Dammit, Janet, The Rocky Horror Picture Show will soon be streaming on Hulu, just in time for the spooky season. The pop-culture phenomenon is one of the most popular musical movies of all-time, and is based on the insanely successful stage musical which frequently tours the world, along with its extremely dedicated fan base. Packed with countless quotable lines, and some of the catchiest songs ever put on screen (prepare to have the “Time Warp” stuck in your head for weeks), the film is returning to streaming to enjoy thousands more re-watches.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is joining Hulu’s line-up of October movies, releasing on October 1. First released in 1975, Rocky Horror is one of the most influential musicals of all-time, and introduced millions to one of Tim Curry‘s most iconic characters, Frank-N-Furter. After their car breaks down in an isolated forest, Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and “Dammit” Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) knock on the door of a local mansion asking to borrow their phone and call for help. After being welcomed inside, Brad and Janet find themselves at the mercy of the humanoid alien residents.
What sounds like the set-up for a run-of-the-mill horror movie, quickly diverges into one of the most hilarious, bizarre, and unpredictable sci-fi musicals ever made (it’s like Starlight Express but 100x cooler). Alongside Curry, Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, and Nell Campbell play Frank-N-Furter’s associates/assistants, Riff Raff, Magenta, and Columbia, respectively. The shining star of the movie, and the film’s namesake, is Frank-N-Furter’s creation, the perfect human male, Rocky (Peter Hinwood). Did we mention that Meat Loaf also appears for some reason, delivering a belter of a musical number?
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Is the Definitive Cult Movie
The term “cult-classic” is one that gets thrown around way too easily nowadays. Everything from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to Dora and the Lost City of Gold has been labeled as a “cult” movie by one outlet or another. While the term is as hotly debated as the Indie genre of music, no one denies The Rocky Horror Picture Show‘s status as the ultimate cult movie.
While The Rocky Horror Picture Show fails to meet the surface level criteria of being a “cult” movie — a film which failed at the box office, but has gained a second life post-theatrical release — its following is so legendary, they are quite literally a cult. The theater production, which has been running intermittently since 1973, has one of the most dedicated fan bases in the medium. Much like modern-day Swifties (we apologize to the creators of Rocky Horror for using that comparison), fans will follow the production around the world, and the live show comes with its own traditions.
While most Broadway and West End shows abhor heckling from the audience, The Rocky Horror Picture Show welcomes it. Fans hurl insults and abuse at the characters, especially Janet, during the performance, and it is warmly embraced by the characters, who will often improv off the comments. The movie has a similar following. Fans will travel across the country for special sing-along screenings.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
streams on Hulu from October 1.