The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

For most people this movie needs no introduction. It's the cult movie of cult movies, the king of B movie extravaganzas. That's not just my opinion: they still show The Rocky Horror Picture Show in theaters, making it the longest running movie ever. This is partly because of the culture that developed around it. Midnight showings, especially around Halloween or the New Year, bred a unique group of fans who dress up, shout things at the screen, and torment "virgins" to the experience, all while a live cast of characters act out the story on stage. Watching it live is not your typical popcorn eating movie experience… instead of being shushed if you make noise you're more likely to be made fun of for being quiet (it's really the easiest way to pick out the virgins).

Watching Frank-N-Furter and crew is a Halloween tradition for me, dating back to my early teenage years. My parents, especially my dad, were big fans and I grew up not only watching the movie but listening to the soundtrack (we'd spin it every year around Christmas while shooting pool). I've been slacking off in recent years, though, so this was my first time watching it in almost half a decade. It feels good to be back.

While it's hard to separate the audience participation aspect, I love this movie on its own. On one of my DVD copies there's a live soundtrack of an audience from the 70s dubbed in and it's great fun to listen to, but I often prefer to just watch the movie in its original form. Call it nostalgia if you want, but I think it's something more. The main cast — Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, and Little Nell — is completely devoted to their roles. I think it's a safe assumption that all of them started with a theatre background, and it shows. No matter how ridiculous the story gets each and every one of them is dedicated and turns out a great performance.

Then there's the music. I've watched plenty of musicals that I'm pretty lukewarm about because the songs just aren't that great. Not so with RHPS. Every song except one — Rocky's diddy right after being born — stands the test of time, still fun and catchy almost 40 years later. Tell me that if I played Time Warp right now you wouldn't start dancing.

If you've never watched it, make it the next movie you see, but do yourself a favor and check out the UK version which adds back in the Superheroes track. This song belongs in the movie but it's also one of the best songs I've ever heard, even outside the realm of musicals.