View source for The Rocky Horror Picture Show

{{Short description|1975 musical comedy horror film by Jim Sharman}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| image          = Original Rocky Horror Picture Show poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Jim Sharman]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Lou Adler]]
* [[Michael White (producer)|Michael White]]
}}
| writer         = 
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* [[Richard O'Brien]]
* Jim Sharman
}}
| story          = 
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]''|Richard O'Brien}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
<!-- per billing block -->
* [[Tim Curry]]
* [[Susan Sarandon]]
* [[Barry Bostwick]]
}}
| music          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Richard Hartley (composer)|Richard Hartley]]
* '''Songs:'''
* Richard O'Brien
}}
| cinematography = [[Peter Suschitzky]]
| editing        = [[Graeme Clifford]]
| studio         = [[Michael White (producer)|Michael White Productions]]
| distributor    = Fox-Rank Distributors<br>(United Kingdom)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdeymzq0 | title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref><br>[[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]<br>(United States)
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1975|8|14|United Kingdom|1975|9|26|United States}}
| runtime        = 100 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 99:45--><ref>{{cite web |date=17 June 1975 |title=''ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW'' (AA) |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/rocky-horror-picture-show-1970-5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729013306/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/rocky-horror-picture-show-1970-5 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 July 2013 |access-date=18 April 2015 |website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]}}</ref><ref name="Armstrong2007">{{cite book |last=Armstrong |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EoXOtbdeUmgC&pg=PA506 |title=The Rough Guide to Film |date=7 November 2007 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-4053-8498-8 |page=506 |display-authors=etal}}</ref>
| country        = {{Plainlist|<!--The film is primarily British.-->
* United Kingdom<ref name="afi">{{Cite web |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show |url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=55624 |access-date=11 December 2015 |website=American Film Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918201823/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=55624 |archive-date=18 September 2017}}</ref>
* United States<ref name="afi" />
}}
| language       = English
| budget         = $1.4 million<ref name="Budget">{{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Aubrey |title=Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History |year=2002 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |page=258 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WIZwZOz8LHsC&q=rocky+horror |isbn=978-0-8108-4244-1 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
| gross          = $166 million
}}
'''''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''''' is a 1975 [[independent film|independent]]<ref name="cineflixindies">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/best-independent-indie-movies-cinefix-list|title=The Top 10 Indie Movies of All Time &#124; A Cinefix Movie List|first=Clint|last=Gage|date=26 June 2022|website=IGN}}</ref><ref name="popculturehits">{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/indie-movies-that-became-hits/|title=10 Indie Movies That Became Pop-Culture Hits|first=Aleisha|last=Brown|date=6 March 2023|website=Collider}}</ref> [[Musical film|musical]] [[comedy horror]] film produced by [[Lou Adler]] and [[Michael White (producer)|Michael White]], directed by [[Jim Sharman]], and distributed by [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]. The screenplay was written by Sharman and [[Richard O'Brien]], who also played the supporting role Riff Raff. The film is based on the 1973 [[Musical theatre|musical stage production]] ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]'', with music, book, and lyrics by O'Brien. The production is a tribute to the [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] and horror [[B movie]]s of the 1930s through to the early 1960s. The film stars [[Tim Curry]] (in his debut), [[Susan Sarandon]], and [[Barry Bostwick]]. It is narrated by [[Charles Gray (actor)|Charles Gray]], with cast members from the original [[Royal Court Theatre]], [[Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood)|Roxy Theatre]], and [[Belasco Theatre (Broadway)|Belasco Theatre]] productions, including [[Nell Campbell]] and [[Patricia Quinn]].

The story centres on a young engaged couple whose car breaks down in the rain near a castle, where they search for help. The castle is occupied by strangers in elaborate costumes holding a party. They then meet the head of the house, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, an apparently [[mad scientist]] and alien [[Transvestism|transvestite]] from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, who creates a living [[bodybuilding|muscle man]] named Rocky.

The film was shot in the United Kingdom at [[Bray Studios (UK)|Bray Studios]] and on location at [[Oakley Court]], a country house best known for its earlier use by [[Hammer Film Productions]]. A number of [[props]] and set pieces were reused from the Hammer horror films. Although the film is both a parody of and tribute to many [[kitsch]] science fiction and horror films, costume designer [[Sue Blane]] conducted no research for her designs. Blane has claimed that her creations for the film directly affected the development of [[punk rock fashion]] trends, such as torn [[fishnet]] stockings and colourfully dyed hair.<ref name="punkblane">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Dave |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qx6GDAAAQBAJ&q=Sue+blane,+punk+rock&pg=PA1785 |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Campy Cult Classic |date=1 February 2016 |publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Books |isbn=978-1-4950-0747-7 |page=1785 |author-link=Dave Thompson (author)}}</ref>

Initially the film was largely ignored by critics, but it soon became a hit as a [[midnight movie]], when audiences began participating with the film at the [[Waverly Theater]] in New York City in 1976. Audience members returned to the cinemas frequently and talked back to the screen and began dressing as the characters, spawning similar performance groups across the United States. At almost the same time, fans in costume began performing alongside the film. This "shadow cast" mimed the actions on screen, above and behind them, while lip-synching their characters' lines.

Still in [[limited release]] in {{CURRENTYEAR}}, {{age|1975|08|14}} years after its premiere, it is the longest-running theatrical release in film history. In many cities, live amateur shadow-casts act out the film as it is being shown and heavily draw upon a tradition of audience participation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nerdnationmagazine.com/2014/09/30/rocky-horror-picture-show-a-how-to-guide-for-audience-participation/ |title=Rocky Horror Picture Show – a How-To Guide for Audience Participation |date=30 September 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101084155/https://nerdnationmagazine.com/2014/09/30/rocky-horror-picture-show-a-how-to-guide-for-audience-participation/ |archive-date=1 November 2020 |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref> The film is most often shown close to [[Halloween]]. Today, the film has [[The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult following|a large international cult following]] and has been considered by many as [[List of films considered the best#Musical|one of the greatest musical films of all time]]. In 2005, it was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

==Plot==
The film begins with a pair of floating disembodied lips welcoming the audience to a [[science fiction]] [[double feature]] ("[[Science Fiction/Double Feature]]"). Throughout the film, a [[Criminology|criminologist]] from an unspecified point in the future narrates and provides commentary on the events.

Following the wedding of their friends, a naïve young couple, Brad Majors and Janet Weiss, get engaged and decide to celebrate with their high school science teacher Dr. Scott, who taught the class where they first met ("[[Dammit Janet]]"). En route to Scott's house on a dark and rainy night, they get lost and suffer a flat tyre. Seeking a telephone to call for help, the couple walks to a nearby castle ("[[Over at the Frankenstein Place]]") where a party is being held. They are accepted in by the strangely dressed inhabitants, led by the [[butler]] Riff Raff, the [[maid]] Magenta, and a [[groupie]] named Columbia, who dance to "[[Time Warp (song)|The Time Warp]]". Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist, introduces himself and invites them to stay for the night ("[[Sweet Transvestite]]").

With the help of Riff Raff, Frank brings to life a tall, muscular, handsome blond man named Rocky ("The Sword of Damocles"). As Frank vows he can improve Rocky into an ideal man in a week ("I Can Make You a Man"), Eddie, a motorcyclist with a bandaged head, breaks out of a deep freeze ("Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul"). Frank kills Eddie with an ice axe, justifying it as a "[[mercy killing]]". Rocky and Frank depart for the bridal suite ("I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)").

Brad and Janet are shown to separate bedrooms, where Frank visits and seduces each one disguised as the other. Meanwhile, Riff Raff and Magenta torment Rocky, who flees the suite. Janet, having learned of Brad's dalliance with Frank, discovers Rocky cowering in his birth tank. While tending to his wounds, Janet seduces Rocky as Magenta and Columbia watch from their bedroom monitor ("Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me").

Dr. Scott, now a government investigator of [[UFO]]s, comes to the castle in search of his nephew Eddie, who sent him a letter implying part of his brain was removed by aliens. Everyone discovers Janet and Rocky together, enraging Frank. Magenta summons everyone to an uncomfortable dinner, which they soon realise has been prepared from Eddie's mutilated remains ("Eddie"). In the chaos, Janet runs screaming into Rocky's arms, provoking a jealous Frank to chase her through the halls to the lab, where he uses his [[Medusa]] Transducer to turn Dr. Scott, Brad, Janet, Rocky, and Columbia into nude statues ("Planet Schmanet Janet/Wise Up Janet Weiss"/"Planet Hotdog").

After dressing the statues in cabaret costumes, Frank "unfreezes" them and leads them in a live cabaret floor show, complete with an [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] tower and a swimming pool ("Rose Tint My World"/"Don't Dream It, Be It"/"Wild and Untamed Thing"). Riff Raff and Magenta interrupt and announce that due to Frank's extravagance, they are declaring mutiny and returning to their home planet of Transsexual, Transylvania. Frank makes a desperate final plea ("I'm Going Home"), but is ignored as Riff Raff kills both him and Columbia with a laser. An enraged Rocky climbs the tower with Frank's body, and, after several shots from the laser, plunges to his death. The castle lifts off into space, and Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott are left crawling in the smog and dirt, confused and disorientated, as the criminologist concludes that the human race is equivalent to insects crawling on the planet's surface: "lost in time, and lost in space&nbsp;... and meaning" ("Super Heroes").

