20th Century Fox released The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the US on 29 September 1975.
It was not initially successful. In its first year, it made less than its production costs. But it wasn’t a classic sleeper either. It made roughly ten times its budget in each of the following five years.
El Topo was the first midnight movie. But after it, the trend was away from art films and toward psychotronics. (Of course, I certainly consider El Topo a psychotronic film.)
Rocky Horror is such a bizarre film that it is classic psychotronic. But I do tend to push it away because the film is so obviously pandering to people like me. For years I’ve wanted to rewrite “Science Fiction/Double Feature.” I love the song but it’s like it is written by someone who knows about psychotronic films but hasn’t actually watched them.
- Michael Rennie was not ill The Day the Earth Stood Still
- Fay Wray and King Kong were not in a celluloid jam — whatever that means
- Doctor X will not build a creature
- Leo G Carroll was not over a barrel when Tarantula took to the hills
- Janette Scott did not fight a triffid — she cowered throughout The Day of the Triffids
- Dana Andrews never made a rune pun in Night of the Demon
- And George Pal is not in When Worlds Collide, and so said nothing to his bride.
But Richard O’Brien knows these films. I think he’s just lazy. And fair enough! So am I!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show wasn’t successful because it is designed for psychotronic fans. It succeeded because it is sexually transgressive. And the music is great! But I love it because it shows such respect for these old films. You don’t have to get the references but they are there for the getting.
So it has been five decades since Rocky Horror made it to these United States. Let’s celebrate by watching it!
Other 29 September Anniversaries
Filmmakers
- Gene Autry (1907-1998): The Singing Cowboy.
- Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007): Director of Blowup.
- Trevor Howard (1913-1988): Iconic actor known for The Third Man, Persecution, and more.
- Stanley Kramer (1913-2001): Producer and director of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Bless the Beasts and Children, and more.
- Anne Nagel (1915-1966): Actor known for Man Made Monster and Black Friday.
- Lizabeth Scott (1922-2015): Actor know for her Noir roles in films like Dead Reckoning and Desert Fury.
- Robert Benton (1932-2025): Screenwriter on Bonnie and Clyde, Superman, Still of the Night, and more.
- Larry Linville (1939-2000): Actor best known for the role of Frank on M*A*S*H but he worked widely in TV, including in The Night Stalker.
- Madeline Kahn (1942-1999): Actor associated with Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety) and other films like Yellowbeard and Clue.
- Ian McShane (1942-): The Devil’s Widow, John Wick, and more.
- Mike Post (1944-): Composer of iconic TV theme songs from the 1970s onward like The Rockford Files and Hill Street Blues.
- Reggie Bannister (1945-2026): Actor most known for his work with Don Coscarelli — especially the Phantasm films.
- Cindy Morgan (1951-2023): Actor known for Caddyshack and Tron.
- Ken Weatherwax (1955-2014): Pugsley on the original Addams Family. He was a successful grip as an adult.
- Robert Webb (1972-): One half of Mitchell and Webb, he’s an actor known mostly for romantic comedies.
Films
- The Terror of the Tongs (1961): Hong Kong mob kills people to stay hidden.
- King Island (1968): Kind of a reverse Tarzan but with a mad scientist thrown in.
- The Body Beneath (1970): Andy Milligan film about inbred vampires.
- Guru, the Mad Monk (1970): Andy Milligan film about an evil monk.
- Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972): A serial child murderer is terrorizing a small town. This is one of the greatest Giallo films ever.
- Enter the Devil (1972): Christian cult in the desert. Shockingly good low-budget feature.
- The Legacy (1978): American couple come upon a haunted house in England.
- The Guardian (2006): Swimmer becomes a Coast Guard rescuer.
- The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2006): Tony Todd takes on the classic role.
- The Haunting of Winchester House (2009): Haunted house film in the famous mansion.
- Flatliners (2017): Medical students experiment with near-death experiences.
- Nowhere (2023): A pregnant woman is lost at sea in a container.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
