Editorials
Celebrating ‘The Rocky Horror Show’s’ Anniversary!
Before the hit film starring Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry created a massive cult following in America, Richard O’Brien, an out of work actor in London, England, kept his hands busy by writing a rock musical. It was only supposed to be a way to pass the time, but after O’Brien played some of the songs he had written for his theater friend Jim Sharman, the two began to work on the play, it took on a life of its own, and that life strapped on platform heels and stomped its way across London’s stages. Starting at Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs,”They Came From Denton High”, changed at the last minute to “The Rocky Horror Show”, went on to become the longest running stage production in history. On March 24th, 1974, the States were rocked by O’Brien and Sharman’s sexy, hysterical rock n roll party, as The Rocky Horror Show made its U.S. premiere at the Roxy on Sunset Blvd, and in 1975, the world was lucky enough to receive a feature film adaptation. The story, originally titled “Rocky Horroar”, that Richard O’Brien unleashed unto the world in 1973, may just seem like a simple spoof on the fun, delightfully strange nature of horror and sci-fi B-movies of the 1940s, but behind the charade of fishnets and nods to classic Universal monsters lies a greater motivation: the freedom of self-expression. In honor of the anniversary of America’s introduction to this fabulous play, let’s take a look back at the legacy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Without a doubt, this musical is easily one of the most odd, other-wordly, hysterical tales ever put on film. Nods to films like Frankenstein, It Came From Outer Space, Forbidden Planet, The Mummy, Night of the Demon, King Kong, and more are scattered throughout the feature like shimmering bits of confetti in a floor show. When Brad and Janet’s car gets a flat tire and they are forced to walk through the rain seeking assistance, they spot a beacon of hope off in the distance. A tiny glow emitted from a gloomy castle seems like the answer to their prayers, but soon, they will find that it’s only the start of a frightening introduction into a dark world that squares like them have never dared venture. They begin to sing “There’s A Light (Over At the Frankenstein Place)”, a sweet song that shows just how naive they really are, and provides a hilarious spoof on the situation that has happened so many times in horror movies, when a young couple looks for help on a dark night and winds up walking right into the arms of their assassins. Later, one of the not-quite-human creatures in the castle brings a man in his laboratory, Rocky, to life. Little does Rocky know, he’s only been awoken from his deep slumber to play the part of a sex toy in Frank-N-Furter’s life, but he soon catches on, and takes off running, much to Rocky’s dismay as he chases Rocky around the lab screaming and stumbling in his six inch heels. This hilarious moment obviously parallels 1931’s Frankenstein, and offers up an amusing notion that perhaps Dr. Frankenstein only made his monster for pleasurable personal uses. To make it even funnier, O’Brien throws in homages to Charles Atlas and muscle men of the 1950s, making it clear that Frank-N-Furter’s type of man is one that can lift a barbell with ease. Of course, this film is as much a love letter to horror and sci-fi B-movies of the 1930, ’40s, and ’50s as it is poking fun at them. When O’Brien originally wrote the script, he simply included his interests, and threw in his wickedly splendid sense of humor for taste. However, whether intentional or not, in the end what he cooked up was an unprecedented, brilliant blending of genres that was ahead of its time, both for film and for society’s approved ideas of sexuality.
As said before, Frank-N-Furter brings Rocky to life in his laboratory in front of Brad, Janet, and all of the transexual transvestites from Transylvania. However, what makes this scene both ironic and a strong commentary on homosexuality and the perception of sexual orientation during the 1970s is the design of the set. The lab is a bright pink, round vessel, filled with a plethora of penis handles and levers, where a transvestite metaphorically gives birth to a man in a rainbow-colored tank, from whence he emerges, shows off his muscles, and proceeds to enter the bedroom with his new sire. Also, if you look at the attire, aside from Brad and Janet’s lack of clothing, Frank-N-Furter dons a green surgical apron with a pink triangle on it. During World War II, German Nazis identified homosexuals in their concentration camps by forcing them to wear a pink triangle, pointed downward. Later, gay men reclaimed this badge and made it their own by pointing it upward, as a symbol of gay pride. In the film, Frank can be seen sporting the pink triangle on his apron, pointing up. Also, to add to this theory, later when Doctor Scott enters the castle, Frank-N-Furter reveals not only a hatred for the man, but a secret that Scott is actually a German. Why would Frank have such an issue with Germans? Perhaps it’s because they were the ones that oppressed his people in such a cruel fashion many years prior. However, at the end of the day, I’d still argue that this film isn’t necessarily one big pro-gay film, but just a picture that urges people to accept themselves for who they are, and give others the same courtesy. Rocky Horror plays with sexuality, tests the limits of your tolerance, and doesn’t care much for being politically correct. Yes, it’s a silly film, but in the way that it deals with such out of the mainstream sexuality with such light heartedness, it says that it’s okay to have sexual preferences that might not be heterosexual. You should be who you want to be, sleep with whoever you desire, and never feel ashamed, because the only person who could be at fault in such a scenario is the person that tries to shame you.
Rocky Horror shoves you out of your comfort zone and forces you to explore yourself, and your sexuality, through shocking, provocative behavior that plays with your emotions and toys with your sense of normality. Do you find that you’re attracted to Frank? It’s okay! Believe it or not, lots of people are, as O’Brien admits in an interview years later. If you are surprised by how open you are to the unusual nature of this film, that just means that the feature is doing its job, because this isn’t a movie that you sit back and quietly observe. This is a film that reaches out and touch-a-touch-a-touch-a-touches you, and makes you question the limits of your morality, and forces you to expand your vision of the world, leaving you with a more open perspective, and a more light-hearted, honest acceptance of others. The Rocky Horror Picture Show lives on all these years later, both on stage and on film, sometimes combining both with midnight screenings and yelling, interactive audiences, because it’s wild, and fun, and welcoming. Rocky reaches out to the loner in you and offers you a crowd of misfit toys to hang with, especially at the midnight screenings, which offer a sense of community. As the years go by, the cult following only grows stronger, because back in 1973, Richard O’Brien wrote a revolutionary little story that unabashedly declares “I am” — a message that still holds an important place in society, even all of these years later.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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