










































Normal versus Freak: The 
Issue of Staring in The Rocky 
Horror Picture Show and Classic 
American Freak Show

The term “freak show” paints 
a variety of images on the 

canvas of the reader’s mind. One 
may think of anything from fat 
ladies and strong men to “giants” 
and “dwarves.” While these 
performers were certainly stock 
characters of the historical freak show, they barely scratch the surface of 
the variety of entertainers featured. According to scholar Robert Bogdan, 
the classic American freak show was at its height from 1840 until 1940 (23). 
During this hundred year span, humans who were considered outsiders 
from mainstream society were put on display to perform for the “normal” 
public, who in turn stared at these so-called “freaks” for entertainment 
purposes. Disability scholar Rosemarie Garland Thomson defines the 
dynamics of staring in the following passage: “Staring at disability 
choreographs a visual relation between a spectator and a spectacle” (56). 
From the moment when this “starer” versus “stared at” relationship is 
established, a line of othering has been drawn. 
  Although the historical freak show is considered outdated by today’s 
standards, its influence can still be felt in modern culture, most prevalently 
in the entertainment industry where this line of othering still exists. In 
stage performances, it is generally understood that the actors perform and 
the audience watches. The actors exist in a totally different plane than the 
audience; they behave as if completely unaware of the existence of the 
audience, yet the audience is aware of the actors’ every movement. Through 
this feigned obliviousness, both the performers and spectators are forced 

  -  Nikole Darnell, Ball State University

Abstract
Within the world of performance exists a line of 
othering. By juxtaposing the cult classic The Rocky 
Horror Picture Show and the historical freak show, 
the issue of staring becomes more apparent.

77

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into a realm of othering. However, this is not always the case. During live 
performances of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, audience 
members are frequently encouraged to behave in ways that would be 
considered utterly offensive in the world of traditional theater. During Rocky 
Horror shadow cast screenings—screenings at which the actors act out the 
film while the movie plays behind them—spectators have been known to 
throw things, shout at the screen, and even join the actors on stage for the 
iconic song, “The Time Warp.” 
  In spite of all the crudity and lewdness, fans frequently flock to the 
famous midnight screenings of Rocky Horror to participate in the onstage 
zaniness and coarse merriment. During these screenings, it is common for 
participants to dress up like various characters from the film, especially if 
the film will feature a shadow cast. While the midnight screenings are not 
for everyone, the show’s interactive style creates a sense of unity between 
actor and audience that helps to bridge the othering gap characteristic of 
traditional live performances. 
  Juxtaposing elements of the historical freak show and the 1975 cult 
classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show reveals that, while it is clear that there is 
a line between the “spectator” who stares and the “spectacle” who is stared at 
(Thomson), where exactly the line is drawn varies. The historical freak show 
and Rocky Horror definitely feature many of the same elements, but, whereas 
people come to Rocky Horror to participate, express pride, and show support 
for the show itself, audience members that attended the historical freak 
show often went to make a mockery of the entertainers and feel a sense of 
entitlement.
  In order to fully grasp the controversy surrounding The Rocky Horror 
Picture Show, it is critical to provide a summary. The film begins with two of 
the main characters, newly engaged Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, who are 
driving home when their car breaks down in front of a strange castle located 
oddly in a rural community. Brad and Janet knock on the front door in 
search of a phone, and they are greeted by Riff Raff, the castle’s “handyman.” 
He informs the couple that they are just in time for a party thrown by the 
“Master.” The two protest, but Riff Raff and his sister, Magenta, sweep the 
pair into a wild and lavish party where the famous “Time Warp” scene plays 
out. 
  Shortly after, the lead character, Dr. Frank N. Furter, makes his debut. 

