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==Cult following== {{Main|The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult following}} ===Origins=== [[File:Dori and Sal.jpg|thumb|right|Dori Hartley and [[Sal Piro]] at the Waverly Theatre in New York in 1977]] ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' helped shape conditions of cult film's transition from [[art-house]] to [[exploitation film|exploitation]] style.<ref name="ErnestXavier2007"/> The film developed a cult following in 1976 at the Waverly Theatre in New York, which developed into a standardised ritual. According to [[J. Hoberman]], author of ''Midnight Movies'', it was after five months into the film's midnight run when lines began to be shouted by the audience. Louis Farese Jr., a normally quiet teacher, upon seeing the character Janet place a newspaper over her head to protect herself from rain, yelled, "Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch." Originally, Louis and other ''Rocky Horror'' pioneers, including Amy Lazarus, Theresa Krakauskas, and Bill O'Brian, did this to entertain each other, each week trying to come up with something new to make each other laugh. This quickly caught on with other theatre-goers and thus began this self-proclaimed "counter point dialogue", which became standard practice and was repeated nearly verbatim at each screening.<ref name="Dika2003" /> Performance groups became a staple at ''Rocky Horror'' screenings due in part to the prominent New York City fan cast.<ref name="Henkin1979" /> The New York City cast was originally run by former schoolteacher and stand-up comic [[Sal Piro]] and his friend Dori Hartley, the latter of whom portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter and was one of several performers, including Will Kohler as Brad Majors, Nora Poses as Janet, and Lilias Piro as Magenta, in a flexible rotating cast.{{sfn|Henkin|1979|page=[https://archive.org/details/rockyhorrorpictu0000henk/page/n105/mode/2up?q=sal+piro 106]}} The performances of the audience were scripted and actively discouraged improvising, being conformist in a similar way to the repressed characters.<ref name="MathijsSexton2012">{{cite book |first1=Ernest |last1=Mathijs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3EmSqIo4I-QC&pg=PA101 |title=Cult Cinema |first2=Jamie |last2=Sexton |date=30 March 2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4443-9642-3 |page=101}}</ref> [[File:Garrett3.jpg|thumb|upright|D. Garrett Gafford and Terri Hardin, Tiffany Theater Hollywood, 1978]] On Halloween in 1976, people attended in costume and talked back to the screen, and by mid-1978, ''Rocky Horror'' was playing in over 50 locations on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight. Newsletters were published by local performance groups, and fans gathered for ''Rocky Horror'' conventions.<ref name="Samuels_MidMov"/> By the end of 1979, there were twice-weekly showings at over 230 theatres.<ref name=Samuels_MidMov/> The National Fan Club was established in 1977 and later merged with the International Fan Club. The fan publication ''The Transylvanian'' printed a number of issues, and a semi-regular poster magazine was published as well as an official magazine.<ref name="ErnestXavier2007">{{cite book |last1=Mathijs |first1=Ernest |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dWX4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA395 |title=The Cult Film Reader |last2=Mendik |first2=Xavier |date=1 December 2007 |publisher=McGraw-Hill International |isbn=978-0-335-21923-0 |page=395}}</ref> Performance groups in the Los Angeles area originated at the [[Fox Theater, Westwood Village|Fox Theatre]] in 1977, where Michael Wolfson won a look-alike contest as Frank N. Furter, and won another at the [[Tiffany Theater]] on [[Sunset Boulevard]]. Wolfson's group eventually performed in all of the L.A. area theatres screening ''Rocky Horror'', including the Balboa Theater in [[Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach|Balboa]], The Cove at [[Hermosa Beach]], and The Sands in [[Glendale, California|Glendale]]. He was invited to perform at the [[Sombrero Playhouse]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} At the Tiffany Theatre, the audience performance cast had the theatre's full cooperation; the local performers entered early and without charge. The fan playing Frank for this theatre was a [[transgender]] performer, D. Garret Gafford, who was out of work in 1978 and trying to raise the funds for a [[gender reassignment]] while spending the weekends performing at the Tiffany.<ref name="Henkin1979" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Overand |first=William |date=19 July 1978 |title=Saturday Night Fervor at the Tiffany Theater |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-saturday-night-fervor-at-tiffany-20150925-story.html |access-date=17 November 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Presently, the live action rendition of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is available for attendance in various locations in Los Angeles, typically Saturday nights at midnight.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} [[File:Strand Theater Rocky Horror.jpg|right|thumb|San Francisco's Strand Theatre, 1979. Linda Woods, Marni Scofidio, Denise Erickson, and Jim Curry]] By 1978, ''Rocky Horror'' had moved from an earlier [[San Francisco]] location to the [[Strand Theatre (San Francisco)|Strand Theatre]] located near the [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin]] on [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]].<ref name="Stewart2011">{{cite book |first=Jim |last=Stewart |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=anV4X3D8K04C&pg=PA109 |title=Folsom Street Blues: A Memoir of 1970s SoMa and Leatherfolk in Gay San Francisco |date=2011 |publisher=Palm Drive Publishing |isbn=978-1-8908-3403-6 |page=109}}</ref> The performance group there, Double Feature/Celluloid Jam, was the first to act out and perform almost the entire film, unlike the New York cast at that time. The Strand cast was put together from former members of an early [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] group, disbanded due to less than enthusiastic management. Frank N. Furter was portrayed by Marni Scofidio, who, in 1979, attracted many of the older performers from Berkeley. Other members included Mishell Erickson as Columbia, her twin sister Denise Erickson as Magenta, Kathy Dolan as Janet, and Linda "Lou" Woods as Riff Raff. The Strand group performed at two large science fiction conventions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, were offered a spot at [[Mabuhay Gardens|The Mabuhay]], a local punk club, and performed for children's television of Argentina.<ref name="Henkin1979" /> ===Legacy=== Annual ''Rocky Horror'' conventions are held in varying locations, lasting days. [[Tucson, Arizona]] has been host a number of times, including 1999 with "El Fishnet Fiesta", and "Queens of the Desert" held in 2006.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gay |first=Gerald M. |date=13 March 2014 |title='Rocky Horror' shines at El Fishnet Fiesta |newspaper=[[Arizona Daily Star]] |location=Tucson |url=http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/movies/rocky-horror-shines-at-el-fishnet-fiesta/article_d7ea0288-3d24-5d22-8dc8-ff86b61f93ff.html |access-date=18 March 2014}}</ref> Vera Dika wrote that, to the fans, ''Rocky Horror'' is ritualistic and comparable to a religious event, with a compulsive, repeated cycle of going home and coming back to see the film each weekend.<ref name="Dika2003">{{cite book |first=Vera |last=Dika |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opah6_oJqPYC&pg=PA112 |title=Recycled Culture in Contemporary Art and Film: The Uses of Nostalgia |date=9 June 2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-5210-1631-5 |page=112}}</ref> The audience call-backs are similar to responses in church during a mass.<ref name="Dika2003"/> Many theatre troupes exist across the United States that produce shadow-cast performances where the actors play each part in the film in full costume, with props, as the movie plays on the big screen in a movie theatre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Come see Northern Virginia's only Rocky Horror shadowcast! |website=Transylvanian Concubines |url=http://www.transylvanianconcubines.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209141248/http://www.transylvanianconcubines.com/ |archive-date=9 February 2016 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=30 January 2012 |title=Where Rocky Horror Lives in Los Angeles! |url=http://sins.la/ |access-date=10 February 2016 |website=Sins O' The Flesh |archive-date=4 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204021220/http://sins.la/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> O'Brien's Orchestra, formerly known as the Queerios (based in [[Austin, Texas]]), is the longest running shadow-cast in Texas.<ref>{{cite web| title=Austin's very own Rocky Horror Shadow Cast!| website=O'Briens Orchestra| url=https://www.rockyhorroraustin.com/| access-date=29 June 2021| language=en}}</ref> The film has a global following and remains popular.<ref name="Batchelor2011">{{cite book |first=Bob |last=Batchelor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lAIMzLLh9nUC&pg=PA52 |title=Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream |date=December 2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35780-0 |page=52}}</ref> Subcultures such as ''Rocky Horror'' have also found a place on the Internet.