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Tim Curry]] as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite alien scientist
* [[Susan Sarandon]] as Janet Weiss, Brad's fiancée
* [[Barry Bostwick]] as Brad Majors, Janet's fiancé
* [[Richard O'Brien]] as Riff Raff, a hunchbacked handyman and Magenta's brother
* [[Patricia Quinn]] as Magenta, a domestic servant and Riff Raff's sister
* [[Nell Campbell|Little Nell]] as Columbia, a groupie
* [[Jonathan Adams (British actor)|Jonathan Adams]] as Dr. Everett V. Scott, Frank's rival scientist
* [[Peter Hinwood]] as Rocky Horror, Frank's creation
** [[Trevor White (musician)|Trevor White]] is uncredited as Rocky's singing voice
* [[Meat Loaf]] as Eddie, a former delivery boy
* [[Charles Gray (actor)|Charles Gray]] as the criminologist, an expert
}}
Jeremy Newson and [[Hilary Farr|Hilary Labow]] play Brad and Janet's newlywed friends Ralph and Betty Hapschatt. The guests at both the Hapschatt wedding and Frank's convention consist of Perry Bedden, [[Christopher Biggins]], Gaye Brown, [[Ishaq Bux]], Stephen Calcutt, Hugh Cecil, [[Imogen Claire]], Tony Cowan, [[Sadie Corré]], Fran Fullenwider, Lindsay Ingram, Peggy Ledger, [[Annabel Leventon]], Anthony Milner, Pamela Obermeyer, [[Tony Then]], Kimi Wong, and [[Henry Woolf]], as well as an uncredited Rufus Collins.

==Production==

===Concept and development===
[[File:Rocky Horror throne screencap.jpg|thumb|upright=1.60|Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, Tim Curry, and Richard O'Brien in ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. All were in the original stage show.]]

[[Richard O'Brien]] was living as an unemployed actor in [[London]] during the early 1970s. He wrote most of ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]'' during one winter just to occupy himself.<ref name=Miller2011 /><ref name="Dika2003" /> Since his youth, O'Brien had loved [[science fiction]] and [[B movies|B horror movies]]. He wanted to combine elements of the unintentional humour of B horror movies, portentous dialogue of schlock-horror, [[Steve Reeves]] muscle flicks, and fifties [[rock and roll]] into his musical.<ref name="AmericanMusical">{{cite book |last=Knapp |first=Raymond |url=https://archive.org/details/americanmusicalp00knap |title=The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity |date=2 March 2009 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-6911-4105-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/americanmusicalp00knap/page/n258 240] |url-access=registration}}</ref> O'Brien conceived and wrote the play set against the backdrop of the glam era that had manifested itself in British popular culture in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Auslander |first=Philip |url=https://archive.org/details/performingglamro00ausl |title=Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music |date=2006 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/performingglamro00ausl/page/n61 49] |url-access=limited}}</ref> Allowing his concept to come into being, O'Brien states "[[glam rock]] allowed me to be myself more".<ref name="Glam era">{{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |title=Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-First Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KKupCgAAQBAJ&q=Shock+and+Awe:+Glam+Rock+and+Its+Legacy,+from+the+Seventies+to+the+Twenty-First+Century |date=11 October 2016 |publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=978-0-0622-7981-1 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

O'Brien showed a portion of the unfinished script to Australian director [[Jim Sharman]], who decided to direct it at the small experimental space Upstairs at the [[Royal Court Theatre]] in [[Sloane Square]], [[Chelsea, London]], which was used as a project space for new work.<ref name=Miller2011/> O'Brien had appeared briefly in a stage production of [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar]]'', directed by Sharman, and the two also worked together in [[Sam Shepard]]'s ''The Unseen Hand''. Sharman would bring in production designer [[Brian Thomson (scenic designer)|Brian Thomson]].<ref name="Eagan2009">{{cite book |first=Daniel |last=Eagan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2CIJFMMvx9MC&pg=PT2086 |title=America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry |date=26 November 2009 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group, Limited |isbn=978-1-4411-7541-0 |page=2086}}</ref> The original creative team was then rounded out by costume designer [[Sue Blane]], musical director [[Richard Hartley (composer)|Richard Hartley]], and stage producer [[Michael White (producer)|Michael White]], who was brought in to produce. As the musical went into rehearsal, the working title, ''They Came from Denton High'', was changed just before previews at the suggestion of Sharman to ''The Rocky Horror Show''.<ref name=Miller2011 /><ref>{{cite book| last=Thomson| first=Brian| year=1998| title=The Rocky Horror Scrapbook| location=New York| publisher=Interfishnet| page=6| isbn=978-0-2339-9581-6}}</ref>

Having premiered in the small 60-seat Royal Court Theatre, it quickly moved to larger venues in London, transferring to the 230-seat [[Chelsea Classic Cinema]] on [[King's Road]] on 14 August 1973, before finding a quasi-permanent home at the 500-seat King's Road Theatre from 3 November that year, running for six years.<ref name="Shuker">{{cite book |last=Shuker |first=Roy |url=https://archive.org/details/understandingpop0000shuk_i1i5 |title=Understanding popular music |date=1 November 1994 |publisher=Routledge |edition=annotated |isbn=978-0-415-10722-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/understandingpop0000shuk_i1i5/page/160 160] |url-access=registration}}</ref> The musical made its US debut in [[Los Angeles]] in 1974 before playing in [[New York City]] as well as other cities.<ref name="Eagan2009" /> Producer and [[Ode Records]] owner Lou Adler attended the London production in the winter of 1973, escorted by friend [[Britt Ekland]]. He immediately decided to purchase the US theatrical rights. His production would be staged at his [[Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood)|Roxy Theatre]] in L.A.<ref name="QuislingWilliams2003">{{cite book |first1=Erik |last1=Quisling |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9SwyVx4d8EC&pg=PT245 |title=Straight Whisky: A Living History of Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll on the Sunset Strip |first2=Austin Lowry |last2=Williams |year=2003 |publisher=Bonus Books |isbn=978-1-5662-5197-6 |page=245}}</ref> In 1975, ''The Rocky Horror Show'' premiered on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the 1,000-seat [[Belasco Theatre (Broadway)|Belasco Theatre]].<ref name="BottoViagas2002">{{cite ATT Broadway |page=33}}</ref>

===Filming and locations===
[[File:Oakley Court.jpg|right|thumb|Oakley Court]]

Set in the fictional town of Denton, the film was shot at [[Bray Studios (UK)|Bray Studios]] and [[Oakley Court]], a country house near [[Maidenhead]], [[Berkshire]], England, and at [[Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)|Elstree Studios]]<ref name="Newland2010">{{cite book |first=Paul |last=Newland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9BZCLVHpA-gC&pg=PA138 |title=Don't Look Now: British Cinema in the 1970s |year=2010 |publisher=Intellect Books |isbn=978-1-8415-0320-2 |page=138}}</ref> for post-production,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=sally |title=Elstree Studios. |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Elstree+Studios.-a0150440147 |access-date=16 March 2014 |website=The Free Library |publisher=Farlex, Inc.}}</ref> from 21 October to 19 December 1974. Oakley Court, built in 1857 in the [[Victorian Gothic]] [[Architectural style|style]], is known for a number of [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer films]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Huckvale |first=David |url=http://www.ice.cam.ac.uk/components/tutors/?view=tutor&id=87&cid=500 |title=Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde |date=28 May 2008 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-3456-5 |page=150 |access-date=30 September 2012}}</ref><ref name="Fisher2013">{{cite book |first=Stuart |last=Fisher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YWyrAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA227 |title=British River Navigations: Inland Cuts, Fens, Dikes, Channels and Non-tidal Rivers |date=24 October 2013 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-1-4729-0668-7 |page=227}}</ref> Much of the location shooting took place there, although at the time the manor was not in good condition.<ref name="Hallenbeck2009">{{cite book |first=Bruce G. |last=Hallenbeck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2AIgAef-bAcC&pg=PA109 |title=Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914–2008 |date=30 April 2009 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-5378-8 |page=109}}</ref> Most of the cast were from the original London stage production, including Tim Curry, who had decided that Dr Frank N. Furter should speak like the [[Elizabeth II|Queen of the United Kingdom]], extravagantly posh.<ref name="Glam era"/> Fox insisted on casting the two characters of Brad and Janet with American actors, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon.<ref name="Eagan2009"/> Filming took place during autumn, which made conditions worse. During filming, Sarandon fell ill with [[pneumonia]].<ref name=AmericanMusical/> Filming of the laboratory scene and the title character's creation occurred on 30 October 1974.{{sfn|Henkin|1979|p=16}}

The film is both a parody and tribute to many of the science fiction and horror movies from the 1930s up to the 1970s.<ref name="Miller2011">{{cite book |first=Scott |last=Miller |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zAKvBAXbdFkC&pg=PA127 |title=Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, and Musicals |date=2011 |publisher=UPNE |isbn=978-1-5555-3761-6 |page=127}}</ref> The film production retains many aspects from the stage version, such as production design and music, but adds new scenes not featured in the original stage play.<ref name="Eagan2009"/> The film's plot, setting, and style echo those of the Hammer horror films, which had their own instantly recognisable style (just as [[Universal Classic Monsters|Universal Studios' horror films]] did).<ref>{{cite book |last=Harpole |first=Charles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bkCxtdir1ZIC&q=The+Rocky+Horror+Picture+Show+parody+of+Hammer+Films&pg=PA212 |title=History of the American cinema |date=5 November 1999 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |isbn=978-0-6848-0463-7 |edition=1st |pages=212–213}}</ref> The originally proposed opening sequence was to contain clips of various films mentioned in the lyrics, as well as the first few sequences shot in black and white, but this was deemed too expensive and scrapped.<ref name="Eagan2009"/>