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Frank, a self-described “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania” 
(The Rocky Horror Picture Show), announces that he has discovered the secret 
to life itself and invites everyone up to his secret laboratory to unveil it. 
The human creation is revealed to be a sexy, well-toned, blond man called 
Rocky. The group once again bursts out in celebration, but the festivities are 
soon interrupted by Eddie, the motorcycle riding ex-lover of both Frank 
and one of his associates, Columbia. Annoyed by the disturbance, Frank 
murders Eddie with a pickaxe and proceeds to sweep Rocky off for a night 
of pleasure. Brad and Janet are coerced into staying the night in the castle 
and are both individually seduced by Frank. 
  Meanwhile, Riff Raff tortures Rocky, prompting him to run and hide 
in terror. Following her sexual encounter with Frank, Janet stumbles across 
Rocky in hiding and in turn seduces him. While searching for Rocky, Frank 
is informed that an intruder has entered the castle, and it is none other 
than Dr. Scott, a former teacher of Brad and Janet’s and, conveniently, 
also Eddie’s uncle. Everyone discovers Rocky and Janet together, greatly 
upsetting both Brad and Frank. Magenta breaks the tension by announcing 
that dinner is served. Everyone sits down to an incredibly awkward dinner, 
and it soon becomes apparent they are eating Eddie’s corpse. Upon this 
realization, chaos ensues and sends Janet running, with Frank in pursuit. 
  After a chase, everyone ends up back in Frank’s lab, where he ensnares 
Janet, Brad, Rocky, Dr. Scott, and Columbia in his “Medusa Transducer,” a 
machine which freezes them in place. Frank dresses the frozen individuals 
in corsets, fishnets, boas, and stage makeup and unfreezes them before 
forcing them to perform an elaborate cabaret number. The performance 
comes to a halt as Riff Raff and Magenta reappear, revealing themselves and 
Frank to be aliens from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy Transylvania. 
The pair decides they have had enough of following Frank’s orders and 
proceed to kill him, Columbia, and Rocky. Riff Raff and Magenta release 
the others outside before beaming the castle back into outer space. The film 
concludes with the survivors crawling around in the dirt, trying to make 
sense of what has happened to them (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). 
  Mark Siegel, author of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: More Than a 
Lip Service,” accurately describes the film as “a raunchy, vulgar, and jolting 
film about the coming to Earth of beings from the planet Transsexual in 
the galaxy of Transylvania” (305). Siegel’s description is more than correct; 

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the characters could be seen as incredibly selfish, sex-crazed, and unstable, 
particularly Frank, whose crowning achievement is his creation of the 
perfect human being purely for his own sexual gratification. However, this 
does not change the fact that the show and its characters are adored by fans 
everywhere. While enthusiasts of The Rocky Horror Picture Show identify with 
the nonconformity, people who view themselves as “normal” would most 
likely deem the show to be ridiculous and offensive.
  Christy Tyson comments on reasons that some may not find the show 
or its midnight performances so appealing: “Some find the music too loud, 
the people too freaky, the sexual innuendos too embarrassing” (60). While 
fans typically do not take issue with the show’s overtly sexual nature, others 
might be highly offended by the show as a whole and especially by Frank’s 
actions. When Frank visits both Brad and Janet individually in order to 
seduce them, both encounters take place behind a sheet so that only the 
silhouettes of the actors are visible. However, the audience is still very aware 
of what is happening behind the sheet, due to the visibility of the silhouettes 
performing dramatized sex acts (The Rocky Horror Picture Show). This is just 
one example of the sexual content in Rocky Horror that some viewers find 
objectionable.
  One reason opponents of Rocky Horror feel entitled to judge the 
show is that they view themselves as “normal” as opposed to the onstage 
performers, whom they view as “freakish.” Whereas historical freak show 
performers were scorned for their atypical body types, Rocky Horror’s 
characters behave and dress in ways that are considered abnormal. The 
only reason that some individuals are freakified is that they do not fit into 
the mold that society has constructed for them. The title of scholar Robert 
Bogdan’s essay, “The Social Construction of ‘Freaks’” says it all: the term 
“freak” is a social construction (23). 
  “Freak” is a term invented to put people in a box. It may be only 
a word, but it has the power to further the gap between performer and 
spectator. Only “freaks” can perform in a freak show. Only “normal” people 
can watch. Bogdan puts it perfectly when he writes, “‘Freak’ is a frame of 
mind, a set of practices, a way of thinking about and presenting people; 
it is not a person but the enactment of a tradition, the performance or a 
stylized presentation” (35). Because these “abnormal” individuals do not fit 
in society’s mold, they are forced to create a new one for themselves. Some 