<ref name="Ross2011">{{cite book |first=Sharon Marie |last=Ross |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rOPzKWCf0w8C&pg=PT31 |title=Beyond the Box: Television and the Internet |date=23 September 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4443-5865-0 |page=31}}</ref> Audience participation scripts for many cities are available for download from the internet.<ref name="Riley2008" /> The internet has a number of ''Rocky Horror'' fan-run websites with various quizzes and information, specializing in different content, allowing fans to participate at a unique level.<ref name="LancasterMikotowicz2001" /> ===LGBT influence=== Members of the [[LGBT community]] composed a large part of the ''Rocky Horror'' cult following: they identified with the embrace of [[sexual liberation]] and androgyny, and attended show after show, slowly forming a community. Judith A. Peraino compares Brad and Janet's initiation into Frank N. Furter's world to the self-discovery of "[[queer]] identity", and to the traditional initiation of "virgins" in the shadow screenings.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peraino |first=Judith A. |url=https://archive.org/details/listeningtosiren00pera |title=Listening to the sirens: musical technologies of queer identity from Homer to Hedwig |year=2006 |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-5202-1587-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/listeningtosiren00pera/page/n263 249]–252 |oclc=58043161 |url-access=limited}}</ref> June Thomas describes the midnight screenings in [[Newark, Delaware]] as a "very queer scene", which increased visibility for the [[LGBTQ]] community: "The folks standing in line outside the State in fishnets and makeup every Saturday night undoubtedly widened the sphere of possibilities for [[gender expression]] on Main Street."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Thomas |first=June |date=31 October 2014 |title=How The Rocky Horror Picture Show Smashed Open America's Closets |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/10/is-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-good-for-the-gays.html |magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=15 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wong |first=Curtis M. |date=17 October 2018 |title=Why 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' Remains A Queer Cinematic Milestone |journal=[[HuffPost]] |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rocky-horror-picture-show-musical-matt-baume_us_5bc63c51e4b0a8f17ee6be26 |access-date=15 November 2018}}</ref> ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' remains a cultural phenomenon in both the U.S. and U.K.<ref name="Smith2010">{{cite book |first=Justin |last=Smith |url=https://archive.org/details/withnailuscultfi0000smit/page/16/mode/2up?q=rocky+horror |title=Withnail and Us: Cult Films and Film Cults in British Cinema |date=28 February 2010 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-85771-793-1 |page=32 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Tucker2004">{{cite book |first=Betty Jo |last=Tucker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8V3Fc8eAUIC&pg=PA139 |title=Susan Sarandon: A True Maverick |year=2004 |publisher=Wheatmark, Inc. |isbn=978-1-58736-300-9 |page=139}}</ref> Cult film participants are often people on the fringe of society who find connection and community at the screenings,<ref name="Lippy2006">{{cite book |last=Lippy |first=Charles H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwim_0xE1c4C&pg=RA2-PA112 |title=Faith in America: Changes, Challenges, New Directions |date=2006 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0-275-98605-6 |location=Westport, Connecticut |page=112}}</ref> although the film attracts fans of differing backgrounds all over the world.<ref name="Blackshaw2013">{{Cite book |last=Blackshaw |first=Tony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXO_tKMgNPcC&pg=PA117 |title=Routledge Handbook of Leisure Studies |date=18 July 2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-136-49559-5 |location=London |page=117}}</ref> "Bisexuality, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Me", by Elizabeth Reba Weise, is part of the publication, ''[[Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out]]'' (1991), an [[anthology]] edited by [[Loraine Hutchins]] and [[Lani Kaʻahumanu]]<ref name="Fox2013">{{cite book |last=Fox |first=Ronald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ZsLGE3zBwgC&pg=PT178 |title=Current Research on Bisexuality |date=3 April 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-56963-0 |editor-last=Hutchins |editor-first=Loraine |editor-link=Loraine Hutchins |location=London |page=178 |editor-last2=Kaʻahumanu |editor-first2=Lani |editor-link2=Lani Kaʻahumanu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Highleyman |first=Liz A. |title=A Brief History of the Bisexual Movement |url=http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225244/http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/history.html |archive-date=26 September 2007 |access-date=23 July 2016 |website=[[Bisexual Resource Center]]}}</ref> about the history of the modern [[bisexual rights]] movement that is one of the first publications of [[bisexual literature]].