Tim Curry stars as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, "a sweet transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania" in this kinky sci-fi/horror cult musical comedy. It is based on a flop stage musical and is narrated and commented on by the Criminologist (Charles Gray). Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon), a normal couple, are stranded in a rain storm and take refuge in an isolated creepy old castle filled with degenerate weirdos. Handyman Riff-Raff (Richard O'Brien) invites them in and they spend the night. The engaged couple try to cope with the madness, which centres on Frank N. Furter's experiment with creating Rocky Horror (Peter Hinwood)--a blond homoerotic muscular boytoy. Frank says, "So come up to the lab, and see what's on the slab. I see you shiver with antici...pation."
Magenta (Patricia Quinn) and Riff-Raff remove the couple's wet clothes and give them lab coats. Frank animates the body of Rocky, who "is good for releaving my tension". Eddie (Meat Loaf) emerges from a freezer storage vault on a motorcycle. Half of his brain is now in Rocky's head. Frank murders Eddie with a pickaxe, then after a bridal procession takes Rocky to his boudoir. Later that night, Frank disguises himself as Brad and has sex with Janet. Then he disguises himself as Janet and has sex with Brad. Magenta and Riff-Raff watch the seductions on TV monitors, then torment Rocky. Janet sees Rocky crying and seduces him. Dr. Everett Von Scott (Jonathan Adams), Brad's former science teacher and Eddie's uncle, pays an unexpected visit. During an awkward dinner, Dr. Scott says he has come for Eddie. Frank reveals that Eddie was the main course of their meal.
There is a chase scene around the castle with all the main characters. It ends in the lab where Frank uses a "Medusa Ray" to turn them into statues. Frank dresses them for a show, releases them from suspended animation, and they perform a cabaret act. Then they plunge into a swimming pool. Magenta and Riff-Raff arrive and announce they are returning to planet Transsexual in the galaxy Transylvania without Frank, whom they kill with a ray gun. The castle blasts off, taking Magenta and Riff-Raff back to Transsexual. Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott are left lying in an empty field where the castle once stood.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was one of the first movies to be shown at special Midnight screenings. It quickly developed a phenomenal subculture of audience participation. Patrons dressed up as their favorite characters, spoke and sang along with the movie sound track, tossed popcorn around the theatre, and so on. This film is fast paced, trashy, weird, subversive, and great fun. It's certainly not for everybody, and for some it is probably more entertaining in a theatre as a participation movie. The lips in the opening song "Science Fiction - Double Feature" belong to Patricia Quinn and the singing is by Richard O'Brien, who wrote the original stage play. The screenplay was written by O'Brien and Jim Sharman. Tim Curry originally auditioned for the role of Rocky by singing Little Richard's song "Tootie Fruity". Director Jim Sharman was so impressed he cast him as Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
