Dr. Frank-N-Furter is a self-proclaimed "Sweet Transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania" and the main antagonist of the musical The Rocky Horror Show and its 1975 film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
His main goal was to create a perfect man as his own sexual plaything, which he does in the form of Rocky Horror.
Personality[]
Frank was a smooth-talking and obsequious cross-dresser who was very charming, charismatic, and seductive. His other side was prone to jealousy, homicide, and overwhelming promiscuity. Overall, he was an incredibly persuasive man with a knowledge high enough to create life itself.
Role in Film[]
In his castle, he lived with both his servants, brother and sister Riff Raff and Magenta, along with his groupie Columbia. During the time Brad and Janet meet Frank, he is hosting the annual Transylvanian convention, with several Transylvanians there as party guests. It also means to show the Transylvanians his creation, Rocky. After making his first appearance singing 'Sweet Transvestite' he returns to his lab in wait for Brad and Janet. Once they arrive he greets them with mild flirting before making a speech to the Transylvanians about his work. He then proceeds to create Rocky.
He sings a brief song about his success, 'I Can Make You a Man', and is then interrupted by Eddie, a former delivery boy he had locked in a deep freeze vault. Eddie sings 'Hot Patootie' during which Rocky begins to dance. Frank, being the jealous man he is, butchers Eddie with an ice pick in an envious rage and then sings 'I Can Make You a Man Reprise' before going to a bridal suite with Rocky. He manages to seduce both Brad and Janet after leaving the bridal suite, the other Transylvanians have left, and even manages to convince them to have sex with him.
Later on, Brad and Janet's ex-tutor Dr. Everett Scott turns up at the castle and Frank is immediately suspicious of him, thinking that Dr. Scott is a member of the FBI searching for aliens (he is). Dinner is served to all while Dr. Scott asks about Eddie, as he is his uncle. Dr. Scott sings about Eddie, 'Eddie's Teddy', before Frank pulls away the tablecloth to reveal that their dinner was made of Eddie's dismembered remains. Janet runs screaming to Rocky, who comforts her as they had also had sex, much to Frank's displeasure.
Once again, jealousy turns Frank's mind and he hits Janet and chases her through the castle and up to the lab, with Brad and Dr. Scott following them. He then uses a self-made device that turns people into living statues on Brad, Janet and Dr. Scott. Columbia, who came up with Magenta, Riff Raff and Rocky, then confronts Frank saying that he will have to choose between her and Rocky. Instead, Frank freezes both Columbia and Rocky.
Frank has a short conversation with Riff Raff and Magenta, then tells them to prepare for the Floor Show. In the castle's theater Frank has dressed up Columbia, Rocky, Brad and Janet in a similar outfit to his own, stockings, corset etc, and unfreezes them one by one while they sing a song, 'Rose Tint my World'. Frank then comes in with his own song which, halfway through, consists of him and the other four going into a pool to sing and kiss.
Frank then kicks up the tempo with 'Wild and Untamed Thing' until Riff Raff and Magenta, wearing futuristic space suits, break up the show saying they are to return to their home planet of Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania. Frank is astounded and sings 'I'm Going Home' to try and change Riff Raff's mind. The attempt, however, fails and Riff Raff announces that only Magenta and himself were to return and that Frank is to be killed.
Frank draws himself to his full height. Columbia screams before Riff Raff turns around and fires, killing her instantly. Frank panics when he sees what the laser is capable of and tries to escape by climbing the stage curtain behind him. He is, unfortunately, shot and killed by Riff Raff. Rocky, who witnessed everything, runs over to Frank's corpse weeping. Riff Raff shoots him several times with the laser until he too dies and both his and Frank's bodies fall into the swimming pool. Frank's body is most likely taken back to Transsexual along with the castle when Riff Raff and Magenta return home.
Death[]
Frank was killed when Riff Raff shot him with a beam of pure antimatter.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Frank-N-Furter was Tim Curry's film debut and his breakout role. He remains one of Curry's best-known roles to date, along with Pennywise from the 1990s Stephen King's It miniseries.
- In Shock Treatment, the follow-up, it was planned that Frank revives and makes Denton become his cult. However, Curry didn't want to play Frank anymore, so they replaced him with a new villain, Brad's evil twin Farley Flavors.
- Tim Curry reprised his role as Frank from the 1973 stage production.
- Despite being the film's main antagonist, he is treated as a victim in the ending when he is betrayed by Riff Raff and Magenta, with Brad even questioning Riff Raff's decision to kill Frank by asking what his crime was.
- According to The Rocky Horror Picture Show creator Richard O'Brien, Frank is pansexual.