===Costumes, make-up, and props===
In the stage productions, actors generally did their own make-up; however, for the film, the producers chose Pierre La Roche, who had previously been a make-up artist for [[Mick Jagger]] and [[David Bowie]], to redesign the make-up for each character.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hadleigh |first=Boze |title=The Lavender Screen: The Gay and Lesbian Films: Their Stars, Makers, Characters, and Critics |date=1 January 2001 |publisher=Citadel |isbn=978-0-8065-2199-2 |edition=Revised |pages=132–135 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7u2PmlUDpwC&q=rocky+horror |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> Production stills were taken by [[Rock music|rock]] photographer [[Mick Rock]], who has published a number of books from his work.<ref>{{cite web |year=2011 |title=Mick Rock |url=http://www.mickrock.com/about-mick/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918045420/http://www.mickrock.com/about-mick/ |archive-date=18 September 2012 |access-date=4 October 2012 |website=Official web site}}</ref> In ''Rocky Horror: From Concept to Cult'', designer Sue Blane discusses the ''Rocky Horror'' costumes' influence on [[punk music]] style, opining "[It was a] big part of the build-up [to [[Punk subculture|punk]]]." She states that ripped fishnet stockings, glitter, and coloured hair were directly attributable to ''Rocky Horror''.<ref name=Miller2011 />

[[File:Columbia top hat and tux.jpg|thumb|A fan-made replica of Little Nell's gold sequined [[swallow-tail coat]]]]

Some of the costumes from the film had been originally used in the stage production. Props and set pieces were reused from old Hammer Horror productions and others. The tank and dummy used for Rocky's birth originally appeared in ''[[The Revenge of Frankenstein]]'' (1958). These references to earlier productions, in addition to cutting costs, enhanced the [[Cult film|cult status]] of the film.<ref name="Riley2008">{{cite book |first=Samantha Michele |last=Riley |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/210600559.pdf |title=Becoming the Wig: Mis/identifications and Citationality in Queer Rock Musicals |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-549-53382-5 |page=22}}</ref>

Costume designer Sue Blane was not keen on working for the film, until she became aware that Curry, an old friend, was committed to the project. Curry and Blane had worked together in [[Glasgow]]'s [[Citizens Theatre]] in a production of ''[[The Maids]]'', for which Curry had worn a woman's corset. Blane arranged for the theatre to loan her the corset from the other production for ''Rocky Horror''.<ref name="Siegel">{{cite web |last=Siegel |first=Robert |title=Making The Rocky Horror Picture Show |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=7605 |access-date=27 March 2014 |publisher=Blu-ray.com}}</ref> Blane admits that she did not conduct research for her designing, had never seen a [[science fiction film]], and is acutely aware that her costumes for Brad and Janet may have been generalisations.

{{blockquote|When I designed ''Rocky'', I never looked at any science fiction movies or comic books. One just automatically knows what spacesuits look like, the same way one intuitively knows how Americans dress. I had never been to the United States, but I had this fixed idea of how people looked there. Americans wore polyester so their clothes wouldn't crease, and their trousers were a bit too short. Since they're very keen on sports, white socks and white T-shirts played an integral part in their wardrobe. Of course, since doing ''Rocky'' I have been to the United States and admit it was a bit of a generalization, but my ideas worked perfectly for Brad and Janet.<ref name=Siegel/>}}

The budget for the film was [[United States dollar|US$]]1,600,000, far more than the stage production budget, but having to double up on costumes for the film production was expensive. For filming, corsets for the finale had to be doubled for the pool scene, with one version drying while the other was worn on set. While many of the costumes are exact replicas from the stage productions, other costumes were new to filming, such as Columbia's gold sequined swallow-tail coat and top hat and Magenta's maid's uniform.<ref name=Siegel />

Blane was amazed by the recreation and understanding of her designs by fans.<ref name=Siegel /> When she first heard that people were dressing up, she thought it would be tacky, but was surprised to see the depth to which the fans went to recreate her designs. ''Rocky Horror'' fan Mina Credeur, who designs costumes and performed as Columbia for Houston's performance group, states that "the best part is when everyone leaves with a big smile on their face," noting that there's "such a [[kitsch]]iness and [[campiness]] that it seems to be winking at you."<ref>{{cite news |last=Keppler |first=Nick |date=7 June 2007 |title=The Beautiful Creatures |newspaper=[[Houston Press]] |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/the-beautiful-creatures-6584721 |access-date=28 March 2014}}</ref> The film still plays at many theatre locations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Melanie |date=18 October 2011 |title=Rocky Horror Picture Show Costumes: DIY Ideas for Halloween 2011 |newspaper=[[International Business Times]] |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/rocky-horror-picture-show-costumes-diy-ideas-halloween-2011-324346 |access-date=15 November 2014}}</ref>

===Title sequence===
The film starts with the screen fading to black and oversized, disembodied female lips appear overdubbed with a [[Voice type|male voice]],<ref name="Riley2008" /><ref name="Laderman2010">{{cite book |first=David |last=Laderman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UU8X_FH76uwC&pg=PA32 |title=Punk Slash! Musicals: Tracking Slip-Sync on Film |date=1 March 2010 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=978-0-292-77791-0 |page=32}}</ref> establishing the theme of [[androgyny]] to be repeated as the film unfolds.<ref name="LancasterMikotowicz2001">{{cite book |first1=Kurt |last1=Lancaster |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B9fAl7lwtMEC&pg=PA128 |title=Performing the Force: Essays on Immersion Into Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Environments |first2=Thomas J. |last2=Mikotowicz |date=1 January 2001 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-0895-5 |page=128}}</ref> The opening scene and song, "[[Science Fiction/Double Feature]]", consists of the lips of Patricia Quinn (who appears in the film later as the character Magenta and as 'Trixie the Usherette' in the original London production, where she also sings the song) but has the vocals of actor and ''Rocky Horror'' creator, Richard O'Brien (who appears as Magenta's brother Riff Raff). The lyrics refer to science fiction and horror films of the past and list several film titles from the 1930s to the 1960s, including ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' (1951), ''[[Flash Gordon (serial)|Flash Gordon]]'' (1936), ''[[The Invisible Man (1933 film)|The Invisible Man]]'' (1933), ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933), ''[[It Came from Outer Space]]'' (1953), ''[[Doctor X (film)|Doctor X]]'' (1932), ''[[Forbidden Planet]]'' (1956), ''[[Tarantula (film)|Tarantula]]'' (1955), ''[[The Day of the Triffids (film)|The Day of the Triffids]]'' (1962), ''[[Curse of the Demon]]'' (1957), and ''[[When Worlds Collide (1951 film)|When Worlds Collide]]'' (1951).<ref name=Miller2011 />

==Music==
{{main|The Rocky Horror Picture Show (soundtrack){{!}}''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (soundtrack)}}
The soundtrack was released in 1975 by [[Ode Records]] and produced by English composer [[Richard Hartley (composer)|Richard Hartley]]. The album peaked at No. 49 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] in 1978.<ref name="AllmusicChart">{{cite web |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show > Charts & Awards |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r84835/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=3 October 2010}}</ref> It reached No. 12 on the [[ARIA Charts|Australian albums chart]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-646-11917-5 |location=St Ives, New South Wales |page=282 |author-link=David Kent (historian)}}</ref> and No.&nbsp;11 on the [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|New Zealand albums chart]].<ref name="NZportal">{{cite web |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show (album) |url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundtrack&titel=The+Rocky+Horror+Picture+Show&cat=a |access-date=3 October 2010 |website=New Zealand charts portal}}</ref> The album is described as the "definitive version of the [''Rocky Horror''] score".<ref name="AllmusicReview">{{cite web |last=Ruhlmann |first=William |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show > Review |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r84835/review|pure_url=yes}} |website=Allmusic |access-date=3 October 2010}}</ref>

{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
# "[[Science Fiction/Double Feature]]" – The Lips (those of Patricia Quinn; voice of Richard O'Brien)
# "[[Dammit Janet]]" – Brad, Janet, and Chorus
# "[[Over at the Frankenstein Place]]" – Janet, Brad, Riff Raff, and Chorus
# "[[Time Warp (song)|The Time Warp]]" – Riff Raff, Magenta, The Criminologist, Columbia, and Transylvanians
# "[[Sweet Transvestite]]" – Frank with spoken lyrics by Brad and Janet
# "[[Sword of Damocles (Rocky Horror song)|The Sword of Damocles]]" – Rocky and Transylvanians
# "I Can Make You a Man" – Frank and Transylvanians
# "[[Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul]]" – Eddie and Transylvanians
# "I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)" – Frank, Janet, and Transylvanians
# "[[Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me]]" – Janet with Magenta, Columbia, Rocky, Brad, Frank, and Riff Raff
# "Once in a While" (''[[deleted scene]]'') – Brad
# "Eddie" – Dr. Scott, The Criminologist, Janet, Columbia, and Frank
# "Planet Schmanet Janet (Wise Up Janet Weiss)" – Frank with one line by Janet
# "Planet Hot Dog" – Frank, Brad, Dr. Scott, and Janet
# "[[Rose Tint My World]]" – Columbia, Rocky, Brad, and Janet
# "[[Fanfare/Don't Dream It, Be It]]" – Frank with Dr. Scott, Brad, and Janet
# "[[Wild and Untamed Thing]]" – Frank with Brad, Janet, Rocky, Columbia, and Riff Raff
# "[[I'm Going Home (Rocky Horror song)|I'm Going Home]]" – Frank and Chorus
# "Super Heroes" (''only present in full in the original UK release'') – Brad, Janet, The Criminologist, and Chorus
# "[[Science Fiction/Double Feature|Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)]]" – The Lips
{{div col end}}

