I firmly believe ROCKY HORROR is one of those works of art that finds you when you need it most and when you least expect it. So bombastically unapologetic with itself that you know immediately whether or not you’re on its wavelength. It’s one of the first pieces of art I remember encountering with a voracious cult following, completely unafraid to display their love in the loudest ways possible. ROCKY HORROR transcends strict narrative plot, becoming more of an experience regardless of form. It leans much more heavily on being a feast for the senses, stripping away and dissecting all sense of comforting social norms, than getting from point A to point B. Above all, it’s a love letter both to the B-movie era of the ‘50s and ‘60s and to individual pursuits of pleasure. You get the sense with every watch that ROCKY HORROR was made with as much fun and heart as it is possible to put into a project, and with STRANGE JOURNEY we find that to be true.
STRANGE JOURNEY documents the creation of ROCKY HORROR in all its forms, from the riotously popular stage show (“The Rocky Horror Show”) that traveled countries and sometimes fluctuated casts, and ultimately revealed something vital to audiences everywhere, to the cult classic film we all know and love. Created by Richard O’Brien’s son Linus, the documentary allows us an opportunity to hear directly from Richard O’Brien, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, and more what a truly strange and wonderful journey it was to make one of film’s biggest cultural touchstones—from its humble beginnings as a stage play acted out in front of a white screen out of necessity to an annual pilgrimage event where fans dress up to act out the film in real time. Richard O’Brien and others give fans an inside look not just to the process of creating, but also to the meaning and vitality of this singular work.
Hearing the stories of scrappy stage setting and runaway opening nights are great fun, but perhaps the most important element of STRANGE JOURNEY is its open exploration of ROCKY HORROR’s relationship to unabashed self-expression. The documentary more or less opens with Linus and Richard O’Brien own gender identity and Richard’s complicated relationship to his identity as self-proclaimed “third gender”. That something like ROCKY HORROR is made by someone within the LGBTQIA+ community is perhaps no great surprise at all—the surprise lies more in the idea that it might have been entirely subconscious rather than purposeful. ROCKY HORROR is a vibrant exploration of identity and pleasure told through the pen of someone who, at the time, was still very much grappling with their own sense of self. The “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania” as an otherworldly displaced figure in a heteronormative, cis-forward world is as vital to Richard O’Brien as it is to us, outdated referential language or not.
At the beating core of both ROCKY HORROR and STRANGE JOURNEY is the relationship the film and play have to fans. It may have been a passion project for the creators, but there is no one more passionate about ROCKY HORROR in any of its forms than its fans. Every element of tradition we have to celebrate it now is all thanks to the devotion and creativity of those who showed up every week of its original runs. The communal experience going to see ROCKY HORROR is known for now began from the ground up from the desire for nothing more than sharing the sense of freedom almost singular to the experience. Humanity is always hungry for connection, and STRANGE JOURNEY spends much of its time highlighting the ways ROCKY HORROR not only grants audiences a sense of freedom particular to the ability to be someone else in order to be the ideal version of yourself, but also grants those who may under usual circumstances be too shy an opportunity to connect with those around them. To be a fan of ROCKY HORROR is to live the arc of it in your daily life. Watching Richard O’Brien be shown in real time how much the work means to fans is one of STRANGE JOURNEY’s most poignant elements.
One of my personal favorite elements of STRANGE JOURNEY is the discussion of fluctuating desires. Frank-N-Furter’s position as a Frankenstein insert positions all the other inhabitants of Castle Frank as either assistants or creations. Magenta (Patricia Quinn) and Riff Raff (Richard O’Brien) are the help, but Eddie (Meat Loaf), Rocky (Peter Hinwood) are Frank’s prior creations (Columbia (Little Nell), is referred to as a groupie). Within this film we see every kind of body shape and ability brought into the spotlight as potentially desirable and worthy of lust. Eddie and Rocky are direct opposites, visually. One is a burly, stocky, dark-haired motorcycle riding rocker; the other a thinner, more muscular, softer-spoken blonde man. Both were created by Frank-N-Furter, which necessitates that both were the epitome of desire at one time or another. It’s one of the subtler elements of an in-your-face film, presenting the idea that everyone is not only welcome but encouraged to embrace themselves to the fullest extent as something sexy and powerful.
STRANGE JOURNEY is vital, heartwarming viewing for any ROCKY HORROR fan, whether you’re looking for behind the scenes tales of its origins or inspiration for your next group watch party. As Frank so lovingly reminds us in the film’s crescendo, the best way to carry on the legacy built by O’Brien and company is to embrace it. And if this is your first exposure to the ROCKY HORROR phenomenon, I wish you well on your own new Strange Journey.
STRANGE JOURNEY is on VOD now.
Tags: Documentaries, Katelyn Nelson, LGBTQIA+ horror, Linus O'Brien, Magenta Light Studios, Meat Loaf, Nell Campbell, Now on VOD, Patricia Quinn, Richard O'Brien, Rocky Horror, Strange Journey, Susan Sarandon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
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