Time Warp! 50 Years On, See Rare Photos From The Rocky Horror Picture Show

When The Rocky Horror Picture Show first hit theaters 50 years ago, it had a bit of a tepid reception. The movie, adapted from a popular London stage musical by Richard O’Brien, made just $1 million and was pulled before it finished its theatrical run. But a devoted fanbase eventually stirred a resurrection, one that phoenixed Rocky Horror from its own ashes to become the original cult movie. Every Saturday night since 1977, fans have attended showings where they dress up in their corsets and ripped fishnets, holler the call-outs at the screen, throw rice and hurl hot dogs, and do the “Time Warp” in the aisles. Today, Rocky Horror holds the record for the longest continually running film release of all time. (This fall, its 50th anniversary is being celebrated with a 4K restored release of the movie, both in theaters and for home viewing, as well as a variety of events in the Los Angeles area.)

In the film—a silly and salacious send-up of sci-fi and horror B-movies of the 1930s—we meet Brad (Barry Bostwick, then known for playing Danny Zuko in Grease’s original Broadway production) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), a newly engaged couple looking for shelter from a thunderstorm. They come upon the home of an extraterrestrial “transsexual from Transylvania” Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry, making his feature debut after performing in the London and LA iterations). There’s also the doctor’s blonde, hunky Frankensteined creation, Rocky, and an appearance from Meat Loaf as motorcyclist Eddie. Chaos and murder, virginity-taking and cannibalism, a suite of sardonic sexual innuendos, and another astral plane of camp musical numbers ensues.

Below, see rare and previously unseen photos from the set of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “Oh, Rocky!”