10 Things That Haven’t Aged Well About The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cult classic that maintains a steady following to this day. It is shown several times a year in theaters, sometimes with shadow casts, which always attracts a large audience who participate by throwing items such as toast and toilet paper on cue.

The film was popular enough for Glee to dedicate an entire episode to it during its run, and for Fox to produce a made-for-television remake entitled The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again. While the film and its aesthetic are still highly regarded today, the film has not entirely aged well. Here are 10 things about the film that have not aged well.

10 Opening Credits

The beginning of the film features actress Patricia Quinn’s lips (aka Magenta in the film) as she’s lip-syncing the song “Science Fiction Double Feature” while a male voice sings the actual lyrics. While this is occurring, the title, followed by credits for the cast and crew are shown on screen. This sequence takes approximately five minutes before moving on to the story.

While having an opening credit sequence is common in older films, modern films have moved away from doing this and usually jump right into the story after showing the various productions companies involved in creating the film.

9 The Graffiti On The Newlyweds’ Car

The beginning of the story takes place at the wedding of Betty Munroe and Ralph Hapschatt, two friends of the main characters, Janet Weiss and Brad Majors. The usual wedding fanfare ensues with the bride and groom leaving the church and the attendees throwing rice at them, while photographers take pictures of the wedding party.

A car pulls up to the front of the church to take the newlyweds to their next destination. On the car is writing that says “Wait till tonite she got hers now he’ll get his.” This phrasing implies that Ralph, the husband, put up with a wedding solely because of the promise of sex which reinforces old stereotypes about both men and women.

8 The Main Cast Repeating Each Other’s Names

After Dr. Everett Scott first arrives at the castle, he, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and Brad catch Janet and Rocky together. A montage then ensues of Dr. Scott and Brad calling Janet’s name, Janet calling their names back, and Frank calling for Rocky, who responds with a stare. This montage repeats two more times. This repeated sequence may have intended to be funny as it is not expected upon first viewing the film and follows the rule of three in comedy. However, viewing the repeated sequence more than once can become a chore for viewers.

7 The Song “Dammit, Janet”

The Rocky Horror Picture Show overall has a great soundtrack that is filled with catchy and memorable songs. However, not all the songs are great, particularly “Dammit, Janet.” The lyrics and rhythm together are memorable as it is easy for the song to get stuck in a person’s head, but the song is more annoying than catchy.

Janet’s part is essentially reduced to singing how “mad” she is for Brad, while Brad sings why he loves Janet in a long-winded way that feels repetitive because of how many times he rhymes words and phrases with “Janet.” Also, he is sometimes accompanied by a chorus of church attendees who only say “Janet,” but in a monotonous tone.

6 How Columbia Is Depicted

Columbia is the groupie portrayed by actress Little Nell, or Nell Campbell. Her entire arc revolves around her love for both Eddie and Dr. Frank-N-Furter, neither of whom she can have by the end of the film. After Frank kills Eddie, she spends a large portion of the film grieving Eddie. She later professes her love for Frank only for Riff Raff and Columbia to kill Frank, leaving her once again to grieve.

Columbia’s character is used more as a plot device. The only time she is proactive is when she professes her love for Frank but then falls right back into being passive within the story, something that is criticized when done in modern films.

5 The “Ideal” Male Body

Dr. Frank-N-Furter made Rocky with the intention of creating the perfect man and says as such many times throughout the film. He first mentions Rocky, not by name, in his introductory song, “Sweet Transvestite,” saying, “I’ve been making a man / with blond hair and a tan…” with the intention of using his creation for sex.

He explains his “ideal man” further in the song “I Can Make You a Man” by describing a man who works out regularly in order to gain muscle. He sings this song while revealing his gifts for Rocky’s birthday, which are different types of gym equipment. Frank’s design for Rocky as well as his desire for Rocky to remain fit perpetuates that only a certain body type is attractive in a man, which goes against today’s movements toward body positivity.

4 How Janet Is Depicted

Like Columbia, Janet is also a passive character who does not take much action within her own story. She spends a lot of the story screaming, running into Brad’s or Rocky’s arms, fainting, and sometimes all three in succession. For example, upon first meeting Frank-N-Furter, she screamed and fainted into Brad’s arms.

Unlike Columbia, she takes control of her story twice in the film. The first time was when she followed Brad to the castle rather than staying in the car, and the second time was when she decides she wants to sleep with Rocky. She afterward becomes a passive character like Columbia again. Aside from those moments, her actions are influenced by either Brad or Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

3 Brad And Janet’s Relationship

As previously mentioned, Janet spends much of her time in the story following her fiance Brad or his instructions. Their relationship relies on traditional gender roles in which Brad actively makes decisions and Janet follows suit. Furthermore, Brad acts as Janet’s protector rather than her equal.

Also, Janet and Brad each hold a double standard with regard to faithfulness in the relationship. Both she and Brad separately and without talking to each other fool around with Dr. Frank-N-Furter. When Janet catches Brad after the fact, she cries and says “Brad, how could you?” She sleeps with Rocky after catching Brad, and when Brad catches her, he is equally dismayed at her unfaithfulness.

2 Riff Raff And Magenta’s Relationship

Riff Raff the handyman and Magenta the domestic are brother and sister and servants for Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The two are depicted as very close, to the point of being incestuous. At one point, when the two are alone together, Riff Raff is shown repeatedly biting Magenta’s neck. They also embrace or hold each others’ hands whenever they find themselves alone together in the film.

While the overtly sexual nature of the film and its characters may have provided a context for viewers to be more accepting of their behavior when the musical and the film were first released, most audience members today acknowledge that their relationship is weird and gross.

1 Frank-N-Furter’s Possessiveness

Dr. Frank-N-Furter switches sexual partners throughout the film. He fools around with Rocky, Janet, and Brad at different points, and Columbia mentions that she and Eddie were once involved with Frank at separate times. In spite of the fact that he has multiple partners in a short period of time, he becomes upset when Janet and other people openly lust after Rocky. He even chases Janet throughout the castle because of her attraction to Rocky and he intimidates Rocky whenever his gaze wanders to other people. People today emphasize the need for trust, equality, and individuality in relationships, so Frank’s behavior is less acceptable today than it used to be.

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