In order to start this piece off right, I actually need to go back 12 years. I was at my nana’s house flipping through the TV channels late at night. I was about 13 or 14 and I was prone to late night movies or Sci-fi (pre-Syfy) Twilight Zone marathons. But for some reason, Bravo of all channels was showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I spent the next 2 hours flipping back and forth on the TV because I felt like I was watching something not meant for me. And I suppose, at 13 or 14, I might have been, but it didn’t matter, I was hooked.
The next weekend I told my friends all about this crazy movie I had seen and immediately started my research. I discovered it’s origins, the actors, the music, and most importantly the midnight showings. Oh yeah, it was on. I was going to find a place to see this movie on the big screen. And I did.
Two years later, it was 2005 and I was a freshman at a small town, shit hole school in Northeast Ohio. I hated it, I didn’t have a lot of friends, and I was interested in things that got me detention like reading (OK so the book was called The Fuck Up but still…) and movie watching. Little did I know 10 minutes down the street, every other Saturday night at midnight The West theater showed Rocky Horror for $5.
From 2005 to 2007, my friends and I went to every show like it was a religion. It may as well have been for me. We became friends with the shadow cast, learned all lines, participated in initiations, stayed out at Waffel Houses until 4 am, and it was the best part of my life as a teenager. I would eventually read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it would be the next piece in my weird puzzle, but Rocky Horror takes first place.
Rocky Horror opened up a whole social world I couldn’t even imagine. People who loved the weird fringes of pop culture, people who lived far different lives than any of the rednecks I was surrounded by. RHPS introduced me to the LGBTQ community, it made me realize it was okay to be without religion, and it made me immerse myself even further into the horror and sci-fi world. It also forced me to see how terrible others can be to those who are different. I had many encounters with assholes yelling and screaming, threatening us as we waited outside because they couldn’t understand.
I really think The Rocky Horror Picture Show helped me become the person I am today, a person who is open to all walks of life. I know it fueled my quest to learn more about film in general too so it’s safe to say I may not be writing here without it. So happy birthday you gorgeous piece of cinema. Thank you.