==Release==
[[File:London opening poster for Rialto.jpeg|thumb|right|London release poster for 14 August 1975 premiere]]

===Theatrical===
The film opened in the United Kingdom at the Rialto Theatre in London on 14 August 1975 and in the United States on 26 September at the UA Westwood in Los Angeles.<ref name="Champion"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://inmagazine.ca/2019/09/flashback-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-premieres-in-north-america-september-26-1975/ |title=FLASHBACK: The Rocky Horror Picture Show Premieres In North America (September 26, 1975) |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=14 August 2020 |magazine=In Magazine}}</ref> It did well at that location, but not elsewhere.<ref name="Henkin1979">{{harvnb|Henkin|1979|p=27}}</ref>  Before the midnight screenings' success, the film was withdrawn from its eight opening cities due to very small audiences, and its planned New York City opening on Halloween night was cancelled.<ref name="Samuels_MidMov">[[#Samuels|Samuels (1983)]], p. 11</ref> Fox re-released the film around college campuses on a double-bill with another rock music film parody, [[Brian De Palma]]'s ''[[Phantom of the Paradise]]'' (1974), but again it drew small audiences.<ref name="Samuels_MidMov"/>

[[File:The Rocky Horror Picture Show.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The iconic "Lips" poster, a parody of the poster for the 1975 film ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'']]
A second film poster was created using a set of red lipstick-painted lips with the tagline "A Different Set of Jaws", a spoof of the poster for the film ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' (which was also released in 1975).<ref name=Riley2008 /> The lips of former ''[[Playboy]]'' model Lorelei Shark are featured on the poster.<ref>{{cite web |date=7 June 2016 |title=Lorelei Shark Interview – She IS The Rocky Horror LIPS – Scott Michaels Dearly Departed online |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcM0920SS20  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/TcM0920SS20| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=15 August 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

With ''[[Pink Flamingos]]'' (1972) and ''[[Reefer Madness]]'' (1936) making money in midnight showings nationwide, a [[20th Century Fox|Fox]] executive, Tim Deegan, was able to talk distributors into midnight screenings,<ref name="LancasterMikotowicz2001"/> starting in New York City on April Fools' Day of 1976.<ref name=Samuels_MidMov/> It was the "Secret" film, on 20 May, in the first [[Seattle International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historylink.org/File/10097 |title=First Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) opens at Moore Egyptian Theatre on May 14, 1976. |website=[[HistoryLink]] |last=Caldbick |first=John |date=5 January 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019075804/https://historylink.org/File/10097 |archive-date=19 October 2016 |access-date=27 January 2022}}</ref> The [[The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult following|cult following]] started shortly after the film began its midnight run at the [[Waverly Theater]] in New York City,<ref name="Henkin1979" /> then spread to other counties in [[New York (state)|New York]], and to [[Uniondale, Long Island]]. ''Rocky Horror'' was not only found in the larger cities but throughout the United States, where many attendees would get in free if they arrived in costume. The western division of the film's release included the U.A. Cinemas in [[Fresno]] and [[Merced]], the Cinema J. in [[Sacramento]], the [[UC Theatre]] in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] and the Covell in [[Modesto]]. In [[New Orleans]], an early organised performance group was active with the release there, as well as in such cities as [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], and [[Chicago]] (at the [[Biograph Theater]]).

In [[University City, Missouri|St. Louis]], the Varsity Theatre began showing ''Rocky Horror'' in March 1976 as its main feature for three weeks, making it one of the first 30 theatres in the United States to screen the film. Owner Pete Piccione subsequently brought it back as a midnight movie on weekends through 1976 and 1977. By mid-1978, the Varsity was running ''Rocky Horror'' every weekend at midnight, and by May 1979 it had logged at least 60 consecutive weekends; the run continued until the theatre closed in January 1988.<ref>{{cite news |title=Movie listings (Varsity Theatre midnight shows) |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=24 November 1976 |page=44}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mink |first=Eric |title=Midnight crowds at the Varsity (''Rocky Horror'' every Fri–Sun) |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=24 July 1978 |page=35}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pollack |first=Joe |title=Varsity manager: "60 consecutive weekends" of ''Rocky Horror'' |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=13 May 1979 |page=96}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Meyers |first=Jeff |title=Cult films and the midnight crowds (''Rocky Horror'' in third year at the Varsity) |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=22 September 1980 |page=37D}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockyhorrorwiki.org/wiki2/index.php?title=Varsity_Theatre |title=Varsity Theatre |website=Rocky Horror Wiki |access-date=19 September 2025}}</ref> Before long, nearly every screening of the film was accompanied by a live fan cast.{{sfn|Henkin|1979|p=118}}

[[File:UA Cinema Rocky Horror 1978.jpg|thumb|19 January 1978, opening at the UA Cinema, Merced, California]]
''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is considered to be the longest-running release in film history.<ref name="BBC 2020">{{cite web| last=Ivan-Zadeh| first=Larushka| date=19 June 2020| title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The film that's saved lives| url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200618-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-the-film-thats-saved-lives| access-date=5 February 2024| website=BBC |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Fox">{{cite press release |title=Fox Celebrates 25 Years of Absolute Pleasure, Pop Culture Phenomenon and Midnight Classic |date=24 August 2000 |publisher=RHPS Official Fan Site |url=http://www.rockyhorror.com/news/pr_25thannivdvd.php |access-date=13 June 2007}}</ref> It benefited from a 20th Century Fox policy that made archival films available to theatres at any time.<ref name="disneyvault">{{cite journal |last=Zoller-Seitz |first=Matt |date=24 October 2019 |title=Disney Is Quietly Placing Classic Fox Movies Into Its Vault, and That's Worrying |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/disney-is-quietly-placing-classic-fox-movies-into-its-vault.html |access-date=24 October 2019 |journal=[[New York (magazine)#Digital expansion and destination sites|Vulture]]}}</ref> Having never been pulled by 20th Century Fox from its original 1975 release, it continues to play in cinemas.<ref name="showtimes">{{Cite web |title=RHPS regular showtimes |url=http://www.rockyhorror.com/participation/showtimes_listings.php?type=r |access-date=13 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="Indy">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Zach |date=27 October 2010 |title=What keeps The Rocky Horror Picture Show flame burning for more than two decades in Raleigh? |newspaper=[[Indy Week]] |url=http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/what-keeps-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-flame-burning-for-more-than-two-decades-in-raleigh/Content?oid=1753817 |access-date=13 April 2013 |archive-date=19 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519111239/http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/what-keeps-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-flame-burning-for-more-than-two-decades-in-raleigh/Content?oid=1753817 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After [[The Walt Disney Company]] [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019]] and began withdrawing archival Fox movies from theatres to be placed into the [[Disney Vault]], the company made an exception in the case of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' to allow the traditional midnight screenings to continue.<ref name=disneyvault/><ref name="vaultexception">{{cite news |last=Henriksen |first=Erik |date=29 August 2019 |title=As Disney Cracks Down on Repertory Screenings, Portland's Independent Theaters Adapt |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2019/08/29/27051960/as-disney-cracks-down-on-repertory-screenings-portlands-indie-theaters-adapt |access-date=31 October 2019 |newspaper=[[Portland Mercury]]}}</ref>

To commemorate the film's 50th anniversary, a new 4K remaster of the film, resulting from a 10-month restoration effort by the [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] Restoration Team, is set to be released in theatres in 2025 by [[20th Century Studios]], with screenings taking place both at midnight and during the day. Disney's Restoration & Library Management director Kevin Schaeffer described the new version of the film as a way "to honor its bold, genre-defying spirit and ensure that audiences – both longtime fans and first-time viewers – can experience it as it was originally intended, with stunning picture and sound." Adler added "What began as a small, rebellious project has become a global celebration of individuality, community, and creative freedom. This anniversary is a tribute to the fans who kept it alive and kicking all these years."<ref name="50thAnniversary">{{cite web |last1=Malkin |first1=Marc |title='Rocky Horror Picture Show' Gets 4K Remaster and New Logo for 50th Anniversary (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/rocky-horror-picture-show-4k-remaster-50th-anniversary-1236381904/ |website=Variety |access-date=1 May 2025 |date=30 April 2025}}</ref>

===Home media===
A [[Super 8 film|Super 8]] version of selected scenes of the film was made available.<ref>[[#Piro|Piro & Hess (1991)]], p. 77</ref> In 1983, Ode Records released ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Audience Par-Tic-I-Pation Album'', recorded at the [[8th Street Playhouse]]. The recording consisted of the film's audio and the standardised call-backs from the audience.<ref name="Peraino2005">{{cite book |last=Peraino |first=Judith A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97PGJX3DMFAC&pg=PA234 |title=Listening to the Sirens: Musical Technologies of Queer Identity from Homer to Hedwig |date=30 October 2005 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=978-0-5209-2174-0 |location=Oakland, California |page=234}}</ref> A home video release was made available in 1987 in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |title=British Board of Film Classification: RHPS |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/rocky-horror-picture-show-1975 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702185247/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/rocky-horror-picture-show-1975 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 July 2014 |access-date=14 April 2016}}</ref> In the US, the film (including documentary footage and extras) was released on [[VHS]] on 8 November 1990, retailing for $89.95.<ref name="Champion">{{cite news |last=Champion |first=Lindsay |date=14 August 2013 |title=Happy Birthday, Dear Rocky! 38 Freaky Facts About The Rocky Horror Picture Show |journal=[[John Gore Organization|Broadway.com]] |url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/171159/happy-birthday-dear-rocky-38-freaky-facts-about-the-rocky-horror-picture-show/ |access-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> The film received two separate US [[LaserDisc]] releases in 1992 and 1997,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lddb.com/search.php?search=the+rocky+horror+picture+show&sort=title|title=LaserDisc Database - Search - the rocky horror picture show|website=www.lddb.com}}</ref> with the film also being released on LaserDisc in France, Germany and Japan during the 1990s.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}

