“Strange Journey: The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
The history of American cinema is defined by films that have not just changed the lives of their audiences but also impacted the world. The metric for a film’s success is a matter of opinion; it can be box office revenue, awards received or how long the film retains the interest of its fans. Legendary films such as “Pulp Fiction,” “Citizen Kane” and “The Godfather” all achieved public and critical acclaim, but their life on the big screen spanned just a few months.
But one film, unlike any other, is not just a success but a global phenomenon — the ultimate cult classic, the late-night double feature, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,”which is celebrating 50 years in theaters.
In 1973, Richard O’Brien wrote and starred in “The Rocky Horror Show,” which premiered at London’s Royal Court Theatre. O’Brien collaborated with Australian theater director Jim Sharman, known for his work on “Jesus Christ Superstar,” to bring “The Rocky Horror Show” to life on stage.
Featuring a brilliant ensemble cast led by the bewitching Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter, O'Brien and Sharman blended just the right amount of sci-fi, horror, music and comedy into a groundbreaking success. “Rocky Horror's” strange journey had just begun — when Hollywood called.
Lou Adler, owner of the iconic West Hollywood nightclub, The Roxy, was responsible for bringing “Rocky Horror” to the Roxy’s stage, kicking off its first American tour.
Curry reprised his lead role, traveling to Los Angeles, and an otherwise new cast was assembled— expanding to include legendary rock icon Meat Loaf. The Hollywood stage production was an instant success, and Adler soon secured a deal with 20th Century Fox to produce “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” as a feature film.
On Oct. 21, 1974, production began on “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Filming took place primarily at Bray Studios in Berkshire and Oakley Court, a gothic country house known for being a film location for Hammer Film Productions— the studio that defined the early days of British horror cinema.
Principal photography continued for approximately six weeks, wrapping on Dec.19, 1974. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was the manifestation of O’Briens dreams; the perfect combination of talent, risk and insanity that seemed destined for success. But there were challenges.
The film premiered in London on Aug. 14, 1975, and subsequently in Los Angeles at the UA Westwood Theatre on Sept. 26, 1975. Unfortunately, the film was not an immediate success and flopped during its initial theatrical release, dismissed by critics and audiences alike. However, the story didn’t end there— at the stroke of midnight on April 1, 1976, everything changed.
On April 1, 1976, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” had its first midnight screening at the Waverly theater in New York City. This one event changed the course of the film’s trajectory, creating a literal overnight sensation. The cult of “Rocky Horror” fans began to form, generating a renewed and weekly demand for the film’s presentation.
These late-night audiences embraced the insane, subversive nature of the film and began showing up dressed as the iconic characters, bringing props and joyfully shouting callbacks throughout the screening. 20th Century Fox and Adler expanded the midnight screenings to other cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, realizing that they had gone from a commercial failure to a cultural phenomenon.
In 1996, I was like so many other teenagers in Los Angeles — sad, lonely and unsure of the future to come. I was obsessed with counterculture and anything that seemed to be against whatever the world was. Being a “goth punk” in love with everything weird, I found myself buying “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” soundtrack. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this purchase would change my life forever.
Much like the kids of today with their smartphones, the teenagers of the late 20th century were never far from their CD player — if they were lucky enough to have one. I had a Sony Discman, and I never went anywhere without it. Music was the only way that the poison pills of reality could be tolerated, and so it became my world. Sometimes people would take note of what music you were listening to and strike up a conversation, such was the case with my friend Kerry White.
At 13, flying home to Los Angeles after my summer vacation, I found myself seated next to another goth on the plane, and that person was Kerry. She looked down at me curiously; such a chance encounter was highly unlikely, maybe even statistically impossible. She then noticed that I was listening to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” soundtrack and instantly we became best friends.
The entire flight home to L.A., we talked about “Rocky Horror” and she invited me to the Nuart Theater in Santa Monica to see it live. I didn’t have a computer or the internet yet, and this was the first time a stranger invited me outside of my house to do something. Pending my parents’ approval, I told her, “I would love to go.”
Two weeks later, my mother consented, and Kerry and I went to the Nuart to watch the local “Rocky” cast, “Sin’s o’The Flesh.”
Their performance was highly ritualized, a whimsical reenactment of the film during its presentation. They had props and costumes and dutifully met my expectations — finally seeing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” live blew my mind.
Twenty-nine years later, I returned to the Nuart theater to watch another Sin’s o’The Flesh performance, celebrating “The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s” 50th anniversary. The show itself was sold out, and the line for admission stretched around the block. The audience was a wild gallery of beautiful misfits, costumed oddballs and weirdos — my people.
We were all just happy to be in the line, and for a moment, to bask in the nostalgia. The absurdity of “Rocky Horror” seemed to turn down the volume of an otherwise wailing world. There, in the raucous line, the certain doom of our present situation seemed far off, and hope for humanity felt possible.
The scalding horror of our phones went silent for just a moment, as our rose-tinted world kept us safe from a troubling pain. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was not just a cult film but a safe haven for generations of people.
Linus O’Brien, son of Richard O’Brien, really began to understand the impact of his father’s film after seeing fan comments on YouTube, “Since I saw those comments under the YouTube clip, that was the first journey down this road of how important it was to everyone,” O’Brien said. This led him to create his 2025 documentary film, “Strange Journey,” as a tribute to his father’s work and the community of “Rocky Horror” fans.
“In the background, what’s really happening is lifetime friendships are being formed and a place to go where you’re not judged or shamed. That’s the thing that’s really unique. It kept coming back to us time and time again in stories like yours and people coming up to us daily or on social media,” O’Brien said. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” evolved from a subversive movie into a community, into an institution.
“I’ve said it in other interviews, I think ‘Rocky Horror’ has tangibly saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people,” O’Brien said. “Strange Journey” was the graphic retelling of not just “Rocky Horror” but what it became — a symbol. Symbolism conveys that which cannot be expressed through language, and after 50 years, “Rocky Horror” has become a symbol for radical acceptance — a symbol needed now more than ever in a world where so many lives require saving.