With the passing of Tim Curry, the world lost a multi-talented performer whose roles left an impression on millions of fans. Throughout a nearly 50-year-long career, Curry crafted several memorable roles on stage, TV, and in movies. Playing everything from a Transvestite Mad Scientist to an evil clown who would eat children, Curry sported a rare ability to be both terrifying, tantalizing, and delightfully campy.
Here are three movie roles that exemplify Curry’s talents.
[imbd.com]Rocky Horror Picture Show showcases Curry’s most memorable performance. We have an old, dark house, a mad scientist and his creature, and an innocent couple slowly giving in to queerness and the obliteration of gender norms. While it may be the King/ Queen of all cult flicks, it is also a dazzling celebration of old B-movies, gender-bending, and good old-fashioned debauchery. Blending references to everything from Frankenstein and King Kong to the musicals of Busby Berkeley, Rocky Horror feels like a great big gay Halloween party that invites characters and an audience to get in on the fun. As a sensation on the midnight movie circuit, it gave generations of fans and marginalized teenagers permission to be different. Plus, the music is still terrific. Example: I still find “There’s a Light” to be a beautiful song. But the ace in the hole is Tim Curry. The actor squeezed every last nuance and innuendo out of this character and takes the whole trope of the ‘gay monster’ and transforms it into a source of power. ★★★1/2
[imbd.com]Not only is It my favorite Stephen King book, but I’m part of a generation of young viewers who were scared to death by the 1990 movie adaptation that sports Tim Curry as the malignant monster clown. Right from the opening scene where a smiling clown devours a little girl, everything I enjoy about horror films is here. We get solid scares (the part with a Mummy slowly descending a staircase draws out tension simply with footsteps). We get an exploration of childhood trauma (having each adult character flash back to their childhood is an effective pacing device). We get the weaponizing of pop-culture knowledge (references to old monster movies help the Loser Club defeat this monster). However, the ace in the hole has to be Tim Curry’s performance as Pennywise. Blending a taunting boogeyman with touches of Bozo the Clown, Curry blends a jovial, child-friendly facade with sudden, venomous malice, creating a masterclass in psychological horror using minimal special effects.
★ ★ ★1/2
[imbd.com]Who killed the aptly named Mr. Body? Was it Mr. Green in the hall with the revolver or Mrs. White in the study with the candlestick? It’s by answering that question that Clue sparked my love for murder mystery movies. The time-honored recipe for a good whodunit is on full display here: lock a group of ‘civilized’ characters in an isolated location, give them each a motive for murder, and sit back and watch the bodies pile up. The movie is a textbook example of how to execute a farce. Written and directed by Jonathan Lynn, the film delivers relentless double entendres, visual gags, and fast-paced banter that reward multiple viewings. Even though it was a commercial disappointment upon its initial release, the film has since become a beloved ’80s farce buoyed by Tim Curry’s manic performance as the butler who may or may not have done it. In the final 15 minutes, Curry carries the entire movie on his back as he gleefully sprints through the halls, acts out the murders, and pieces the plot together at a breathless pace. ★ ★ ★1/2