[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] released a [[DVD]] in the US on 23 October 2000, for the film's 25th anniversary.<ref name="2000IGN">{{cite web |last=IGN Staff |date=21 June 2000 |title=Rocky Horror Picture Show, The |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/21/rocky-horror-picture-show-the |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240928171037/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/21/rocky-horror-picture-show-the |archive-date=28 September 2024 |access-date=28 September 2024 |website=IGN }}</ref> This one is a [[THX]] certified two-disc set that features the original theatrical version and an extended version.<ref name="TimeWarpAgain">{{cite news |last=Salas |first=Randy A. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-lets-do-the-time-warp-ag/154323379/ |title=Let's do the 'Time Warp' again with 'Rocky Horror'
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830224607/https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-tribune-lets-do-the-time-warp-ag/154323379/ |date=3 October 2000 |access-date=30 August 2024 |archive-date=30 August 2024 |page=40 |work=Star Tribune Staff Writer |publisher=[[Minnesota Star Tribune]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> In Australia ([[DVD region code|Region 4]]) it was released on DVD in 2002, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment South Pacific,<ref>Copyright notice on Region 4 DVD packaging for ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', 2002.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050616050746fw_/http://www.foxmovies.com.au/home_ent/june_library_2005.pdf |title=20th Century Fox Home Entertainment June 2005 Retail |access-date=25 September 2025}}</ref> while in the UK ([[DVD region code|Region 2]]) it was released on DVD on 14 February 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fishpond.com.au/Movies/Rocky-Horror-Picture-Show-Ed-Sarandon-Susan/9321337020662?srsltid=AfmBOoq9exJAwRR2NE_D8JM-iyalUvaZaKLvrq8xSpimFlNncopZ-j3b|title=Rocky Horror Picture Show Ed [2 Discs] by 20th Century Fox - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Australia|website=www.fishpond.com.au}}</ref> A 35th anniversary edition [[Blu-ray]] was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in the US on 19 October 2010. The disc includes a newly created [[7.1 surround sound]] mix, the original theatrical [[mono sound]] mix, and a [[4K2K|4K/2K]] [[Digital cinematography#Video formats|image]] transfer from the [[original camera negative]]. In addition, new content featuring karaoke and a fan performance were included.<ref>{{cite press release |title=An Absolute Pleasure...For 35 Years |publisher=RHPS Official Fan Site |url=http://www.rockyhorror.com/news/pr_bluray.php |date=4 August 2010 |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref>

A 45th anniversary edition Blu-ray was released in September 2020 by [[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment]] under the [[20th Century Home Entertainment]] label.<ref>{{cite web| date=9 September 2020| title=THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW 45th Anniversary Limited-Edition SteelBook Arrives Sept. 15| url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/THE-ROCKY-HORROR-PICTURE-SHOW-45th-Anniversary-Limited-Edition-SteelBook-Arrives-Sept-15-20200909| access-date=27 September 2020| website=[[BroadwayWorld]]| language=en}}</ref> In October 2021, the film was added to [[Disney+]] on the Star hub for users in locations such as the UK, Ireland and Canada.<ref>{{cite web| date=23 September 2021| title="Rocky Horror Picture Show" Coming Soon To Disney+ (UK/Ireland)| website=What's On Disney Plus| url=https://whatsondisneyplus.com/rocky-horror-picture-show-coming-soon-to-disney-uk-ireland/| access-date=3 October 2021| language=en-US| archive-date=10 February 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210113714/https://whatsondisneyplus.com/rocky-horror-picture-show-coming-soon-to-disney-uk-ireland/| url-status=dead}}</ref> For the film's 50th anniversary, film was released on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]] on 7 October 2025 by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] under licence from Disney.<ref name="50thAnniversary" /><ref>{{cite web| date=7 August 2025| title=$166 Million Horror Cult Classic With a Major Record That May Never Be Broken Gets 4K Release 50 Years Later| url=https://www.cbr.com/rocky-horror-picture-show-4k-release-details/| access-date=19 August 2025| website=[[Comic Book Resources]]| language=en}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' critic [[Roger Ebert]] noted that when first released, ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' was "ignored by pretty much everyone, including the future fanatics who would eventually count the hundreds of times they'd seen it". He considered it more a "long-running social phenomenon" than a movie, rating it 2.5 out of 4 stars and describing Curry as "the best thing in the movie, maybe because he seems to be having the most fun" but thinking the story would work better performed on stage for a live audience.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=1 January 1975 |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show |url=https://rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-1975 |access-date=5 April 2014 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |via=Rogerebert.com}}</ref> Bill Henkin noted that ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' thought that the "campy hijinks" of the film seemed "labored", and also mentioned that the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]''{{'s}} John Wasserman, who had liked the stage play in London, found the film "lacking both charm and dramatic impact". ''[[Newsweek]]'', in 1978, called the film "tasteless, plotless and pointless".<ref name="Picart2003">{{cite book |first=Caroline Joan |last=Picart |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f75PPxXDpeIC&pg=PA62 |title=Remaking the Frankenstein Myth on Film: Between Laughter and Horror |date=2 July 2003 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-5770-2 |page=62}}</ref>

[[Review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film a rating of 81% based on 51 reviews, and an average grade of 6.9/10, with the critical consensus reading "''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' brings its quirky characters in tight, but it's the narrative thrust that really drives audiences insane and keeps 'em doing the time warp again".<ref>{{cite web| title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show| url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/rocky_horror_picture_show/| access-date=24 February 2024| website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> A number of contemporary critics find it compelling and enjoyable because of its offbeat and bizarre qualities; the [[BBC]] summarised: "for those willing to experiment with something a little bit different, a little bit outré, ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' has a lot to offer."<ref>{{cite web |date=25 August 2000 |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/08/25/rocky_horror_review.shtml |access-date=5 April 2014 |website=BBC}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it a "low-budget freak show/cult classic/cultural institution" with "catchy" songs.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/41864/The-Rocky-Horror-Picture-Show/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426131421/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/41864/The-Rocky-Horror-Picture-Show/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 April 2014 |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Derek |last=Armstrong |date=26 April 2014 |access-date=5 April 2014}}</ref> [[Geoff Andrew]], of ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'', noted that the "string of hummable songs gives it momentum, Gray's admirably straight-faced narrator holds it together, and a run on black lingerie takes care of almost everything else", rating it 4 out of 5 stars.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show |url=https://timeout.com/london/film/the-rocky-horror-picture-show |magazine=Time Out |access-date=5 April 2014}}</ref> On the other hand, [[Dave Kehr]] of the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' considered the wit to be "too weak to sustain a film" and thought that the "songs all sound the same".<ref>{{cite news |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show |newspaper=Chicago Reader |url=https://chicagoreader.com/film/the-rocky-horror-picture-show/ |last=Kehr |first=Dave |date=23 October 2012 |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref>

In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web |date=20 November 2013 |title=National Film Registry Titles 1989–2013 |url=https://www.loc.gov/film/registry_titles.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419221742/http://www.loc.gov/film/registry_titles.php |archive-date=19 April 2012 |access-date=18 February 2014 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pP3A4NB2P4oC |title=Rocky Horror Picture Show |journal=Library of Congress Information Bulletin |year=2006 |publisher=Library of Congress |page=23}}</ref>

===Box office===
In its first year of release, the film grossed $1,032,000 in the United States and Canada and $200,650 internationally.<ref name=grosses>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=27 March 1993|page=23|title=The long, Rocky road to profit}}</ref>

It fared better in 1976, grossing over $11 million in the United States and Canada and $2 million internationally for a worldwide total of $14.7 million. It grossed similar amounts for the next four years and had reached a gross of $57.9 million in the United States and Canada and $68.6 million worldwide by 1980. By 1984 it had reached $100 million worldwide and by 1986 it had reached that milestone in the United States and Canada and $124 million worldwide. By 1990, the film had grossed $125.6 million in the United States and Canada and $150 million worldwide. At that date, it had an estimated profit just from theatrical release grosses of $55 million.<ref name=grosses/> By 1999 it had grossed almost $140 million in the United States and Canada<ref>{{cite book |editor=[[Peter Cowie]] |date=2000 |title=The Variety Almanac 2000|publisher=[[Boxtree Ltd]] |page=64 |isbn=0-7522-7159-8}}</ref> for a worldwide gross in excess of $164 million. Since 2007, it has grossed $2.6 million worldwide<ref>{{cite web |title=The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0073629/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> giving it a worldwide gross in excess of $166 million.

