Line #20 Fridge/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow


1	[[AC:Fridge Logic]]
2	* Why is it that Rocky can't talk (unlike in the original stage show), yet he's able to sing?
3	** It is said that speech is on the left side of the brain while music is on the right side. Many people stutter when talking but are fully capable of singing. A similar thing could be occurring here.
4	*** Then ''Eddie'' shouldn't have been able to sing, if one of them got the singing half and the other, the speaking half.
5	** Rocky has half a brain. From Eddie. Frank even says "Do you think I made a mistake splitting his brain between the two of them?".
6	*** Perhaps it's an effect of the ray. At a more practical level, Peter Hinwood couldn't act or sing, so the director made the choice to have him do both as little as possible. Even his "speaking" lines are dubbed.
7	*** That doesn't explain "Sword of Damocles" ... but [[MusicalWorldHypotheses the All In Their Heads hypothesis]] does.
8	*** Maybe they each got half of the left brain and half of the right brain, though that would get back to the question of why they don't talk.
9	* Brad and Janet left Denton on a 'late November evening' and yet UsefulNotes/RichardNixon is making his resignation speech (which actually took place at noon, in August, in Washington DC's timezone - meaning it would be noon or morning throughout the United States)?
10	** All that we (and Brad and Janet) hear is a portion of the resignation speech. There's nothing in the broadcast to indicate whether the speech is being performed live, or being replayed from a recording. Given that it's night-time in November, only the second option makes any sense.
11	** [[WordOfGod Richard O'Brien]] has stated that Brad is a huge nerd and that he recorded the speech so that he can listen to it whenever he wants.
12	*** Likewise, he originally didn't want the speech to be included in the film, since he felt it took away from the "timeless" (i.e. it can take place in any era) feel of the story.
13	*** Yeah, any era before the 2000s. Today, Brad and Janet would just call AAA on their cell phones.
14	*** That's why modern movies of this type have the no-reception thing. And since this took place in the middle of nowhere, it's not that out there.
15	*** The fact that Frank just assumes everyone will get his "Charles Atlas" references already dates it quite a bit.
16
17	[[AC:Fridge Brilliance]]
18	* ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' makes a lot more sense when you realise that most of the plot, decor, and character traits are driven by the fact that few if any of the characters really understand human nature.
19	** Even better, when watching, it seems that Tim Curry is being a large ham, breaking the fourth wall ("Well how 'bout that?" as the perfect example)... Until you reach 'I'm Going Home', and it's revealed that it's FRANK that's being the ham and looking at the audience. He's playing to the non-existent crowd the whole time! Alternatively, Frank is breaking the fourth wall, and just doesn't realize he's in a movie rather than the stage show. Normally, there is a crowd out there applauding Frank at the end!
20	* Columbia remarks that Rocky is "okay". At first it seems like she was just saying any compliment that came to mind, no matter how faint. A few minutes later, we meet her boyfriend Eddie-- dark-haired, stocky, and by Frank's word, not at all well-muscled. Of course Columbia would say Rocky's just okay, he's not her type.
21	* When I first became a fan of the ''Rocky Horror Show'', I simply saw the song "Sweet Transvestite" as a catchy VillainSong. A few years later, I listened closely to the lyrics and had a fridge brilliance moment concerning the line ''"Well you got caught with a flat. Well...''[[note]][[AudienceParticipation How 'bout this!]][[/note]] ''how 'bout that"''. The way Frank N. Furter says it in such a smug tone pretty much implies that '''he''' was the one who caused Brad and Janet to get a flat tire in the first place. -baronobeefdip
22	** In the film, it's even more brilliant because [[Creator/TimCurry Frank]] looks at the audience and pretty much grins at them when he says it. He [[BreakingTheFourthWall broke the fourth wall]] and pretty much had a "Yeah, I'm behind the whole thing" smirk at the audience.
23	** Keep in mind also that [[INeverSaidItWasPoison Brad and Janet never actually told Frank they had a flat tire]]. That's pretty much key right there. Knowing Frank, it's a lot less likely that he just took a wild guess.
24	*** Even bigger tip-off: if you watch the opening wedding scene again & pay attention to the background, Frank, Riff Raff & Magenta ''are all present''. Riff Raff & Magenta are the "American Gothic" couple standing in front of the church doors (with the pitchfork foreshadowing the "anti-matter laser"), and Frank/Tim Curry plays the parson (standing with his back to us) talking with them in a brief, blink-and-you-miss-it shot. Of course Frank was behind it: he was right there, with his two faithful servants!
25	*** I would like to point out that Frank is surprised that Brad knows Dr. Scott. Frank even says to Brad “So this wasn't simply a chance meeting. You came here with a purpose”, whereupon Brad says “I told you, my car broke down. I was telling the truth”, and Frank answers “I know what you told me, Brad”. Apparently Frank suspects Brad of being some kind of spy, who only made up the car breakdown story. Why else would he be so mad at Brad?