<ref name="Burleson2014">{{cite book |last=Burleson |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jg5IAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT189 |title=Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community |date=4 April 2014 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-317-71260-2 |location=London |page=189}}</ref> ===Cultural influence=== ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' has been featured in a number of other feature films and television series over the years. Episodes of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', ''[[The Venture Bros.]]'',''[[Cold Case]]'', ''[[Tuca & Bertie]]'', ''[[The Boondocks (TV series)|The Boondocks]]'', ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'', ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'', ''[[That '70s Show]]'', ''[[Deutschland 86]]'', and ''[[American Dad!]]'' spotlight ''Rocky Horror'', as do films such as ''[[Vice Squad (1982 film)|Vice Squad]]'' (1982), ''[[Halloween II (2009 film)|Halloween II]]'' (2009), and ''[[The Perks of Being a Wallflower (film)|The Perks of Being a Wallflower]]'' (2012).<ref name="Champion"/> The 1980 film ''[[Fame (1980 film)|Fame]]'' featured the audience reciting their callback lines to the screen and dancing the Time Warp,<ref name="Ortiz2011">{{cite book |first=Lori |last=Ortiz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWdXRylPs44C&pg=PA147 |title=Disco Dance |date=31 March 2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37747-1 |page=147}}</ref> the dance from the stage show and film, which has become a novelty dance at parties.<ref name="Silvester2013">{{cite book |first=Delia |last=Silvester |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EqhdAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA47 |title=Dance and Movement Sessions for Older People: A Handbook for Activity Coordinators and Carers |date=21 December 2013 |publisher=Jessica Kingsley |isbn=978-0-85700-846-6 |page=47}}</ref> Director [[Rob Zombie]] cited ''Rocky Horror'' as a major influence on his film ''[[House of 1000 Corpses]]'' (2003),<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wood |first=Jennifer M. |date=21 October 2014 |title=11 Things You Didn't Know About The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a23810/texas-chainsaw-things-you-didnt-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126230823/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a23810/texas-chainsaw-things-you-didnt-know/ |archive-date=26 January 2018 |access-date=24 September 2018 |journal=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]}}</ref> while the film's fan culture of [[cosplay]]ing and audience participation during screenings laid the groundwork for the similarly influential cult following surrounding [[Tommy Wiseau]]'s ''[[The Room (2003 film)|The Room]]'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web |last=Bather |first=Luke |date=16 March 2017 |title=Everything You Need to Know About Cult Film 'The Room' & Disaster Artist Tommy Wiseau |url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/03/16/the-room-tommy-wiseau/ |access-date=27 July 2017 |website=[[Highsnobiety]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Barton |first=Steve |date=10 December 2009 |title=Motion Picture Purgatory: The Room |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/14773/motion-picture-purgatory-the-room/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619164205/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/14773/motion-picture-purgatory-the-room/ |archive-date=19 June 2017 |access-date=16 June 2017 |website=Dread Central}}</ref> ''Rocky Horror'' also inspired [[John McPhail (director)|John McPhail]]'s [[zombie film|zombie]] musical ''[[Anna and the Apocalypse]]'' (2018).<ref>{{cite web |last=Fletcher |first=Rosie |date=30 June 2019 |title=Anna And The Apocalypse interview: the director on his zombie musical |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/horror/62074/anna-and-the-apocalypse-interview-the-director-on-his-zombie-musical |access-date=30 June 2019 |website=Den of Geek}}</ref>
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