==Cult following==
{{Main|The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult following{{!}}''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' cult following}}
===Origins===
[[File:Dori and Sal.jpg|thumb|right|Dori Hartley and [[Sal Piro]] at the Waverly Theatre in New York in 1977]]
''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' helped shape conditions of cult film's transition from [[art-house]] to [[exploitation film|exploitation]] style.<ref name="ErnestXavier2007"/> The film developed a cult following in 1976 at the Waverly Theatre in New York, which developed into a standardised ritual. According to [[J. Hoberman]], author of ''Midnight Movies'', it was after five months into the film's midnight run when lines began to be shouted by the audience. Louis Farese Jr., a normally quiet teacher, upon seeing the character Janet place a newspaper over her head to protect herself from rain, yelled, "Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch." Originally, Louis and other ''Rocky Horror'' pioneers, including Amy Lazarus, Theresa Krakauskas, and Bill O'Brian, did this to entertain each other, each week trying to come up with something new to make each other laugh. This quickly caught on with other theatre-goers and thus began this self-proclaimed "counter point dialogue", which became standard practice and was repeated nearly verbatim at each screening.<ref name="Dika2003" /> Performance groups became a staple at ''Rocky Horror'' screenings due in part to the prominent New York City fan cast.<ref name="Henkin1979" /> The New York City cast was originally run by former schoolteacher and stand-up comic [[Sal Piro]] and his friend Dori Hartley, the latter of whom portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter and was one of several performers, including Will Kohler as Brad Majors, Nora Poses as Janet, and Lilias Piro as Magenta, in a flexible rotating cast.{{sfn|Henkin|1979|page=[https://archive.org/details/rockyhorrorpictu0000henk/page/n105/mode/2up?q=sal+piro 106]}} The performances of the audience were scripted and actively discouraged improvising, being conformist in a similar way to the repressed characters.<ref name="MathijsSexton2012">{{cite book |first1=Ernest |last1=Mathijs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3EmSqIo4I-QC&pg=PA101 |title=Cult Cinema |first2=Jamie |last2=Sexton |date=30 March 2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4443-9642-3 |page=101}}</ref>
[[File:Garrett3.jpg|thumb|upright|D. Garrett Gafford and Terri Hardin, Tiffany Theater Hollywood, 1978]]
On Halloween in 1976, people attended in costume and talked back to the screen, and by mid-1978, ''Rocky Horror'' was playing in over 50 locations on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight. Newsletters were published by local performance groups, and fans gathered for ''Rocky Horror'' conventions.<ref name="Samuels_MidMov"/> By the end of 1979, there were twice-weekly showings at over 230 theatres.<ref name=Samuels_MidMov/> The National Fan Club was established in 1977 and later merged with the International Fan Club. The fan publication ''The Transylvanian'' printed a number of issues, and a semi-regular poster magazine was published as well as an official magazine.<ref name="ErnestXavier2007">{{cite book |last1=Mathijs |first1=Ernest |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dWX4AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA395 |title=The Cult Film Reader |last2=Mendik |first2=Xavier |date=1 December 2007 |publisher=McGraw-Hill International |isbn=978-0-335-21923-0 |page=395}}</ref>

Performance groups in the Los Angeles area originated at the [[Fox Theater, Westwood Village|Fox Theatre]] in 1977, where Michael Wolfson won a look-alike contest as Frank N. Furter, and won another at the [[Tiffany Theater]] on [[Sunset Boulevard]]. Wolfson's group eventually performed in all of the L.A. area theatres screening ''Rocky Horror'', including the Balboa Theater in [[Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach|Balboa]], The Cove at [[Hermosa Beach]], and The Sands in [[Glendale, California|Glendale]]. He was invited to perform at the [[Sombrero Playhouse]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} At the Tiffany Theatre, the audience performance cast had the theatre's full cooperation; the local performers entered early and without charge. The fan playing Frank for this theatre was a [[transgender]] performer, D. Garret Gafford, who was out of work in 1978 and trying to raise the funds for a [[gender reassignment]] while spending the weekends performing at the Tiffany.<ref name="Henkin1979" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Overand |first=William |date=19 July 1978 |title=Saturday Night Fervor at the Tiffany Theater |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-saturday-night-fervor-at-tiffany-20150925-story.html |access-date=17 November 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
[[File:Strand Theater Rocky Horror.jpg|right|thumb|San Francisco's Strand Theatre, 1979. Linda Woods, Marni Scofidio, Denise Erickson, and Jim Curry]]

By 1978, ''Rocky Horror'' had moved from an earlier [[San Francisco]] location to the [[Strand Theatre (San Francisco)|Strand Theatre]] located near the [[Tenderloin, San Francisco|Tenderloin]] on [[Market Street (San Francisco)|Market Street]].<ref name="Stewart2011">{{cite book |first=Jim |last=Stewart |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=anV4X3D8K04C&pg=PA109 |title=Folsom Street Blues: A Memoir of 1970s SoMa and Leatherfolk in Gay San Francisco |date=2011 |publisher=Palm Drive Publishing |isbn=978-1-8908-3403-6 |page=109}}</ref> The performance group there, Double Feature/Celluloid Jam, was the first to act out and perform almost the entire film, unlike the New York cast at that time. The Strand cast was put together from former members of an early [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] group, disbanded due to less than enthusiastic management. Frank N. Furter was portrayed by Marni Scofidio, who, in 1979, attracted many of the older performers from Berkeley. Other members included Mishell Erickson as Columbia, her twin sister Denise Erickson as Magenta, Kathy Dolan as Janet, and Linda "Lou" Woods as Riff Raff. The Strand group performed at two large science fiction conventions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, were offered a spot at [[Mabuhay Gardens|The Mabuhay]], a local punk club, and performed for children's television of Argentina.<ref name="Henkin1979" />

===Legacy===

Annual ''Rocky Horror'' conventions are held in varying locations, lasting days. [[Tucson, Arizona]] has been host a number of times, including 1999 with "El Fishnet Fiesta", and "Queens of the Desert" held in 2006.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gay |first=Gerald M. |date=13 March 2014 |title='Rocky Horror' shines at El Fishnet Fiesta |newspaper=[[Arizona Daily Star]] |location=Tucson |url=http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/movies/rocky-horror-shines-at-el-fishnet-fiesta/article_d7ea0288-3d24-5d22-8dc8-ff86b61f93ff.html |access-date=18 March 2014}}</ref> Vera Dika wrote that, to the fans, ''Rocky Horror'' is ritualistic and comparable to a religious event, with a compulsive, repeated cycle of going home and coming back to see the film each weekend.<ref name="Dika2003">{{cite book |first=Vera |last=Dika |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=opah6_oJqPYC&pg=PA112 |title=Recycled Culture in Contemporary Art and Film: The Uses of Nostalgia |date=9 June 2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-5210-1631-5 |page=112}}</ref> The audience call-backs are similar to responses in church during a mass.<ref name="Dika2003"/> Many theatre troupes exist across the United States that produce shadow-cast performances where the actors play each part in the film in full costume, with props, as the movie plays on the big screen in a movie theatre.<ref>{{cite web |title=Come see Northern Virginia's only Rocky Horror shadowcast! |website=Transylvanian Concubines |url=http://www.transylvanianconcubines.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209141248/http://www.transylvanianconcubines.com/ |archive-date=9 February 2016 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=30 January 2012 |title=Where Rocky Horror Lives in Los Angeles! |url=http://sins.la/ |access-date=10 February 2016 |website=Sins O' The Flesh |archive-date=4 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204021220/http://sins.la/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> O'Brien's Orchestra, formerly known as the Queerios (based in [[Austin, Texas]]), is the longest running shadow-cast in Texas.<ref>{{cite web| title=Austin's very own Rocky Horror Shadow Cast!| website=O'Briens Orchestra| url=https://www.rockyhorroraustin.com/| access-date=29 June 2021| language=en}}</ref>

The film has a global following and remains popular.<ref name="Batchelor2011">{{cite book |first=Bob |last=Batchelor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lAIMzLLh9nUC&pg=PA52 |title=Cult Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream |date=December 2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35780-0 |page=52}}</ref> Subcultures such as ''Rocky Horror'' have also found a place on the Internet.<ref name="Ross2011">{{cite book |first=Sharon Marie |last=Ross |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rOPzKWCf0w8C&pg=PT31 |title=Beyond the Box: Television and the Internet |date=23 September 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4443-5865-0 |page=31}}</ref> Audience participation scripts for many cities are available for download from the internet.<ref name="Riley2008" /> The internet has a number of ''Rocky Horror'' fan-run websites with various quizzes and information, specialising in different content, allowing fans to participate at a unique level.<ref name="LancasterMikotowicz2001" />

===LGBT influence===

Members of the [[LGBT community]] comprised a large part of the ''Rocky Horror'' cult following; they identified with the embrace of [[sexual liberation]] and androgyny, and attended show after show, slowly forming a community. Judith A. Peraino compares Brad and Janet's initiation into Frank N. Furter's world to the self-discovery of "[[queer]] identity", and to the traditional initiation of "virgins" in the shadow screenings.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peraino |first=Judith A. |url=https://archive.org/details/listeningtosiren00pera |title=Listening to the sirens: musical technologies of queer identity from Homer to Hedwig |year=2006 |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-5202-1587-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/listeningtosiren00pera/page/n263 249]–252 |oclc=58043161 |url-access=limited}}</ref> June Thomas describes the midnight screenings in [[Newark, Delaware]] as a "very queer scene", which increased visibility for the [[LGBTQ]] community: "The folks standing in line outside the State in fishnets and makeup every Saturday night undoubtedly widened the sphere of possibilities for [[gender expression]] on Main Street."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Thomas |first=June |date=31 October 2014 |title=How The Rocky Horror Picture Show Smashed Open America's Closets |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2014/10/is-the-rocky-horror-picture-show-good-for-the-gays.html |magazine=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=15 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wong |first=Curtis M. |date=17 October 2018 |title=Why 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' Remains A Queer Cinematic Milestone |journal=[[HuffPost]] |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rocky-horror-picture-show-musical-matt-baume_us_5bc63c51e4b0a8f17ee6be26 |access-date=15 November 2018}}</ref>