26	* Riff Raff at first seems like nothing more than a shady butler who kills Frank for no reason at the end. And, then I saw an interview with Richard O'Brien in which he points out that [[WordOfGod Riff Raff is jealous of Frank]] and that [[spoiler:it was actually Riff Raff who did most of the work on Rocky. ("We merely await your... word.")]] Suddenly, Riff's shady behavior makes a lot more sense.
27	** Even better? [[WordOfGod Richard O'Brien]] has stated that Riff Raff and Frank are not so different. I watched the film/play again with this in mind...and it really adds to the animosity between Frank and Riff.
28	* Related to the above, Frank is [[spoiler:murdered]] by his "faithful handyman." In other words, ''TheButlerDidIt!"[[note]]And humorously enough, this wouldn't be the last time Creator/TimCurry was in [[Film/{{Clue}} a movie which played with this trope]][[/note]].
29	* On repeat viewings of the film, you can spot all kinds of interesting tidbits you didn't notice on the first few times around. I think I was the first one of my friends to notice that at the beginning of the film, when Brad is about to sing "Dammit Janet", the sign between him is of a giant love heart. [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbfp83mYqM1rfedb6o1_1280.jpg]] Now fast-forward to when Janet is about to sing Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me to Rocky. In between them is a statue of a muscled man with his very obvious uh... anatomy on display. [[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3d3d3sRk71rv591bo1_500.jpg]] It's clear what's on each of the singer's minds when they sing their songs and it's a very telling insight into the characters' true colours. And it's also [[{{WorldOfPun}} frankly]] hilarious.
30	* During Rocky's birthday "party", Frank serves everyone mysterious meat that is shortly revealed to be Eddie. Eddie is played by Meat Loaf. This means that everyone ate meatloaf at Rocky's party.
31	** Actually picked-up on in AudienceParticipation screenings.
32	-->"Meatloaf, ''again?!''"
33	* The film's rendition of "Eddie's Teddy" is pretty interesting to listen to, when you realize it's essentially a duet between Jonathan Adams (the ''original'' Criminologist from the UK stage play) and Charles Grey (the film's Criminologist). One wonders if they recorded their parts in the same booth.
34	* The song "Damnit Janet" has Brad sing the line "Let's go see the man who began it". We learn later on that he's referring to Dr. Scott, but the next character he meets is Riff-Raff, who's played by Richard O Brien (in the Movie and Original stage cast). As the writer of the show, Richard O Brien certainly qualifies as the man who began 'it'.
35	* Maybe FridgeHorror or FridgeSquick, but anyway, why does Rocky seem so enamored by Eddie, joyfully dance along to his song, have to be caged when Frank goes to kill Eddie, and seem upset when Eddie dies? ''Eddie and Rocky each have half of the same brain.'' During "Hot Patootie," Rocky was essentially being briefly reunited with his "other half." It was likely out of nostalgia that Rocky was smiling during Eddie's song; he ''remembered'' singing and dancing and biking like that. And then Frankie killed said "other half."
36	* Dr Scott crashing through the set of Dr Frank N Furter's lab. It had to be done that way, as they built the set, then realised that there was no way in or out of it.
37	* In this movie, Frank has heard of Dr Scott and knows that he's a German scientist working for an American UFO bureau, even though they've never met before. He also accuses Brad of being part of the bureau after he finds out that Brad and Scott know each other. Scott then says that the government has been working on their own transducer for some time. In [[http://www.rockymusic.org/showdoc/revenge-of-the-old-queen.php the draft script]] for ''Script/RevengeOfTheOldQueen'', we find out that Transylvanians have infiltrated the bureau; the bureau's leader Ray Ambo knows about them but the agents don't. Ray has a transducer hidden in his private bathroom and Brad's brother works for the bureau. This explains why Frank knows all about the individual agents but they don't know about him.
38	* Why can't Rocky talk? Simple. He's Frank's ideal man, and Frank ultimately can't tolerate the viewpoints of anyone but himself. The fact that Rocky can't speak is a purposeful design feature on Frank's part, as what Frank wants out of a mate is a body, not a mind.
39	** Ties in with RuleOfSymbolism when you realize that the statues that the transducer turns the cast into are, likewise, nude and ''silent''. Frank has made them into exactly what he wants them to be.
40	* Another attempt at a sequel, ''Rocky Horror Shows His Heels'', would have had a resurrected Frank using "Fairy dust" to temporarily turn the people of Denton into Transylvanians. It's possible that he used something similar on everybody during the floor show, as most of them were angry at him before he turned them into statues.
