The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the iconic cult movie. All across the country, fans of all ages, backgrounds, shapes, sizes and livelihoods, pile into movie theatres at midnight on Fridays or Saturdays just to relive the crazy spectacle they've already experienced hundreds of times. This ritual has been going on continuously since 1976, making RHPS the longest-running film in history. But why? What is it about Rocky Horror that keeps the faithful people coming and earns new fans every year? And what about it's ill-fated sequel, Shock Treatment? Why hasn't it enjoyed the same success. There answer is simple, and yet it involves all of us.

Rocky Horror has been called the least likely to succeed of all films, and when you take a step back from it, the reasons are clear. It was one of the first projects to combine classic science fiction elements with rock music. Add to that homosexuality, free love and one very randy transvestite and you've got quite a strange mix. All these are undoubtedly what lead to the film's box office failure when it first debuted in 1975. So how did it manage to succeed at all? Easy. It spoke (and still speaks) to the "weird people," society's rejects who don't fit in with the Brads and Janets out there. It acknowledges the desire within all of us to express ourselves freely and to be accepted for it in a world where the two don't usually go hand in hand. The film's popularity is a testiment to this need, as is the interactivity that comes with it. Audience participation and shadow casts are evidence of how the movie inspires people to step beyond the conventional boundaries. And it only happens at midnight on the weekends, when Brad and Janet are at home, fast asleep. So, too, has Rocky Horror stepped beyond itself as a work of art. It seems almost absurd to refer to it simply as a musical, a science fiction film, or a "gay movie." Yes, it is all of these things, and yet it is so much more. It's a lifeforce in and of itself.

Shock Treatment, fun as it was, never rose to such heights. While it certainly packs just as much quirk as its predecessor, it's not nearly as adventurous. The most notable departure is it's treatment of the sexual element. While sexuality comes through in the film, it's not nearly as liberating or as overt as in the original. Furthermore, it doesn't even acknowledge the events of the first film, presenting itself as simply another story about Brad and Janet, the only returning characters (along with Ralph and Betty, who we barely got to know in RHPS). Indeed, where Rocky Horror is larger than life because of it's adventurous nature, Shock Treatment is merely a musical comedy. That doesn't make it bad or unenjoyable; It's great in a lot of ways and has it's own strange charm. I encourage all Rocky Horror fans to see it at least once, just don't expect something like the original.

RHPS is the grand dame of all cult films, and I'm confident it will continue to stand the test of time. Only through association with it will Shock Treatment be remembered. It's a sad truth, but perhaps it's better to live in Rocky Horror's shadow than to be forgotten.