It’s astounding: What to expect as The Rocky Horror Picture Show celebrates 50 years

Half a century ago, a low-budget British-made musical about a sweet transvestite from Transylvania opened quietly and flopped. Today, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has grossed nearly $225 million and earned the distinction of being the longest-running theatrical release in history. 

And now fans are about to see an avalanche of fresh activity as the cultural touchstone celebrates its golden anniversary. 

Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show began as a fringe theatre production in London, a campy homage to B-movies, glam rock, and gender rebellion. Fox picked it up for a film version, which was duly shot at Bray Studios in 1974, gifting the movie a genuine Hammer movie aesthetic.

Budget constraints, studio uncertainty, and confused marketing nearly sank it. Then came the midnight screenings and growing audience infatuation; the box office fail became a phenomenon.

Tim Curry’s Frank-N-Furter, Susan Sarandon’s Janet, Barry Bostwick’s Brad, and a soundtrack that insisted fans did the ‘Time Warp’ had elevated Ricky to cult immortality.  

Fox picked it up for a film version, which was shot at Bray Studios in 1974, gifting the movie a genuine Hammer movie aesthetic…

To mark The Rocky Horror Show‘s 50th, Disney is bringing the madcap musical back to cinemas this autumn in a newly restored 4K print. In the US, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will host a screening on September 26 with a cast Q&A, while the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood will host the official Rocky Horror fan convention on September 27.

Along with a limited theatrical re-release, a newly remastered edition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is coming to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and 4K Steelbook. Blessed with Dolby Vision HDR visuals and immersive Dolby Atmos audio, the 4k editions promise to showcase the movie like never before.

This anniversary disc release is also rich in supplementary material, and includes archival commentaries, retrospective documentaries, and previously unseen rehearsal footage from the film’s production. A new featurette, Rocky Horror at 50, gathers cast members, critics and fans to reflect on the film’s long journey from midnight oddity to cultural landmark.

For die-hard fans, a gallery of production stills and rare promotional artwork provides an additional window into its making. Prices start at £12 for the Blu-ray, with the deluxe 4K set at £35.

Strange Journey: the ultimate Rocky Horror documentary

Also arriving in cinemas this October is Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror, a new documentary directed by Linus O’Brien, son of creator Richard O’Brien. Featuring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, and celebrity fans from Jack Black to Trixie Mattel, it charts the improbable rise of Rocky from fringe theatre to worldwide ritual. 

“Speaking with fans and people whose lives were deeply affected by the film was both eye-opening and humbling,” says the director. “Rocky Horror is unique in the way it created communities and spaces for people to express themselves without judgment, to feel liberated in every way they choose and to find a home among others like them. This documentary is as much a celebration of them as it is of Rocky Horror itself. The fans have taken this piece of art and made it their own, giving it a life beyond what my dad or any of its original creators could have imagined.” 

Don’t dream it, buy it: Mick Rock’s hardcover tribute

Meanwhile, HarperPop is releasing Mick Rock’s Rocky Horror: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Cult Classic on September 30. Rock was the only photographer granted unfettered access to the Bray Studios set during the shoot. His archive, unseen for decades, captures Curry, Sarandon, and company in their most gloriously chaotic moments.  

Director Jim Sharman and writer Richard O’Brien gave Rock total freedom to roam Bray Studios, where over six weeks he captured Tim Curry’s transformation into the deliciously unhinged Frank-N-Furter, and the joyful madness would eventually birth a global midnight movie phenomenon.

Priced at $50, the 256 hardcover coincides with special exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles, the latter aligning with the late photographer’s birthday. These events will showcase rare prints, unseen contact sheets, and feature appearances from collaborators and cultural icons

Fifty years on, Rocky Horror is still asking us to give ourselves over to absolute pleasure – and if you haven’t yet, October’s celebrations might be the time to finally do the Time Warp.

Tim Curry images (c) Estate of Mick Rock.