On September 26, 1975, The Rocky Horror Picture Show debuts in U.S. movie theaters. Based on a London-based musical stage production with a similar title, the film pays tribute to B-rated science fiction and monster movies, like Frankenstein. And it introduces moviegoers to a cast of exotic characters, including the cross-dressing scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and his artificially made “perfect man,” Rocky Horror.
The film centers around Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), a newly engaged couple whose car breaks down in an isolated area during a storm. While looking for help, the couple stumbles on the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), who reveals to them his latest creation: the blond and chiseled epitome of manhood he has named Rocky Horror.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show flopped at first. But in 1976, the Waverly Theater (now known as the IFC Center) in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village began showing the film once a week at midnight, and it soon gained a cultlike status.
Ahead of the midnight screenings, the theater would play the soundtrack to the film to energize and engage the audience. The musical featured original songs like “Time Warp,” “Science Fiction/Double Feature” and “Dammit Janet.” Also included on the soundtrack: Meatloaf’s “What Ever Happened to Saturday Night?”
But other traditions soon evolved that turned the film into a one-of-a-kind interactive experience. Members of the audience began dressing up as characters from the film and bringing props, including rice, a newspaper, a flashlight, toilet paper and a deck of cards, to use during different parts of the movie.
The party atmosphere of the screenings, the film’s eclectic cast and its message of “don’t dream it, be it,” helped turn the film into a cult classic for decades to come.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is considered one of the longest running theatrical releases in film history and was selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the U.S. National Film Registry.
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