''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' remains a cultural phenomenon in both the US and UK<ref name="Smith2010">{{cite book |first=Justin |last=Smith |url=https://archive.org/details/withnailuscultfi0000smit/page/16/mode/2up?q=rocky+horror |title=Withnail and Us: Cult Films and Film Cults in British Cinema |date=28 February 2010 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=978-0-85771-793-1 |page=32 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Tucker2004">{{cite book |first=Betty Jo |last=Tucker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O8V3Fc8eAUIC&pg=PA139 |title=Susan Sarandon: A True Maverick |year=2004 |publisher=Wheatmark, Inc. |isbn=978-1-58736-300-9 |page=139}}</ref> Cult film participants are often people on the fringe of society who find connection and community at the screenings,<ref name="Lippy2006">{{cite book |last=Lippy |first=Charles H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwim_0xE1c4C&pg=RA2-PA112 |title=Faith in America: Changes, Challenges, New Directions |date=2006 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0-275-98605-6 |location=Westport, Connecticut |page=112}}</ref> although the film attracts fans of differing backgrounds all over the world.<ref name="Blackshaw2013">{{Cite book |last=Blackshaw |first=Tony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UXO_tKMgNPcC&pg=PA117 |title=Routledge Handbook of Leisure Studies |date=18 July 2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-136-49559-5 |location=London |page=117}}</ref>

"Bisexuality, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Me", by Elizabeth Reba Weise, is part of the publication, ''[[Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out]]'' (1991), an [[anthology]] edited by [[Loraine Hutchins]] and [[Lani Kaʻahumanu]]<ref name="Fox2013">{{cite book |last=Fox |first=Ronald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1ZsLGE3zBwgC&pg=PT178 |title=Current Research on Bisexuality |date=3 April 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-56963-0 |editor-last=Hutchins |editor-first=Loraine |editor-link=Loraine Hutchins |location=London |page=178 |editor-last2=Kaʻahumanu |editor-first2=Lani |editor-link2=Lani Kaʻahumanu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Highleyman |first=Liz A. |title=A Brief History of the Bisexual Movement |url=http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926225244/http://www.biresource.org/pamphlets/history.html |archive-date=26 September 2007 |access-date=23 July 2016 |website=[[Bisexual Resource Center]]}}</ref> about the history of the modern [[bisexual rights]] movement that is one of the first publications of [[bisexual literature]].<ref name="Burleson2014">{{cite book |last=Burleson |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jg5IAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT189 |title=Bi America: Myths, Truths, and Struggles of an Invisible Community |date=4 April 2014 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-317-71260-2 |location=London |page=189}}</ref>

===Cultural influence===

''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' has been featured in a number of other feature films and television series over the years. Episodes of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', ''[[The Venture Bros.]]'', ''[[Cold Case]]'', ''[[Tuca & Bertie]]'', ''[[The Boondocks (TV series)|The Boondocks]]'', ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'', ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'', ''[[That '70s Show]]'', ''[[Deutschland 86]]'', ''[[Mickey Mouse Clubhouse]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mickey's Monster Musical is Rocky Horror Picture Show for Kids |url=http://www.genymama.com/1/post/2019/10/mickeys-monster-musical-is-rocky-horror-picture-show-for-kids.html |access-date=23 August 2025 |website=Gen Y Mama |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[American Dad!]]'' spotlight ''Rocky Horror'', as do films such as ''[[Vice Squad (1982 film)|Vice Squad]]'' (1982), ''[[Halloween II (2009 film)|Halloween II]]'' (2009), and ''[[The Perks of Being a Wallflower (film)|The Perks of Being a Wallflower]]'' (2012).<ref name="Champion"/> The 1980 film ''[[Fame (1980 film)|Fame]]'' featured the audience reciting their callback lines to the screen and dancing the Time Warp,<ref name="Ortiz2011">{{cite book |first=Lori |last=Ortiz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWdXRylPs44C&pg=PA147 |title=Disco Dance |date=31 March 2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37747-1 |page=147}}</ref> the dance from the stage show and film, which has become a novelty dance at parties.<ref name="Silvester2013">{{cite book |first=Delia |last=Silvester |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EqhdAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA47 |title=Dance and Movement Sessions for Older People: A Handbook for Activity Coordinators and Carers |date=21 December 2013 |publisher=Jessica Kingsley |isbn=978-0-85700-846-6 |page=47}}</ref> Dr. Frank-N-Furter influenced the appearance of [[Emporio Ivankov]], a transvestite character from the [[manga]]/[[anime]] series [[One Piece|''One Piece'']].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rasmussen |first=Kenneth |date=2024-11-15 |title=One Piece: 5 Characters Modeled from Pop Culture |url=https://gamerant.com/one-piece-characters-inspired-pop-culture/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref> Director [[Rob Zombie]] cited ''Rocky Horror'' as a major influence on his film ''[[House of 1000 Corpses]]'' (2003),<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wood |first=Jennifer M. |date=21 October 2014 |title=11 Things You Didn't Know About The Texas Chainsaw Massacre |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a23810/texas-chainsaw-things-you-didnt-know/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126230823/http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a23810/texas-chainsaw-things-you-didnt-know/ |archive-date=26 January 2018 |access-date=24 September 2018 |journal=[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]}}</ref> while the film's fan culture of [[cosplay]]ing and audience participation during screenings laid the groundwork for the similarly influential cult following surrounding [[Tommy Wiseau]]'s ''[[The Room (2003 film)|The Room]]'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web |last=Bather |first=Luke |date=16 March 2017 |title=Everything You Need to Know About Cult Film 'The Room' & Disaster Artist Tommy Wiseau |url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/03/16/the-room-tommy-wiseau/ |access-date=27 July 2017 |website=[[Highsnobiety]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Barton |first=Steve |date=10 December 2009 |title=Motion Picture Purgatory: The Room |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/14773/motion-picture-purgatory-the-room/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619164205/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/14773/motion-picture-purgatory-the-room/ |archive-date=19 June 2017 |access-date=16 June 2017 |website=Dread Central}}</ref> ''Rocky Horror'' also inspired [[John McPhail (director)|John McPhail]]'s [[zombie film|zombie]] musical ''[[Anna and the Apocalypse]]'' (2018).<ref>{{cite web |last=Fletcher |first=Rosie |date=30 June 2019 |title=Anna And The Apocalypse interview: the director on his zombie musical |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/horror/62074/anna-and-the-apocalypse-interview-the-director-on-his-zombie-musical |access-date=30 June 2019 |website=Den of Geek}}</ref> [[Sabrina Carpenter]]'s "[[Tears (Sabrina Carpenter song)|Tears]]" music video takes inspiration from the film, with her portraying a character similar to Janet Weiss and actor [[Colman Domingo]] featured playing a drag tribute to Dr. Frank-N-Furter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gularte |first=Alejandra |date=29 August 2025 |title=Sabrina Carpenter Trades 'Tears' For Rocky Horror |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/sabrina-carpenter-tears-new-music-video.html |access-date=29 August 2025 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref>

=== 50 year anniversary ===
In 2025, the film celebrated its 50-year anniversary. Celebratory events in Los Angeles included a talk at the [[Academy Museum of Motion Pictures|Academy Museum]] which included the attendance of [[Tim Curry]] and a screening and fan-centered event at [[Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood, California)|the Roxy]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foreman |first=Alison |date=1 October 2025 |title=Keep Calm and 'Rocky Horror' on: The 50-Year-Old Cult-Film Comfort Watch Just Took Over Los Angeles |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/rocky-horror-picture-show-50th-anniversary-los-angeles-1235153454/ |access-date=3 October 2025 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Sequel==
O'Brien drafted a [[sequel]] titled ''Rocky Horror Shows His Heels'' in 1979. This script featured the return of all of the characters from the original film, and O'Brien wished to reunite the original production team. But Sharman did not wish to revisit the original concept so directly, nor did Tim Curry wish to reprise his role.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

Instead, Sharman reunited with O'Brien to film ''[[Shock Treatment]]'' in 1981, a stand-alone feature with little continuity from the original film.<ref name=Armstrong2007/> Initially conceived and scripted in 1980 as ''The Brad and Janet Show'', the film repurposed several songs from the earlier ''Rocky Horror Shows His Heels'' project with lyrical adjustments, and depicting the characters' continuing adventures in the town of Denton. Production was forced to adjust amidst the [[1980 actors strike|Screen Actors Guild strike]]; eventually the entire film was shot on a single sound stage. ''Shock Treatment'' was poorly received by critics and audiences upon release (largely due to the absence of Curry, Sarandon, and Bostwick) but over time has built its own niche following.<ref name="Cettl2010">{{cite book |first=Robert |last=Cettl |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FPsyxjUxYIAC&pg=PA94 |title=Film Tales |date=12 December 2010 |publisher=Wider Screenings TM |isbn=978-0-9870500-0-7 |page=94}}</ref>

