The Rocky Horror Show (franchise)
| The Rocky Horror Show | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jim Sharman & Richard O'Brien |
| Original work | The Rocky Horror Show (1973) |
| Owner | 20th Century Studios |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musical(s) |
|
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | |
The Rocky Horror Show is a British musical comedy franchise that began with the 1973 stage performance The Rocky Horror Show. The stage performance mimics many horror B movie and science fiction elements. The stage show was adapted in 1975 as the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which quickly gained a cult following. After being successfully adapted to film, an "equal" was released in 1981 under the title Shock Treatment. While not an outright sequel, the film features many characters from the first film returning, as well as some cast members in different roles.
In 2016, a tribute film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again, aired on Fox.
Films
[edit]| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Rocky Horror Picture Show | August 14, 1975 | Jim Sharman | Richard O'Brien & Jim Sharman | Lou Adler & Michael White |
| Shock Treatment | October 30, 1981 | Jim Sharman & Richard O'Brien Additional ideas: Brian Thomson | ||
| The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again | October 20, 2016 | Kenny Ortega | Richard O'Brien & Jim Sharman | John Ryan |
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
[edit]Shock Treatment (1981)
[edit]Shock Treatment is a 1981 American comedy-musical and a follow-up to Rocky Horror. It is more of a spin-off than a sequel, furthering the adventures of Brad and Janet. After Brad and Janet get married they travel home to Denton, to find it taken over by Farley Flavors and encased in a reality TV studio, and the duo are put on the game show Marriage Maze. Shock Treatment features many cast members from Rocky Horror but as different characters, with the exception of Jeremy Newson, who was the only actor to reprise his role, Ralph Hapschatt.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016)
[edit]The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again is a tribute television film broadcast on the Fox network on October 20, 2016. The film is directed by Kenny Ortega and uses the original script written by Richard O'Brien and Jim Sharman but O'Brien was not involved in the project.
In this version, Frank-N-Furter is played by Laverne Cox, Janet by Victoria Justice and Brad by Ryan McCartan.
Cancelled projects
[edit]- Rocky Horror Shows His Heels (originally The Curse of the Baby) was originally a direct sequel to Rocky Horror. The plot would have followed the resurrection of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, with Janet being pregnant with either Frank-N-Furter's, Rocky's, or Brad's child. Director Jim Sharman's reluctance to make the same film twice, as well as the availability of some of the cast, caused the project to be cancelled, and for O'Brien to begin work on The Brad and Janet Show, which eventually became Shock Treatment.
- Revenge of the Old Queen was another planned sequel to the first film written by O'Brien,[1] and despite being the third film in the series, was often referred to as Rocky Horror Picture Show: Part Two.[2] The story would have mostly taken place on the planet of Transexual in the galaxy of Transylvania, and focused on the Old Queen, Frank-N-Furter's mother, seeking revenge against Riff Raff for killing her son. Additionally, Janet would have an illegitimate son named Sonny, likely with Frank-N-Furter, and Brad would have died after being a bottomless go-go dancer in Las Vegas. The script is currently owned by 20th Century Fox, and will likely never be made due to the failure of Shock Treatment along with the aging of the cast.
- A two-hour-long remake was planned by MTV Films and Sky Movies in 2009. The film was going to feature original songs and be based on the original screenplay. It was going to be made without the involvement of O'Brien, who did not give the film his blessing.
Alternate versions
[edit]- In the United States, the song "Super Heroes" was originally cut from the film, skipping ahead to the Criminologist's speech. The scene was cut by 20th Century Fox due to being too depressing. Additionally, "Science Fiction / Double Feature (Reprise)" and the instrumental version of ”The Time Warp” were replaced in the original US release of the film with a reprise of “The Time Warp”. These edits have been restored in recent home releases and theatrical prints and this ending is included as a bonus feature on the DVD and Blu-Ray. On the Blu-Ray, there is an optional cut called the ‘US Version’ in which “Super Heroes” is cut, but “Science Fiction / Double Feature (Reprise)” and “The Time Warp” instrumental are both intact.
- An alternate version, referred to as the "Oz Cut," features the first twenty minutes of the film in black-and-white. O'Brien's original intent for the film was to turn to color when Frank-N-Furter appears as an allusion to The Wizard of Oz, however 20th Century Fox wanted a more conventional look. A similar cut appears as an Easter egg on the 25th Anniversary home release, with the picture turning to color during "The Time Warp" when Riff Raff swings open the door instead of when Frank-N-Furter appears. It also appears on all Blu-Ray editions of the film.
