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By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
For those of us who love schlock movies, there is such a thing as “so bad, it’s good.” It’s not exactly critically acclaimed, but it’s a description best applied to films that are greater than the sum of their terrible parts. Sometimes, the acting, the plot, the special effects, and more are so terrible that together they form a kind of cinematic train wreck that is almost impossible to look away from. But if you’re willing to do your own Time Warp, there’s one “so bad it’s good” movie that’s secretly great: The Rocky Horror Picture Showa quirky comedy classic now streaming on Hulu.
The Original Original Musical
If you have never seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show (in theaters, on TV, or on streaming services like Hulu), here’s the odd little plot: we follow the travails of a newly engaged couple who get lost while driving in the rain, forcing them to see does a nearby castle have a phone they can use. There is no telephone but a whole cast of characters, including Dr. Self-professed Frank-N-Furter (“a sweet crossdresser from Transgender, Transylvania”) and his shirtless, hungry creation (the title Rocky). Their relationship is put to the ultimate test, one that includes sex, drugs, and a bit of Rocky-and-roll.
For those who have gone this long without seeing The Rocky Horror Picture Show (seriously, go click that Hulu link at the bottom of the article!), the biggest draw of this film is the cast, including Tim Curry in an unforgettably freaky performance as Frank-N-Furter. Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon play the miserable couple at the center of this tale, and their goofy chemistry effectively holds the film together. Along the way, you’ll even meet a surprise guest star in this one sci-fi musical comedy: Meat Loaf, who will apparently do anything for love or a paycheck.
On paper, The Rocky Horror Picture Show look like a bona fide financial success. Against a meager budget of $1.4 million, it went on to earn over $170 million, making it the kind of blockbuster comedy that Hulu is lucky to have in the streaming rotation. Originally, however, this film was a flop: it opened in eight cities and was soon expelled from theaters after being a success only in Los Angeles. After a year, however, a 20th Century Fox executive named Tim Deegan would convince distributors to start showing this as a midnight movie, a decision that made the film profitable even as it made Hollywood history in unexpected.
You see, these midnight shows drew pretty much the same fans every week, and after about five months, a new tradition began where audience members would talk back to the characters on the screen. This led to fans creating performance groups where they would dress up as the characters and act out the events even as the film played behind them. Now, The Rocky Horror Picture Show officially the longest-running film in history, continues to play in theaters and as part of fan performances even as it streams on Hulu.
Perfecting The Midnight Movie
The Rocky Horror Picture the show didn’t create the midnight movie experience, but it arguably perfected it. At this point, decades of extremely underrated fan performances and bad calls have kept this movie alive and well. And if you’ve ever enjoyed showing something sensational and sexy at your local theater after midnight, there you have it Rocky Horror to thank for that.
If you’re on the fence about streaming the film, you should know that critics favored this film far more than early audiences did. Ar Rotten tomatoesit has a critical rating of 80 percent, with critics generally praising the out-of-this-world story as well as the lively music and colorful characters. In terms of audiences, this film has a Popcornmeter score of 85 percent, proof that doing the Time Warp (again) continues to be hilarious fun for movie buffs of all ages.
Will you enjoy The Rocky Horror Picture Show as much as we did, or will you want to stream this movie away from Hulu and back to its home planet? You won’t know until you stream it. And if Tim Curry’s performance inspires you to order your own groovy set of fishnets, well… there’s no crime in giving yourself over to pleasure, now is there?
The Rocky Horror Picture Show available is Hulu.