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are able to find comfort among others with unique characteristics, and some 
decide to profit from flaunting their deformities and “abnormalities.” Fans 
of The Rocky Horror Picture Show may not necessarily profit from performing, 
but they also often find the show’s environment welcoming. At a midnight 
showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, costumes and unconventional 
behavior are not only accepted—they are encouraged. Existing outside 
society’s constructed mold is liberating for many. 
  It is clear people who are labeled strange or bizarre flock together; 
this is evident in both Rocky Horror and the classic freak show. The question 
is, why does this happen? In a 1980 issue of The English Journal, similar 
questions were posed to its readers: “What is the significance of The Rocky 
Horror Picture Show? Why do kids keep going to it?” One reader, Christy 
Tyson, wrote in and claimed that the show’s popularity was due to the fact 
that it appealed to those who stood out to others. “It’s OK to be different,” 
she writes. “It’s no wonder that fans feel a special kinship, a commonality 
of beliefs and attitudes, intensified by the heavy group participation that 
is part of the Rocky experience” (60). Whereas performers were stared at 
during the historical freak shows for their abnormalities, no one is stared at 
during Rocky Horror because the show puts forward the idea that everyone is 
abnormal. No one goes to a Rocky Horror performance to judge others or to 
feel entitled; they go to be around others who are just as strange as they are 
and to feel unified with their fellow Rocky Horror aficionados.
  John Boe, author of the review “Don’t Dream it, Be It,” would 
definitely agree with Tyson’s opinion. Boe writes that his daughter 
frequently performs in a Rocky Horror shadow cast as Dr. Frank N. Furter. 
After watching his daughter masquerade as the erotic drag queen on stage 
many times, Boe noticed common behavioral traits among the audience 
members. Many of the guests were frequent goers and came to see the show 
“with an almost religious devotion…every Saturday night, week after week, 
month after month, even year after year” (Boe 63). Such dedication is not 
indicative of a passing fancy. It has been 41 years since The Rocky Horror 
Picture Show debuted, and the midnight screenings are just as strong as they 
ever were. This strong dedication to the Rocky Horror lifestyle and frequent 
attendance of the midnight screenings is indicative of a cult following.  
  When a person hears the word “cult,” they may think of anything 
from satanic rituals and chicken blood to Charles Manson and his followers; 

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however, when discussing the term “cult” as it applies within the context of 
The Rocky Horror Picture Show and other pop culture films, it has an entirely 
different connotation. In their article, “Toward a Sociology of Cult Films: 
Reading Rocky Horror,” authors Patrick T. Kinkade and Michael A. Katovich 
explore cult attraction and its definition. According to the authors, “secular 
cults feature fanatic attachments to objects that stand outside a religious 
perspective; they thus re-portray historical ties between the sacred and 
secular in society” (191). People that become so caught up in the film version 
of The Rocky Horror Picture Show are attracted to more than just the midnight 
screenings; they are drawn to the lifestyle it entails. Of course, choosing to 
be abnormal comes with great responsibility. While Rocky Horror is about 
celebrating sexuality and nontraditional lifestyles, it is not widely accepted 
by everyone.
  Although it has a plethora of fans, The Rocky Horror Picture Show also 
has its share of critics. People tend to stare at things that are out of their 
realm of comfort. Staring is at the very root of audience involvement in 
both freaks shows and Rocky Horror—although the dynamics of staring are 
different in each. In Rocky Horror, the “normal” becomes the object that is 
stared at. Within the film, Brad and Janet, the representatives of the norm, 
stare at other characters they view as peculiar, such as Frank, Riff Raff, 
Magenta, and Columbia. During one of the film’s most iconic songs, “The 
Time Warp,” Brad and Janet watch as Frank’s companions and various party 
guests dance about the mansion, but they do not participate themselves (The 
Rocky Horror Picture Show). Brad and Janet’s behavior is no different from 
the way in which people who consider themselves normal treat those they 
consider abnormal in real life. In “The Politics of Staring: Visual Rhetorics 
of Disability in Popular Photography,” Rosemarie Garland Thomson 
writes, “Starers gawk with abandon in at the prosthetic hook, the empty 
sleeve, the scarred flesh, the unfocused eye, the twitching limb, but seldom 
does looking broaden to envelop the whole body of the person with the 
disability” (57).
  In Rocky Horror, this dynamic holds true; however, it is reversed. While 
Brad and Janet are staring at the “freaks” they have encountered in Frank’s 
mansion, the audience members, who are often dressed up like Frank and 
his merry group, are gawking and poking fun at Brad and Janet. While the 
duo might fit in within any “normal” setting, they stand out tremendously in 