41	* "I Can Make You a Man" doesn't just mean that Dr. Frank will turn you into a hunk-- he'll ''build'' a man for you like he created Rocky.
42	** There's a reason that the swimming pool has that famous picture of God creating Adam.
43	** It could also mean that he will "make a man" out of Rocky himself, i.e., make him no longer a virgin.
44	* As mentioned in the DVDCommentary, the dinner party seems rather... off. Everyone has way too many utensils[[note]][[AudienceParticipation "Hey, can someone give Dr. Scott a fork? He's only got twelve."]][[/note]], none of the cups match, and Riff Raff and Magenta just haphazardly drop the platter with their food on the table. Of course they wouldn't know how to give a real dinner party: they're ''aliens''.
45	* It may seem odd at first that Magenta turns Columbia into a statue (albeit on Frank's orders), given that they seemed to be getting along just fine in the scene where they spy on Janet and Rocky. But considering how hyper sexualized the Transylvanians are, Magenta may have figured it would be the only opportunity she'd get to see her "friend" naked.
46	** I also wondered why Magenta turned Columbia into a statue without hesitation. It's true that Frank gives the order, but she doesn't seem to hesitate, and obviously enjoys it. Your interpretation is not bad, but I think it would have been easy for Magenta to see Columbia naked, given the behavior of the two women during "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch me". She could have certainly undressed Columbia, or asked her if she would undress. At one point Magenta even opens the top of Columbia's pajamas and blows in with the hair dryer. My interpretation is that Magenta doesn't care about people. She had fun with Columbia, but for her she's not a friend you have to protect. In the end, Riff Raff kills Columbia, and Magenta doesn't seem to care. I find this scene illogical anyway, because Riff Raff ends up saying to Frank that his lifestyle is too extreme-- but why does he just kill the innocent Columbia, and why does Magenta enjoy carrying out Frank's orders and turning people into statues? THAT's not extreme?
47	*** Simple: Riff Raff and Magenta are massive hypocrites. They enjoy using extreme tactics when they feel like it, but if anyone else does it, they object.
48	** I also like to think that Magenta probably didn’t think any actual harm would come from it; she just thought it would be funny at the time. Nobody knew Columbia was going to get killed; she probably just figured she’d get turned to stone for a few minutes, get turned back for the floor show, and that would be that. As for why she doesn’t seem to care when she does get killed…maybe not in the moment, but give it time, because once the initial shock and chaos of that night wears off and she actually has time to process what happened…
49	*** And there’s also the fact that (this is kind of a shot in the dark but hear me out), if you take into account Shock Treatment as well as a throwaway line in ROTOQ (said line implies that Cosmo and Nation were actually Riff and Magenta in disguise all along, so it wouldn’t be hard to assume that, by extension, Nurse Ansalong was Columbia), the fact that Rocky didn’t immediately die when shot with the laser (supporting a theory that the gun only works on Transylvanians and not humans), and just the fact that they have technology advanced enough to create life from scratch, it could be that she didn't appear to be visibly concerned because 1. she knows the anti-matter gun hasn’t actually killed Columbia, or 2. even if she is dead, they have the technology to revive her if they wanted to.
50	* A lot of what occurs with Magenta and Riff Raff makes sense when one remembers just how much they despise Earthlings, something they mention several times throughout the film. So Magenta has no problem turning on Columbia just before the stage show because she is, after all, only an Earthling. And Riff Raff accuses Frank of having too "extreme" a lifestyle specifically because Frank is so fascinated with Earthlings, going so far as to treat the Earthling Columbia as Transylvanian Magenta's equal.
51	* There's a number of reasons why Frank [[spoiler: murdered Eddie]] beyond him just being crazy. First, Eddie was proving himself to be quite the party animal, and Frank [[AttentionWhore can't stand not being the center of attention]]. Second, you'll notice that Rocky is happily dancing along to "Hot Patootie," and of course Frank [[CrazyJealousGuy can't tolerate anyone else seducing his glorified fucktoy]]. Third, [[note]] WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR DRUGS?[[/note]] Columbia was clearly influenced enough by Eddie's presence that she started to break whatever hold Frank had on her; [[spoiler: murdering Eddie]] was just Frank's way of [[KickTheDog reminding Columbia who was in charge]]. Fourth, [[spoiler: Frank probably just felt like [[ObligatoryJoke having Meat Loaf for dinner]].]]
52	* At first, Magenta’s “Time Warp” verse seems rather cryptic. Then, you see her watching Janet and Rocky do the dirty on the security cams, and when you take into account that plus the fact that she waits a full minute to reveal herself from the banister…[[spoiler: girl has a voyeur kink.]]
