Rocky Horror felt like a particularly apt near-Halloween choice, particularly because I've (somehow) never seen it before 😬 Of course, I'm broadly aware of the concept: a parody/homage to Hammer House-style schlock horror with a musical twist that has gained a popularity that is at once cult status and also somehow transcendent of that label. I knew it had Tim Curry being generally incredible, and I think, if pushed, I'd have even associated the Time Warp with it.

However, I still wasn't adequately prepared for just how utterly unhinged the whole affair is. Everything from the sudden tonal shifts to the utterly bizarre musical numbers and, of course, the sudden appearance of Meatloaf, well, it's just a wild ride. To the show's credit, the music and songs are quite catchy and more than a little clever, whilst the core cast give impressively hammed-up performances that really helps sell the overall mood. On the other hand, the plot is so weird, with so many twists, that it definitely lost me at times. Meatloaf is a good example: he just bursts out of nowhere, sings a song, and is then brutally murdered. The song is great, the fight sequence is a huge amount of fun, and I got that Curry's character was jealous of him, but beyond that, it wasn't particularly clear. I definitely didn't realise this was the "missing" delivery boy that the old dude in the jacket was trying to find, nor did I get that he was the first of the resurrected monsters, but once I did understand the context (from reading Wikipedia after the fact) it actually helps fill in quite a bit of plot gaps 😅

As a result, I can definitely understand why people say the show gets better with each rewatch. If you know who everyone is and what the hell is going on, you can just get lost in the camp humour and catchy tunes, rather than just feeling a bit at sea. I feel like the ending would also work a lot better if you know how it's going to resolve, rather than just constantly trying to work out which of the film's various realities we're in this time.

Which is all to say, I really enjoyed Rocky Horror. It's a lot but the core concept is just ridiculous enough to work, and the cast and set design hold it together so well that it's easy to look past any rough edges and just have fun. Tim Curry is utterly brilliant throughout and I'm really not sure it would work anywhere near as well with anyone else in that role, so bravo to the casting department. On the other hand, I don't think I'm ever going to feel the same about Time Warp being played at small kids parties and school discos... 😂😲