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the Rocky Horror universe. Interestingly enough, several Rocky Horror goers 
do choose to dress up as Janet in her underwear. It is as if fans only see her 
as someone worth idolizing once she has assimilated to Frank’s world and 
has also become a “freak” as it pertains to the context of the film. People do 
not typically enjoy standing out or being othered. As a result, it is easy for 
people to critique those who take part in any sort of othering.  
  Critics of the historical freak show often take issue with the fact 
that many entertainers willingly have chosen to perform. After carefully 
considering this issue, scholar David A. Gerber poses the question, “By what 
criteria can we judge that consent fictive or credible?” (Gerber 38). In his 
article, “The ‘Careers’ of People Exhibited in Freak Shows: The Problem 
of Volition and Valorization,” Gerber describes an “ultra-obese individual,” 
more commonly known as a “fat lady,” who wears small, tight fitting clothing 
and sits in an atypically tiny chair to emphasize her weight (38-41). If she 
enjoys entertaining her audience, is it wrong for her to perform? This 
issue is complicated by the fact that, while contemporary performers have 
more freedom to consent and control over how they display their bodies, 
many historical performers did not. Oftentimes, freak show performers 
were forced to perform, even frequently bought and sold akin to livestock. 
It would seem that in a circumstance where an entertainer who had not 
expressed their full consent to perform, even if they enjoyed what they 
were doing, would be unacceptable. Staring without consent is a violation 
to one’s very right to exist. In a different article penned by Gerber entitled, 
“Pornography or Entertainment? The Rise and Fall of the Freak Show,” he 
references Otis Jordan, also known as “the Frogman” (20). According to 
Gerber, Jordan “argued that anti-freak show moralists were interfering with 
his right to make a decent, honest living” (20). Jordan saw it as his personal 
choice to emphasize his physical differences and profit from it. Although 
it is true that Jordan was a performer in the 1980s, after it was no longer 
legal to traffick humans, his options for earning a living were still incredibly 
limited because of his disability. Since Rocky Horror is a more contemporary 
show, the participants have more choice regarding how to represent 
themselves.
  Since Rocky Horror is a more contemporary show, the performers 
have more choice in how they choose to represent themselves, audience 
members who choose to dress in drag included. Anyone who has seen The 