53
54	[[AC:FridgeHorror]]
55	* Frank N. Furter's final song "I'm Going Home" from the ''Rocky Horror Picture Show''. It's basically about Frank lamenting about how he's both happy with being on earth yet also homesick for his home planet of Transsexual, Transylvania. Nothing creepy about that. However, during the song, a crowded audience fades into view and Frank tearfully greets them as if they're his adoring fans. Cue after the song and... no audience. It's implied that the audience was merely a figment of Frank's imagination. Considering how [[AxCrazy insane]] Frank was ''before'' the floorshow, one can safely assume that he's finally snapped.
56	** In the movie, "I'm Going Home" is about being happy on Earth, but wanting to go back to his planet. In the stage play, however, it's about Frank pleading with Riff Raff and Magenta to let him stay on Earth a bit longer ''so he can have sex with Earthlings'', which pretty much explains why Eddie and Columbia were even there in the first place and [[spoiler:why Frank was the reason why they got a flat tire and Brad and Janet were tricked into going to the castle.]]
57	** Not to mention that before the floorshow, the Criminologist points out that (save for Rocky, Frank, Brad, Janet, Dr. Scott, Columbia, Riff Raff, and Magenta), the castle is completely empty. Why would Frank want to perform a floor show in an empty castle?
58	*** Also, the very fact that Brad, Janet, Dr. Scott, Columbia, and Rocky are essentially being brainwashed by Frank.
59	*** Dr. Scott even comments on this and points out that they need to escape before Frank gains total control over them. Sure, floorshows may be fun for us audiences... but imagine being the one being essentially forced (by a psychotic alien, no less) to perform.
60	** How about the song "Wise Up, Janet Weiss" (AKA "Planet, Schmanet, Janet")? Particularly the line "I've laid the seed, it should be all you need". Hmm... Frank had sex with Janet, sex can sometimes lead to babies... Oh, crap...
61	*** Oh, you only think you know the true horror... look up the [[http://www.rockymusic.org/showdoc/revenge-of-the-old-queen.php unfilmed script]] Richard O'Brien wrote as a conclusion to his masterwork. [[spoiler:And he's just like his daddy.]]
62	*** The true horror hasn't even been hit still. Do you really think that Janet is the ''only'' human female Frank had unprotected sex with? Going by what could be expected of him that number could actually be quite high.
63	** Also, the line from the song "Sweet Transvestite": "Well you got caught with a flat. Well, (knowing smile) How 'bout that?". It implies that Frank was the one behind Brad and Janet getting a flat tire and ending up in the castle in the first place.
64	*** Even more horror when you realize that [[INeverSaidItWasPoison Brad and Janet never mentioned a flat tire]].
65	*** And that Frank, Magenta & Riff-Raff were all at the church as Brad and Janet were singing their plans, complete with Magenta & Riff-Raff carrying in a coffin during ''Dammit Janet''. See above Fridge Brilliance for details.
66	*** Also, look at the priest in the back during the beginning of the film and the two people standing next to him. [[spoiler:It's implied that they're Frank, Riff Raff, and Magenta in disguise.]] They were planning on having Brad and Janet visit the whole time.
67	** Throughout the movie we see various statues of people (mostly the Statue Of David). Then we see that Frank has a device that can ''[[TakenForGranite turn people into stone.]]'' OhCrap.
68	*** A common interpretation is that these statues were former attempts at Rocky.
69	** The back-to-back "Sex Scenes" in which Frank seduces Brad/Janet fall under FridgeHorror for several reasons-
70	### First of all, Frank thinks he's superior to human beings ([[PunyEarthlings "Do your worst, Inferior One!"]]). Also, he's an alien. So, in essence, it's pretty much bestiality in which Brad/Janet are the ''animals'' in the relationship.
71	### How Frank convinces them to have sex with him. He doesn't violently rape them. No, instead, he pretty much ''[[ManipulativeBastard emotionally manipulates]]'' them into having sex with him. It really shows how naive Brad/Janet really are if all it takes is for Frank to ''talk'' to them to get them to agree to having sex with him. And it gets worse when you realize that Frank probably had a ''lot'' of practice with his manipulative charm.
72	### He was able to ''perfectly'' mimic Brad's and/or Janet's voice. Think about it. Frank was able to, despite his PaperThinDisguise, trick Brad/Janet into thinking he was their fiancee. He could easily walk into anyone's room into total darkness, imitate their voice, and it would be too late before they found out who it really was.
73	### Again, Frank's an ''alien''. Who knows what kinds of diseases he's carrying...especially since we really don't know how many people (or species for that matter) he's screwed over the years.
74	** Rocky is chronologically and mentally an infant when Frank takes him into the "bridal chamber". Paedophilia is part of the horror.
75	*** Suddenly, Janet's infatuation with Rocky [[{{Squick}} just got a hell of a lot more horrifying]].

Context Fridge / TheRockyHorrorPictureShow