The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Behind the Stage-to-Screen Adaptation | 50th Anniversary

Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Behind the Stage to Screen Adaptation

Welcome to MsMojo, and today, we would like, if we may, to take you on a strange journey to relive how “The Rocky Horror Show” went from a little stage musical that could (and did) to a global phenomenon, complete with midnight screenings, fan costumes, and endless callbacks. So let’s get started because we see you shiver “with antici…Pation.”

Finding the Light Over at the Royal Court Theatre: A Brief Origin Story

Once upon a time, there was an unemployed actor who spent his evenings writing, drawing from his love of sci-fi, B-grade horror, and the rising glam rock and gender-fluid fashion of the ’70s. That man’s name was Richard O’Brien.

He shared his strange little script with director Jim Sharman, who took a chance on it. The show opened Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, a space usually reserved for experimental work. Composer Richard Hartley was brought in to help create that rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack that still gets fans on their feet to this day.

It was like nothing audiences or critics had ever seen before, and it definitely caught their attention. After all, it provided a safe space to celebrate self-exploration and sexual liberation unapologetically, doing so with plenty of humor and charm. The show quickly graduated from the Royal Court’s 63-seat studio to the Chelsea Classic Cinema, more than tripling its audience. From there, it moved to the King’s Road Theatre, where even more people could experience this “strange journey” night after night.

In 1973, the show won the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical. Then it traveled across the pond, where outside LA it didn’t quite make the same splash, but it still picked up Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations.

Amazingly, it wasn’t until the 1979 West End transfer that the show became the full two-act version fans now love to shout back at. Even more mind-blowing is that the “Time Warp” wasn’t even in the original script. It was added during rehearsals to expand the show beyond its original 40-minute runtime.

Little did they know that audiences would keep doing the “Time Warp”... again, and again, and again, and again. In fact, as of 2023, it was reported that the show had been translated into 20 languages and had an accumulated audience of 30 million people worldwide. One of those was Ode Records chief Lou Adler, who not only brought the show from London to LA but also backed bringing it to the silver screen.

Strutting from Stage to Screen

Before anyone could pull up their fishnets and adjust their corsets, the studio made a very specific request: they wanted a touch of Hollywood and were willing to fund the production generously—if Americans played Brad and Janet. So, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick were brought on board. For the rest of the cast, Hollywood might have been new territory, but the “Rocky Horror” world certainly wasn’t. OG Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Tim Curry, reprised his role, joined by fellow London castmates, Patricia Quinn as Magenta, Little Nell as Columbia, and Richard O’Brien as Riff Raff. Meat Loaf, who’d already played Eddie and Dr. Everett Scott in LA, made an unforgettable appearance as Eddie.

The cast wasn’t the only part of the original stage show that was retained for the silver screen. It wasn’t so much about reinventing the show as reimagining it for a new medium. The story mostly stayed the same, but scenes were shuffled, dialogue trimmed, and songs adjusted for pacing. Brad lost a verse in “Over at the Frankenstein Place” and his solo “Once in a While.” Rocky’s dialogue had been cut, too. Trixie the Usherette didn’t make it to the screen, but those disembodied red lips opening the movie more than set the tone. Depending on which version you’ve seen, the song, “Super Heroes” may or may not even be there.

On stage, the “Phantoms, ”a kind of Greek chorus, hover in the background, guiding Brad and Janet through the story. The film replaced them with atmosphere: storm clouds, shadows, and a gothic mansion that became its own living, breathing presence. Filming at Oakley Court, a real, almost gothic-like estate near where Hammer Horror filmed, gave Frank-N-Furter’s castle that perfect feel of the old-school horror and glam-rock decay they were both paying tribute to and sending up throughout the story. Familiar props and costumes returned, but the lighting got sharper, the colors louder, the action bigger than ever. Now there was even a swimming pool that was made to feel like an unholy baptism.

The soundtrack evolved, too. The stage version was highly influenced by glam rock and vintage pop, with some Chuck Berry, Rolling Stones and classic musical theater thrown in for good measure. The movie amped everything up: louder, faster, moodier. They upped the tempo and turned up the dials on that gothic undertone, perfectly matching its cinematic setting.

Director Jim Sharman knew he couldn’t just copy the stage show and paste it into a movie format. He had to capture its energy in a different way. He told the cast to play everything “fifteen percent bigger,” but with total earnestness. He even showed them “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” as a reference for the kind of heightened, oblivious performance he wanted. To keep things genuine, he apparently sometimes kept Sarandon and Bostwick in the dark about little changes, so their reactions were very real. You also may have heard that no one but Tim Curry knew what was about to be revealed during that dinner scene, so those shocked reactions you see are completely genuine.

On stage, the show thrived on a crowd that was already up for something strange and subversive. On screen, they had to convince movie audiences to come along for the ride. So even though the theatricality stayed, everything had to be carefully tuned, still true to its nature but grounded enough to work on camera and help movie audiences feel as in on the joke as theater audiences had since the beginning.

Oh, and you know how movies like to hide easter eggs all over the place? Well, this movie took that very literally, so next time you watch, be sure to look out for them! Here we’ll even get you started.

The film was a flop at first. Whatever magic it had cast over theater audiences just failed to enchant moviegoers. That is, until it joined the midnight movie circuit.

