. Young moviegoers made midnight showings a popular trend and turned “Rocky Horror” into an instant cult classic. Over the ensuing weeks, these youngsters brought more and more friends back to the theater with them.