'Give a Voice to the Voiceless': Richard O'Brien on 50 Years of The Rocky Horror Show and Its Impact
With a new documentary and a Broadway revival in 2026, the cult classic is more boundary-pushing than ever.
It’s been 50 years since The Rocky Horror Show first did the Time Warp (again). While the mind flip of a musical remains searingly relevant in today’s cultural landscape, its journey from a 60-seat theatre in London to more cinema screens than could ever possibly be tallied hasn’t exactly been A to B to C. Now, for the first time, that journey has been preserved in the form of an endearingly personal documentary.
Titled 'Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror,' the 89-minute doc is directed by Linus O’Brien (son of Rocky Horror’s originating supernova Richard O'Brien), and features intimate archival recordings from Rocky Horror history, from its earliest whispers to its most raucous fan events. Interspersed are interviews with many of the stage show (and the Rocky Horror Picture Show) stars, including Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and of course, Richard O’Brien.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | September 7, 2025 10:52 PM
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“You know, it's strange,” Linus O’Brien laughs. Born in 1972, Linus was less than a year old when his father’s creation took the world by storm. He knows no life without it on the periphery. “It pops into my life at different moments. I’ve seen various stage productions since I was four. People ask me what it was like, but honestly? My dad was my dad and Rocky was Rocky. They're two very separate things. I knew my dad had this incredible job, but it was all very normal for me. Now, to revisit all of it and examine the history of Rocky 50 years on, and see it all with new eyes… It's a real, real privilege, is what it is. And I'm very, very grateful for the opportunity to understand it in a new way, now.”
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | March 26, 2025 2:38 AM
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I thought Richard O'Brien was gay.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | March 26, 2025 2:57 AM
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He's actually trans but goes by "he".
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | March 26, 2025 6:46 AM
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"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" turns 50: "Don't dream it, be it"
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | September 7, 2025 10:04 PM
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Barry Bostwick is a very good looking 80-year old man.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | September 7, 2025 10:13 PM
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[quote] the cult classic is more boundary-pushing than ever.
No. But it's still a lot of fun.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | September 7, 2025 10:23 PM
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A young Tim Curry discusses the experience of playing Frank N. Furter.
Very chill, very demure.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | September 7, 2025 10:52 PM
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