Don’t Dream It, Be…Coming a Cult Classic

Yes, things were definitely not great when it all began, and the movie struggled to find those regular Frankie fans. For one thing, its subject matter was pretty niche. It’s not exactly the kind of film you take the whole family to on a Sunday afternoon, now is it? Perhaps, mainstream audiences just weren’t ready for a story led by a gender-fluid, pansexual alien in fishnets who teaches two so-called squeaky clean Americans how to give themselves “over to absolute pleasure.” And without a live audience to feed off, that seductiveness of the stage show just didn’t land the same way. Within weeks, 20th Century Fox was ready to pull it and file it away under financial flops.

Luckily, it was the midnight movies to the rescue. They catered to people looking for something weird, edgy, and unapologetically different, and “Rocky Horror” ticked every box. These late-night showings became a haven for anyone who didn’t fit the mainstream. The film’s message, “Don’t dream it, be it,” opened up a whole new world for people who’d previously felt disenfranchised or marginalized.

On April Fools’ Day, 1976, “Rocky Horror” opened at New York’s Waverly Theater, and soon enough the joke was on everyone who’d written it off. Within two years, it was a regular fixture in midnight slots across dozens of cities. What started as a flop quietly turned into the longest-running theatrical release in film history. Now, audience participation was often somewhat part of the Midnight movie experience, but never at the level it became with “Rocky Horror.”

As the story goes, friends and “Rocky Horror” enthusiasts, Louis Farese Jr., Amy Lazarus, Theresa Krakauskas, and Bill O’Brien would attend these screenings and do their best to improvise call-backs with the intention of cracking each other up. One night, during that scene where Janet uses a newspaper to shelter from the rain, right before “Over at the Frankenstein Place,” Louis shouted, “Buy an umbrella, you cheap bitch!” (Not exactly the worst thing Janet gets called these days,) and the crowd loved it. And just like that, “counterpoint dialogue” became a staple at screenings and even live performances. Although interestingly Tim Curry credits Angie Barnett, David Bowie’s then-wife, for being one of the first to talk back to the screen, reportedly yelling “No! No! Don't do it!” as Riff Raff comes at Frank-N-Furter toward the end.

Anyway, a lot of those off-the-cuff jokes from the early days are now basically part of the “Rocky Horror” audience script. But don’t stress if you don’t know all the lines, there are tons of “Rocky Horror virgin” guides online that’ll get you up to speed. And honestly, people still make up new ones all the time. If a line’s funny enough, it might even become canon. Plus, if you’re watching a live show and get lucky, you might get a cheeky clapback from the narrator or one of the other cast members on stage.

Fans didn’t just shout lines; they became part of the show. People dressed up and brought props, rice, newspapers, confetti, flashlights, even hot dogs!(which, maybe don’t do, the cleaning up crew definitely won’t thank you). They would even improvise small actions. And of course, everyone did “The Time Warp,” a dance so iconic that it practically became a requirement to join in. But don’t worry if you don’t know it, it’s really simple as “just a jump to the left and a step to right,” actually we’ll just let the cast take it from there.

Shadow casts started forming in the early ’80s, where fans or actors performed the movie live in front of the screen. They made their own costumes, provided their own props, and often auditioned for roles. Full-on theatre troupes like the 8th Street Players and the North Denton Aristocrats were formed as a result and helped turn “Rocky Horror” screenings into immersive events that blurred the line between film, stage and just full on party.

The fan community truly exploded. Midnight screenings became safe spaces for anyone who felt othered, a place to dress up, shout out, and just be themselves. Magazines, fan clubs, and word-of-mouth helped fans connect across cities and countries, creating a real, vibrant and inclusive community. Even if it was just for the movie’s duration, it wasn’t just dreaming it anymore, as the movie says, you could actually be it.

A “Wild and Untamed” Legacy

Today, “Rocky Horror” is so much more than just a movie; it’s a stage, a playground, and a safe space all rolled into one. It broke new ground by celebrating sexual freedom and showing that gender and identity don’t have to fit into any boxes. This was a much bigger deal back then, when it was still considered rather taboo. LGBTQIA+ communities, in particular, found a place to just be themselves, thanks in part to Dr. Frank-N-Furter, in his fishnets, corset, pearls, and more makeup than most of us even own, never asking for permission to live authentically and showing everyone what full-on self-expression could look like. In one shadow performance, Frank was even played by transgender actor D. Garret Gafford, who was fundraising for gender-affirming surgery. For a lot of people, it went way beyond entertainment; it was a lifesaving community they’d never experienced before.

And on a bigger scale, try finding someone who hasn’t at least heard of “The Rocky Horror Show.” Even if you’ve never been to a screening, chances are you’ve seen it parodied or referenced on “The Simpsons,” “That ‘70s Show,” “Glee,” “The Drew Carey Show,” seriously, the list goes on. Sabrina Carpenter even gave it a nod in her music video for “Tears.” And it’s not just about pop culture shout-outs. In 2005, it was inducted into the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The stage version got its own recognition in 2011, becoming one of just eight musicals commemorated on a Royal Mail stamp. And in 2023, it celebrated its 50th anniversary with an NFT.

Its journey from stage to screen to full-blown pop culture phenomenon is practically unparalleled. But what’s even more incredible is what it did, and continues to do, for its audience. Fifty years later, people are still lacing up their corsets, strapping on their highest heels, perfecting those pelvic thrusts, shouting call-outs, and just throwing off every rule the world tries to stick on them. It’s proof we still desperately need spaces where people can explore their sexuality and identity, and just be totally themselves. And honestly, it shows that owning your weirdest, boldest, most unapologetic self can actually save your life. And if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll all get to that “rose-tinted world” before the movie hits its 100th birthday.

How many times have you done “The Time Warp again?” Let us know in the comments