Let’s do the time warp again: Why fans still love The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Patricia Quinn thought she knew everything there was to know about Rocky Horror fans.

The 81-year-old actor originated the role of Magenta in the stage production of The Rocky Horror Show and in the 1975 film adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The story follows a naive couple who enter a nearby castle after their car breaks down during a storm. What follows is a mystifying night of chaos and seduction at the hands of the mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

After years of doing meet-and-greets in support of the film, however, Quinn says she knew nothing about the depth of the cult classic’s following until she started touring across the U.S. and Canada for its 50th anniversary.

“I thought I'd met every fan there is to meet. I've done a million Comic Cons, on and on and on. I knew nothing till I started these tours,” she said.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular tour stopped in Vancouver on Oct. 1, and is making its way to Winnipeg, Toronto and Kitchener, Ont., with Quinn later this month. 

At each stop, Quinn says the fan response has been “beyond belief.”

“When I come on the stage, people don't just clap. They stand up and scream…. If one didn't have that amazing response, I know I couldn't do it. That's what keeps me going.”

But what is it about this eccentric musical horror comedy that has earned generations of fervent, loyal fans? Quinn says her castmate Tim Curry, who originated the leading role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, put it best at a recent screening of the film in L.A.

“Tim Curry's words were … it gives anyone permission to behave badly. So whatever your choice of badly is, enjoy it.” 

Cameron Crookston, a cultural studies lecturer at the University of British Columbia, says Rocky Horror’s longevity and reach across generations are “wild.”

“The fact that Rocky Horror … is kind of basically continuously playing somewhere in the world for the last 50 years? I've never heard of anything like that, and that is only because people have a hunger for it.”

Crookston said he’s seen its impact first-hand with his students.

“Rocky Horror circulates in a way that very few movies from that decade [did],” he said. “When I tell my students a list, like, ‘Here's 10 movies from the ‘70s you would totally love,’ everyone's seen Rocky Horror.”