4K Blu-ray review: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Film

I've seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show hundreds of times. It was one of the first things that helped break open all the doors and windows on my journey to realizing my queerness, and I can still remember vividly that first screening with a live audience where everything shifted in its place.

Since then, the film has become a comfort movie, something I'll return to in bits and pieces when I need to feel better about the world or myself. For its reputation as a wild and seedy little film – which it is – it's also impossibly kind and thoughtful and loving. The kind of unhinged and brilliant gay relative who visits every thanksgiving and causes chaos before disappearing into their childless life like a much hornier version of Mary Poppins.

The songs are timeless bangers, from the daft Time Warp to Eddie's impossibly catchy Hot Patootie to Frank-n-Further's anthem Don't Dream It, Be It. For every element that is intentionally or unintentionally flimsy, like the effects or the Ed Wood -style one-take-is-good-enough acting, the musical numbers never feel anything less than brilliant. They have more life and vision than anything you'll find in Wicked.

And while the plot is a mess, it's also surprisingly poignant, all things considered. Two square kids happen upon a mansion filled with Transylvanian oddballs and aliens, who in turn teach them about the importance of letting yourself be free and true. Suddenly their repression breaks away and any semblance of societal constraints fly into the night along with panties and underwear.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show isn't a perfect film in the traditional sense, but it is perfect for me on an emotional level. I will see it hundreds of times more before I go, and hopefully with hundreds and thousands of friends and strangers, who will all share in on that feeling.

Oh, and it's just perfect that thanks to corporate shenanigans it's Disney that now owns this property. Because that means Frank-n-Further is finally, after all this time, a Disney princess.

Video

The Rocky Horror Picture Show looks just as delightfully grainy and sleazy as it should, even though the beautiful restoration work punches up colors and cleans up the worst of the damage done by time. It's a lively and lovely facelift, even if the film is the kind of miracle that doesn't need it.

But what a thrill it is to see this cast in such detail that never sacrifices the grain or the grime for easy wins. It could have been such a quick move to make this a lifeless mannequin show with some poor AI-infested upscaling, and yet none of that is visible here. Instead, it is meticulously and thoughtfully updated to match the vision of what it once was – only more dreamy, as if a nostalgic hue was placed over the film itself.

For Rocky Horror, I can't think of anything better.

Audio

Here's one aspect where I wish Rocky Horror Picture Show was a little less restrained. The Dolby Atmos mix is clear, crisp, and all-around nice to listen to, but it's not like the original track. Rocky Horror is a low, low budget enterprise. It was filmed with a single Mono track that is intentionally crackly and gnarly. Hearing it blast on all speakers with an added emphasis on parts that never had it before is, well, weird bad, not weird good.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to hear the music as if played with a much fancier setup than ever before possible. But it's the one aspect of Rocky Horror I don't want to be nice. I know this movie like the back of my hand. Hearing it remixed in a way that isn't like the hundreds of times before just feels wrong.

Granted, this is a personal issue borne from a devout fanaticism to the material. Most probably won't notice it. They can add another star. But in my house, we play by my Calvin Ball -styled rules, and they say it's only a great soundtrack, not a perfect one.

Extras

Sadly, none of the extras are new, but they're all so damn good that it's hard to complain. Unlike some other releases of the past year, we finally get all the same materials here in the Nordics as everyone else.

The commentaries are full of great trivia and cattiness from Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn, the documentaries are lovely – especially as everyone is more than aware that Susan Sarandon has no chill about her past with this movie – and the sing-alongs are just as addictive as ever.

The deleted musical pieces are wonderful bits of almost-forgotten lore and you can see why they were edited out of the full thing. The callback track is a hoot for participation goodness, and the trivia proves great for those who can't get enough of the madness surrounding the phenomenon.

Overall

This is a perfect encapsulation of Rocky Horror Picture Show, even if I will quibble over that audio track not including the original Mono mix. It is beautifully restored, the visuals are great, and the extras are as bountiful as ever.

If you're a fan of the film, you owe it to yourself to get this edition, too. If you've never seen Rocky Horror Picture Show before, get it now, but check first if there's a revival screening happening near you. I guarantee it will be a blast in a theater. But this is perfect for those days and nights when you just need to feel some terrible chills.