20th CENTURY  FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT has gone all out with their special edition dvd release for "THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.   Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and Tim Curry star in this intentionally
outlandish homage to "B" horror films.  A cult favorite for midnight shows across the country for decades, the film has developed an interactive appeal with mostly college audiences.  Eg.  When a character holds up a glass asking for a toast, movie theater audiences typically throw toast at the screen!   Susan Sarandon has never looked better than she does here, and her sexy musical number "Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me"
shows off her youthful figure as well as a seductive singing voice.  She plays the fiancé of a nerdy guy, and the film begins with both
characters venturing off to see the college professor that introduced them to each other.  After their car breaks down on a rainy night, near a castle, they  end up seeking shelter, and meeting the weird inhabitants, including Dr. Frank-n-futer, and many more. There are plenty of other interactive type gags running throughout the film, and just one of the extensive supplements offered here is an option in which viewers can hear audience response to key scenes.  Another option offers a pair of lips, appearing at key moments in which the viewer can select
"enter" and be taken to an alternative video stream for audience
participation.  There is a similar subtitle option in which viewers can see what interactive cues are at hand.  The two-disc dvd boxed set is nicely packaged.  There is the option of watching either the U.K. version or the American version.  The U.K.
version offers a song, "Superheroes", deleted from American theatrical versions.  Both versions are available easily, but not "off-the-fly"! They both have 16:9 enhanced transfers with the correct 1.66:1 aspect ratio.  The transfer looks great.  Colors are solid and vibrant!  The production design for this obviously low-budget film, is astonishing at times!  Fleshtones appear natural,(at least when they're supposed to!) and minimal grain.  The dolby digital remix offered here is terrific!  While the surround field is subdued at times, the musical numbers are
exuberant and more than make up for it!  The Meat Loaf number, "Hot Patoottie" is just one perfect demonstration of how wonderful a dolby digital 5.1 remix, when done correctly, can be!  One complaint we have relates to the menu: We hate having to wait for the moving lips to have to appear, say something and then vanish, before the film moves to the selected option!  This should have an "off-the-fly" option! There is also a lesser known version of the film hidden on the disc.  It's kind of interesting, offering the introduction in black&white, until the arrival at the castle, which comes to life in glorious color, but we prefer the full color version due to the incredible color values throughout the disc!  The original mono soundtrack is also available, having limited frequency range, but always audible.  There is also an audio commentary track available in which information about the film is offered, but it offers little in the way of technical info that most commentary fans typically wish for.
The 2nd disc has interactive menus for additional supplements.  One of these supplements is a half-hour documentary with extensive interviews, and more.  There are also supplements made up of deleted musical numbers and numerous alternate takes, and alternative ending, and much more.