Houston Celebrates “Rocky Horror” Turning 50!
It’s been 50 years since audiences first did the “Time Warp,” and The Rocky Horror Picture Show shows no sign of slowing down. Released in 1975, the campy rock musical bombed at the box office but soon found an eternal home as the ultimate midnight movie.
What began as a small theatrical release grew into a global cult phenomenon. Fans dressed as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Magenta, and Riff Raff flocked to screenings, armed with rice, toast, water pistols, and newspaper hats, props that turned the film into a full-blown interactive experience. “It wasn’t just a movie, it was an invitation,” critic Roger Ebert once said. “People could shout at the screen, and the screen shouted back.”
The cast itself became legendary: Tim Curry in his career-defining role as the sweet transvestite from Transylvania; Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as the hapless couple Janet and Brad; and Meat Loaf as the doomed rocker Eddie. Richard O’Brien, who wrote the original stage musical, reprised his role as Riff Raff and cemented the film’s off-beat, anarchic energy.
In interviews marking the anniversary, Sarandon reflected on the film’s endurance: “It gave people permission to be outrageous, to celebrate difference. That’s why it still matters.” Meanwhile, fans across the world continue to attend midnight screenings, costumes and call-backs intact, five decades later.
Houston’s marking the golden anniversary on the film’s original release date, Friday, September 26. Meow Wolf Houston is hosting a 21+ interactive screening with a live shadow cast, The Sisterhood of Lili St. Cyr. Doors open at 9 p.m., show at 10, and plenty of audience participation is encouraged in the surreal “Radio Tave” installation. Tickets are on sale now.
And for purists who insist on the witching hour, the historic River Oaks Theatre keeps the midnight flame: 11:59 p.m. with the Royal Mystic Order of CHAOS shadow cast, continuing a beloved Houston tradition.
From flop to phenomenon, Rocky Horror has become more than a movie, it’s a rite of passage. Fifty years on, audiences are still shivering with antici…pation.
Get your fishnets ready!
Doug O’Brien
