Lets do the Time Warp again! Why The Rocky Horror Picture Show remains a cult classic film - with quiz and video

The Rocky Horror Picture Show was released after the success of the stage show, The Rocky Horror Show. The musical features lyrics by Richard O'Brien and premiered in 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre in London.

The hilariously warped science-fiction feature follows newly engaged couple Brad and Janet, whose car breaks down in an isolated area and they must pay a call to a bizarre residence for help. Once inside they meet the gender-bending Dr Frank-N-Furter and his subjects, on the night that they bring his creation to life - the godly Rocky Horror.

The film was released in 1975 starring O'Brien himself as Riff Raff - alongside the likes of Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Meat Loaf and Tim Curry.

Upon it's original release the film bombed - it was panned by critics and film-goers alike which led to empty cinema screenings across the United States.

Now Rocky Horror is seen as truly iconic, inspiring obsessional devotion from fans across the globe and is widely considered a classic cult film - but what exactly is it that makes this outrageous film so popular?

Rocky Horror was given a new lease of life when it burst onto the underground midnight movie screening scene. In the mid-1970s, midnight screenings became popular and word of mouth began to spread that the midnight audience might enjoy this film due to its illicit themes and campy nature.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show began showing at midnight in a few cities and it became an instant hit, to the point that it has been shown continually in movie theatres since 1975, making it the longest theatrical run in history.

The secretive nature of the midnight screening - the dark theatres and the early hours - made this film irresistible to audiences far and wide attracted to something that seemed mysterious and clandestine, but this isn't the only thing that has contributed to Rocky Horror's fame.

It's no secret that seeing a Rocky Horror screening is an experience - with fans acting out the scenes and singing along to their favourite show tunes.

This was born when Rocky Horror hit the midnight movie circuit at the Waverley Theatre in New York City,1976. Avid fans began turning up to the cinema dressed as the characters, creating their own adaptations of the character's garish and dark costumes inspired by the punk rock fashion trends of the era.

Over time, people began shouting responses to the characters' statements on the screen and eventually acting out their favourite scenes. Schoolteacher Louis Farese Jr., is credited by some with starting the trend of talking back to the film at the Waverley Theatre in 1976.

The dark setting of the midnight screenings lent themselves perfectly to this behaviour, with few stewards and therefore few rules when these showings began.

At the midnight showings, not only do patrons dress up, they bring props. There are no hard-and-fast rules on props, which include some bizarre entries such as rice, water pistols, rubber gloves, toilet paper, party hats and toast.

This inclusion of the audience in the film creates a real community atmosphere - strangers unite in their roles to act out their favourite wild and wacky scenes with no judgement, making friends with a common interest in the process.

The acting out of these scenes also allows the audience to take part in salacious and ludicrous behaviour in a completely safe environment, a sense of escapism that many film lovers crave.

Rocky Horror immediately stands out from the crowd - its lewd, its crude, and its unlike anything else you will ever see.

The film was daring enough to cover a variety of taboo subjects at the time of it's release - gender fluidity and drag, polygamy and free love to name a few - without fear of ridicule. They gave a voice to people within these marginalised subcultures that did not aim to condemn - it instead aimed to showcase them in a positive, celabratory fashion that had never been seen before.

The characters themselves are lovable and draw you in to accepting them and their message into your lives - whether it be the manic and charismatic Dr Frank-N-Furter, the lovable and innocent Brad and Janet, or even the beautiful and awkward Rocky himself.

Audience's did not just create meaningful relationships with audience members, many identified with the outcast characters themselves and found comfort within this fact.

The antics within Rocky Horror did not just attract people who led these lifestyles, it attracted others with their attention pricked by the promise of something out of the ordinary and shocking that they were desperate to see with their own eyes.

Titilating taboo subjects coupled with outrageous theatre antics and mystical midnight screenings - why would you not want to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

It is easy to see why The Rocky Horror Show is considered a cult classic film and still remains immensely popular - the low-budget flick champions a community atmosphere, raucous behaviour and all-round good fun, all while flying the flag of acceptance and love for the underground nooks of society that are so often overlooked in the public eye.

Sing-a-long-a Rocky Horror Picture Show comes to Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre on October 28.

Think you know everything there is to know about the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Take our quiz below to find out: