40 years ago, The Rocky Horror Picture Show hit U.S. silver screens and the world hasn’t quite been the same since.

This movie, which was at first quite the flop, has become one of the most popular movies of all time. Not only that, but it has impacted the lives of everyone it has touched (which, over 40 years, is a lot of people) and changed them for the better, my own life included.

Unfortunately, up until my senior year of high school, I had never heard the phrase “Don’t dream it. Be it.” I didn’t know who Dr. Frank-N-Furter was, I didn’t know how to do the Time Warp, and I didn’t know just how fantastic Tim Curry’s legs were.

Why?

Because I had never seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

It just never came up and I never sought it out because its title has the word “horror” in it and I’m a huge pansy when it comes to scary movies. I won’t do them. So, until I was 18 years old, I never saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Then, one Halloween, a high school friend decided that we should watch it at her low-key Halloween party. While quite a few of the others thought it was ridiculous and called it out for having nonsensical elements, I was mystified. Entranced. I didn’t understand what I had just watched (what, with the castle blasting off into the sky and Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott crawling around on the ground), but I knew that I liked it. And that I needed to watch it again.

Fast forward a few months later when I’ve seen the movie a few times and the same people who were at the Halloween party decided to go and see a live shadow cast of the show (where people act out the movie while it plays on a screen behind them) a few towns over.

My life changed that night.

It was one thing to feel a sense of belonging while watching the movie alone in my room. It was entirely another thing to feel that way surrounded by strangers parading around in lingerie and screaming things like “Asshole!” every five seconds. I was in love.

Since that night, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has meant the world to me.

First of all, the show gifted me with such amazing music and a new sort of visual aesthetic. I know that doesn’t sound all that important, but as someone who absolutely loves music, it was fantastic to listen to something so fresh and so interesting. Plus, the music and the visual appearance of the film (settings, characters, etc.) never cease to inspire my creativity and open my mind. It’s safe to say that I look at the world differently now than I did before.

More importantly, though, the movie has helped me become comfortable in my own skin. Like I mentioned previously in my love letter to Jennifer Lawrence, I haven’t always been comfortable with myself. High school and college were mixed bags of confidence and insecurity.

However, whenever I watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show, listened/belted out the words to the soundtrack, or attended to live shadow cast performances, I found a sense of self. I was comfortable with and proud of being weird. Embracing The Rocky Horror Picture Show was an important fandom experience for me because even though a lot of people find the movie to be strange, there are dozens who love it like I do. I loved it despite what some people thought. I embraced the weird.

A lot of us (myself included) attend conventions to be around like-minded people. People we can relate to and who share similar interests to us. (Conventions that are, funny enough, not all that different from the one in Frank-N-Furter’s castle…) That’s why I love going to see the movie in theaters, shadow cast or not. Just being around people who feel like I do makes all the difference.

Of course, the shadow cast makes it better, what with their wild and crazy props and themes, not to mention their energy surrounding their performance. But I also love being among the audience, coming together to enjoy a movie we all love, yelling at the screens at the tops of our lungs, and just being ourselves. Shedding our protective outer layer and any sort of embarrassment we may have. Going to a Rocky Horror show is like going home.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show also set me on the path of being comfortable with my own sexuality and sexuality in general. Though the movie is extreme in a lot of its portrayals of sexuality and lust, it still conveys a sense of normalcy for these things (especially when you think about how much Brad and Janet stick out for not adopting the lifestyle right away). Rocky Horror taught me not to shy away from sexuality because it’s a natural part of being human (something that Dr. Frank-N-Furter himself was trying to grasp, but obviously went a little overboard).

Though it has been quite a few years since I first discovered the magic of Rocky Horror and embraced it as it impacted my life, I find that it’s still affecting my growth as a person. Whenever I’m feeling down or a bit insecure, I watch Rocky Horror or listen to the music and it centers me. (I also, of course, throw on some Rocky Horror on my good days as well to celebrate the good place I’m in!) This movie helped me become who I am and is still helping me figure out who I will be in the future.

This brings me back to where I started: “Don’t dream it. Be it.”

It’s such a simple thought, but it speaks volumes. This little phrase has motivated me to not only dream bigger, but also grab hold of those dreams and see them through. To do something about them and take hold of my own destiny. “Don’t dream it. Be it.” has become a mantra for me, so much so that I’ve considered getting a tattoo of the phrase (but I’m a wimp when it comes to needles, so who knows if that’ll actually happen). It’s just a great reminder of how powerful can be and how I can make my own happiness.

I’ll always be thankful for The Rocky Horror Picture Show for everything it has given me over the years (including the things I can’t begin to verbalize). The Rocky Horror Picture Show has and will always be one of my favorite movies of all time.

That’s enough of my sappy love letter. Now, let’s do the Time Warp again! Happy 40th birthday, Rocky Horror Picture Show!

What does ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ mean to you?

 
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