O'Brien revisited the notion for a direct ''RHPS'' sequel in 1991, writing ''Revenge of the Old Queen''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Revenge of the Old Queen |url=http://www.rockymusic.org/showdoc/revenge-of-the-old-queen.php |access-date=17 November 2021 |website=RockyMusic}}</ref> Producer Michael White had hoped to begin work on the production and described the script as being "in the same style as the other one. It has reflections of the past in it."<ref>{{cite news |last=Van Gelder |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Van Gelder |date=13 September 1991 |title='Rocky Horror' to 'Queen' |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/13/movies/at-the-movies.html |access-date=3 October 2010}}</ref> ''Revenge of the Old Queen'' commenced pre-production; however, after studio head [[Joe Roth]] was ousted from Fox in 1993, the project was shelved indefinitely. Although the script went unpublished, [[Bootleg recording|bootleg copies]] have leaked online, and a song from the original demo tape circulates among fans. The script remains the property of Fox, producer of the two prior films, and remains unlikely to be revived.<ref>{{cite web |last=Drees |first=Rich |date=27 September 2010 |title=Script Review: Revenge of the Old Queen |url=http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/2010/09/27/script-review-revenge-of-the-old-queen/ |access-date=30 July 2013 |website=Film Buff Online}}</ref>

Between 1999 and 2001, O'Brien was working on a third attempted sequel project with the working title ''Rocky Horror: The Second Coming'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Megan |date=23 September 1999 |title='ROCKY' II: With A Sequel to His Last "Picture Show," Creator Richard O'Brien Does The Time Warp, Again |url=https://nypost.com/1999/09/23/rocky-ii-with-a-sequel-to-his-last-picture-show-creator-richard-obrien-does-the-time-warp-again/ |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> intended as a stage production, with an option to adapt to film if met with success. This script integrated plot elements from ''Rocky Horror Shows His Heels'' paired with all-new songs. O'Brien completed a first draft of this script (which was read by [[Terry Jones]]<ref>{{cite web |title=News on Rocky Horror 2 from THE MAN Himself! |first=Martin A. |last=Fairgrieve |website=Google Groups |url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/alt.cult-movies.rocky-horror/%22rocky$20horror$202%22%7Csort:date/alt.cult-movies.rocky-horror/1pLTfdggwMI/7Zw8LUEXhrIJ |date=23 October 2001 |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref>). In the story, Brad's brother Steve seeks revenge on the aliens in the first film after Brad becomes a Las Vegas go-go dancer and falls to his death from a trapeze wearing only six-inch heels and a [[rhinestone]] choker. Also revealed is Sonny, the illegitimate son of Janet and Frank and heir to the throne of Transexual. The script never made it past early draft stages but has been shared on many fan sites.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 August 2020 |title=Shock Treatment: The Rocky Horror Sequel We Got ?(And The One We Didn't) |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/shock-treatment-the-rocky-horror-sequel-we-got-and-the-one-we-didnt/ |website=SYFY Wire}}</ref>

O'Brien produced ''Shock Treatment'' for the theatrical stage with a premiere at the [[King's Head Theatre]] in [[Islington]], London in spring 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last=Alberge |first=Dalya |date=30 November 2014 |title=As Rocky Horror sequel comes to stage, it seems creator was far ahead of his time |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/nov/30/rocky-horror-musical-shock-treatment-obrien |access-date=2 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="Shock Treatment, Kings Head Theatre, review: infectious">{{cite news |last=Allfree |first=Claire |date=22 April 2015 |title=Shock Treatment, King's Head Theatre, review: 'infectious' |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/11551615/Shock-Treatment-Kings-Head-Theatre-review-infectious.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/11551615/Shock-Treatment-Kings-Head-Theatre-review-infectious.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=17 June 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Remake==
{{main|The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again{{!}}''The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again''}}
"[[The Rocky Horror Glee Show]]" aired on 26 October 2010, as part of the [[Glee (season 2)|second season]] of the television series ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]''—and recreated several scenes from the film, including the opening credits. It featured Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf in [[Cameo appearance|cameo roles]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Caulfield |first=Keith |date=27 October 2010 |title=Sugarland Tops Kings of Leon on Billboard 200 |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/952529/sugarland-tops-kings-of-leon-on-billboard-200 |access-date=17 November 2021 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> An [[Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show|EP album]] covering seven songs from the movie was released on 19 October 2010.<ref>{{cite magazine |title='Glee' Announces 'Rocky Horror' Album Details |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/956052/glee-announces-rocky-horror-album-details |first=Jason |last=Lipshutz |date=28 September 2010 |access-date=17 November 2021 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>

On 10 April 2015, the [[Fox Network]] announced it would air a modern-day [[reimagining]] of the film, titled ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again''.<ref>{{cite journal |date=10 April 2015 |title='Rocky Horror Picture Show' TV Remake In Works At As Fox Special |url=https://deadline.com/2015/04/rocky-horror-picture-show-remake-fox-gail-berman-kenny-ortega-1201407925/ |access-date=11 April 2015 |journal=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=10 April 2015 |title=Fox remaking 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' |url=https://ew.com/article/2015/04/10/rocky-horror-picture-show-fox |access-date=11 April 2015 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> On 22 October 2015, Fox announced that the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter would be played by transgender actress [[Laverne Cox]].<ref>{{cite journal |date=21 October 2015 |title=Laverne Cox starring in Rocky Horror remake |url=http://www.digitalspy.com.au/ustv/news/a674916/orange-is-the-new-blacks-laverne-cox-is-replacing-tim-curry-as-dr-frank-n-furter-in-foxs-rocky-horror-show.html#~prUknm4TENCgIC |access-date=23 July 2016 |journal=[[Digital Spy]]}}</ref> [[Ryan McCartan]] played Brad, alongside [[Victoria Justice]] as Janet, with [[Reeve Carney]] as Riff Raff and singer/model [[Staz Nair]] as Rocky.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Stanhope |first=Kate |date=4 January 2016 |title=Victoria Justice Joins Fox's 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' Remake |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6828976/victoria-justice-rocky-horror-picture-show-remake-ryan-mccartan |access-date=4 January 2016 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> [[Adam Lambert]] portrays Eddie.<ref>{{cite news |title=Adam Lambert to Co-Star in Fox's 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/adam-lambert-set-rocky-horror-855928/ |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> Tim Curry, who portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter in the original film, portrays the Criminologist.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Spanos |first=Brittany |date=15 January 2016 |title=Tim Curry Lands Role in 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' Remake |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/tim-curry-lands-role-in-rocky-horror-picture-show-remake-20160115 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=23 July 2016}}</ref> On 1 February 2016, the network announced that Broadway veteran [[Annaleigh Ashford]] would portray Columbia.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 February 2016 |title=Annaleigh Ashford Joins The Rocky Horror Picture Show |url=https://comingsoon.net/tv/news/652819-tony-award-winner-annaleigh-ashford-joins-the-rocky-horror-picture-show |access-date=2 February 2016 |website=[[ComingSoon.net]]}}</ref> On 5 February 2016, [[Ben Vereen]] joined the cast as Dr. Everett von Scott.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moylan |first=Brian |date=19 October 2016 |title=The fan rituals that made Rocky Horror Picture Show a cult classic |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/oct/19/rocky-horror-picture-show-fan-rituals-fox-remake |access-date=17 July 2017 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

[[Kenny Ortega]], best known for the ''[[High School Musical]]'' franchise and ''[[Michael Jackson's This Is It]]'' (2009) directed, choreographed and executive-produced the remake; [[Lou Adler]], who was an executive producer of the original film, has the same role for the new film, which premiered on Fox on 20 October 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jayson |first=Jay |date=22 October 2015 |title=Orange Is The New Black's Laverne Cox To Star In Rocky Horror Picture Show Remake |url=https://comicbook.com/2015/10/22/orange-is-the-new-blacks-laverne-cox-to-star-in-rocky-horror-pic/ |website=[[ComicBook.com]]}}</ref>

== Video game ==

An early [[The Rocky Horror Show (video game)|video game adaptation]] was released in 1985 on Commodore 64 and 128.

Another adaptation, by Freakzone Games, was released on 27 October 2024, on [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Nintendo Switch]], [[PlayStation 5]], [[Xbox Series X and Series S]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Mike |date=22 October 2024 |title='The Rocky Horror Show' Has Been Adapted Into a Video Game for Steam and Switch! [Trailer] |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3836655/the-rocky-horror-show-has-been-adapted-into-a-video-game-for-steam-and-switch-trailer/ |access-date=22 October 2024 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Film|LGBTQ|Speculative fiction/Horror|Comedy|United Kingdom|United States}}
* [[Cannibalism in popular culture]]
* [[Cross-dressing in film and television]]
* [[List of American films of 1975]]
* [[List of British films of 1975]]
* [[List of cult films]]
* [[List of films featuring extraterrestrials]]
* [[List of films featuring Frankenstein's monster]]
* ''[[Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror]]'', 2025 documentary about the making of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' directed by Richard O'Brien's son, Linus O'Brien

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|wikt= The Rocky Horror Picture Show |c=Category:The Rocky Horror Picture Show |commonscat=no |n= no|q=The Rocky Horror Picture Show |s= no |author= |b= no |v= no |voy= no|d=Q751921 |m= no |mw= no |species= no |species_author= no}}
* {{Official website|https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/the-rocky-horror-picture-show}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* {{AFI film}}
* [https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/7fe8106b-2bd6-51ff-8a7d-0d2cf59a3208/the-rocky-horror-picture-show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''] at the [[British Film Institute]]
* {{YouTube|_Ov8yLJkknY|The Rocky Horror Picture Show}}—Official trailer

{{The Rocky Horror Picture Show}}
{{Jim Sharman}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocky Horror Picture Show}}
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