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Rocky Horror Picture Show knows Frank is a crossdresser. During his first 
onstage appearance shortly after the conclusion of “The Time Warp,” he 
appears dressed in a long, black cape, which he throws to the side revealing 
incredibly feminine lingerie complete with heels, fishnets, and even a pearl 
necklace. Even though he is lecherous and distasteful, audiences everywhere 
adore Frank and frequently attempt to mimic his wardrobe. Historically 
speaking, however, Frank’s apparel choices would have been considered 
nothing short of an abomination. Clare Sears addresses the crossdressing 
issue in her article, “Electric Brilliancy: Cross-Dressing Law and Freak 
Show Displays in Nineteenth-Century San Francisco,” which also discusses 
the oppression of the queer community in nineteenth-century America, 
primarily San Francisco. According to Sears’s research, twenty-one states 
passed laws forbidding public crossdressing over the span of fifty-two years 
between 1848 and 1900 (170). The San Francisco law in particular explicitly 
forbade public nudity, wearing clothes appropriate for the opposite sex, and 
indecent exposure. A violation of any of these resulted in arrest and a fine 
of up to five hundred dollars (Sears 171). To Rocky Horror fans, Frank is not 
a criminal; he is only looking to freely express himself and his sexuality. 
But, according to this law, in the nineteenth century, he would have been 
considered no better than a sex offender.
  Frank’s lifestyle and choices might make certain people feel 
uncomfortable, but this does not make his behavior wrong. These rules 
Sears describes became a way to police people who did not wish to conform 
to mainstream society. The Rocky Horror Picture Show did not exist in this era, 
but, if it had, the unified diversity may have provided some comfort to these 
nonconformists. In addition to banning crossdressing, various cities, San 
Francisco included, enacted laws designed to ban “problem bodies” from 
the streets (Sears 174). Since these cities felt that the crossdressing law had 
been effective in cleaning up the “undesirables” from the public eye, new 
laws were put in place to control the “abnormal” and regulate their place in 
society. The main targets in these cases were primarily Chinese immigrants, 
prostitutes, and anyone who suffered from a visible physical disability 
(Sears 174). These human beings did not fit the perfect social mold, so the 
popular mindset was that they were to be eliminated. Many performers in 
the classic American freak show were merely human beings with disabilities 
who would definitely be targeted by these inhumane laws. The irony of the 

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situation is that the law allowed these citizens to exist peacefully in their own 
homes—as long as they stayed there. In fact, Sears notes several instances 
of neighbors calling the police on their crossdressing neighbors. The police 
told the neighbors that, although they sympathized with the situation, 
the offenders were not in the public eye, so no laws were broken (173). In 
the case of people with disabilities, as Thomson puts it, “Disabled people 
were sequestered from public view in institutions and the private sphere as 
middle-class decorum pronounced it impolite to stare” (57).
  When the undesirables were in view, they were stared at with reckless 
abandon (Thomson). It seems that, wherever such people went, they were 
ruthlessly ridiculed simply for being different. With this being the case, it is 
no wonder that historical freak show performers often formed special bonds 
with each other. Because these stigmas persist today, Rocky Horror provides 
a place where nonconformists can feel a sense of security and comradery at 
the events. The Rocky Horror Picture Show often acts as a safe haven for those 
who have been historically victimized and those who choose to be different. 
  Since the invention of VHS and DVD, The Rocky Horror Picture Show 
is available for viewing in the safety of one’s home. People are no longer 
forced, though have the opportunity if they wish, to venture to the midnight 
screenings to enjoy the show. Scholar Amittai F. Aviram notes that the “Rocky 
Horror Cult ought to be celebrated in public spaces, late at night, in the 
dark, and not trivialized by suburban solitude and trips to the kitchen for 
beer” (183). While the comfort and unobtrusiveness of home may make the 
film more enjoyable for some, many fans feel that the film can only truly 
be enjoyed out in the open. A film as zany and chaotic as The Rocky Horror 
Picture Show deserves an equally crazy environment in which to be viewed. 
Embracing one’s differences in public is an important part of what Rocky 
Horror is all about.
  Mark Siegel would definitely agree with Aviram’s stance. In the very 
first page of his article, Siegel describes having a need for celebration in a 
world that seeks to “restore social equilibrium” (305): a world in which, as 
Sears describes, “problem bodies” were hidden from the public eye and 
“normal” people roamed free (174). No person should feel they need to hide 
themselves from society’s view just because they are deemed a “problem.” 
The problem does not lie with those who are different, it lies with those who 
are “normal.” 

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Darnell

  These “normal” people are wholesome and good; they do not 
associate with “problem bodies” or crudity. If “freak” is a socially 
constructed term, then so must be “normal.” Whether it has a positive 
or negative connotation, a label is still a label. When this label is applied 
to an individual, this individual is put inside a box in which they do not 
necessarily belong. There may always be a dance between the “spectator” 
and the “spectacle” (Thomson 56). Between the two exists a dividing line that 
will keep the “freaks” performing and the “normals” staring. Performances 
like The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be there as well, however, to get us to 
question where and how that line is drawn.

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