Cast and characters
[edit]| Character | Film | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Shock Treatment | The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again | |
| 1975 | 1981 | 2016 | |
| Dr. Frank-N-Furter | Tim Curry | Laverne Cox | |
| Janet Majors (née Weiss) | Susan Sarandon | Jessica Harper | Victoria Justice |
| Brad Majors | Barry Bostwick | Cliff De Young | Ryan McCartan |
| Riff Raff | Richard O'Brien | Reeve Carney | |
| Magenta | Patricia Quinn | Christina Milian | |
| Columbia | Nell Campbell | Annaleigh Ashford | |
| Dr. Everett Von Scott | Jonathan Adams | Ben Vereen | |
| Rocky Horror | Peter Hinwood | Staz Nair | |
| Eddie | Meat Loaf | Adam Lambert | |
| The Criminologist / Narrator | Charles Gray | Tim Curry | |
| Ralph Hapschatt | Jeremy Newson | Jeff Lillico | |
| Betty Monroe (formerly Hapschatt) | Hilary Farr | Ruby Wax | Kelly Van der Burg |
| Farley Flavours | Cliff De Young | ||
| Dr. Cosmo McKinley | Richard O'Brien | ||
| Dr. Nation McKinley | Patricia Quinn | ||
| Nurse Ansalong | Little Nell | ||
| Judge Oliver Wright | Charles Gray | ||
| Bert Schnick | Barry Humphries | ||
| Macy Struthers | Wendy Raebeck | ||
| "Rest Home" Ricky | Rik Mayall | ||
| Emily Weiss | Darlene Johnson | ||
| Harry Weiss | Manning Redwood | ||
| Irwin Lapsey | Barry Dennen | ||
| Neeley Pritt | Betsy Brantley | ||
| Officer Vance Parker | Chris Malcolm | ||
| Kirk | Eugene Lipinski | ||
| Oscar Drill | Gary Shail | ||
| Brenda Drill | Claire Toeman | ||
| Glish Davidson | Donald Waugh | ||
| 'Bit' Drummer | David John | ||
| 'Bit' Guitarist | Gary Martin | ||
| Frankie | Sinitta Renet | ||
| Guy on Pay Phone | Sal Piro (uncredited) | ||
| Trixie | Ivy Levan | ||
| The Butler | Jayne Eastwood | ||
| Photographer | uncredited | Sal Piro | |
| The Criminologists' Assistant | Nell Campbell (uncredited) | ||
Stage shows
[edit]The Rocky Horror Show (1973)
[edit]Shock Treatment (2015)
[edit]Rocky Horror Show Live (2015)
[edit]Cancelled project
[edit]A new stage show and sequel to The Rocky Horror Show was announced by O'Brien in 2001. Despite its title never being announced, it is often referred to by fans of the franchise as Rocky Horror: The Second Coming. The stage show would have included elements of the scrapped Rocky Horror Shows His Heels and Revenge of the Old Queen scripts, and would have been set nine months after the original, following a pregnant Janet carrying either Rocky or Frank-N-Furters child. The song "Frankie Phoenix," which details the resurrection of Frank-N-Furter, was the only song leaked by O'Brien. It was intended to be turned into a film if the stage performance was successful.
Alternate soundtracks
[edit]- The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show is a 2003 cover album featuring many modern punk rock bands.
- The 15th Anniversary Collection is a four-CD set containing the original motion picture soundtrack, The Rocky Horror Show original Roxy show recording, Songs From the Vaults, rare tracks from various cast members, tracks from the Shock Treatment soundtrack, radio advertising spots for the original release, Rocky Horror International, the original cast recording of The Sword of Damocles, and Once in a While and Planet, Schmanet, Janet. Additionally, a 24-page commemorative booklet and comic were included.
- Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show is an EP released on October 19, 2010 and includes the cast of Glee performing the songs from season two episode "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" which pays tribute to both the stage show and film adaption.
Other media
[edit]Video games
[edit]- The Rocky Horror Show is a 1985 video game in which the player plays as either Brad or Janet collecting the pieces of the Medusa machine from around the castle.
- Rocky Interactive Horror Show is a PC game released in March 1999. Like The Rocky Horror Show video game, the player plays as Brad or Janet and attempts to save their partner from the castle. Its gameplay featured more detail, better graphics, and live video sequences. The game was criticized for its clumsy user interface and two-dimensional graphics.
- The Rocky Horror Show: Touch Me was announced as an upcoming rhythm action game, with Richard O'Brien personally licensing the game.[3][4] The game was expected to release in 2017,[5] but was cancelled in 2018 due to lack of funds.
- In 2024, Freakzone Games released a side-scrolling platformer called The Rocky Horror Show Video Game.
Comic Books
[edit]- Richard J. Anobile published a photo comic based on the movie, titled The Official Rocky Horror Picture Show Movie Novel that has since gone out of print.
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show Comic is a 1990 three-issie comic book adaption for the 15th Anniversary Celebration was written and illustrated by Kevin VanHook, published by Caliber Press.
Board game
[edit]The Rocky Horror Trivia Game is a 2005 trivia board game created by USAopoly for the 30th Anniversary Celebration. It features 1200 questions based on The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the actors from the film, and the sequel film Shock Treatment.
Other
[edit]- A series of 60 trading cards featuring an image on one side and small caption, with 50 of the cards retelling the movie, was produced by Fantasy Trading Card Company. In 1995, Comic Images created a 96-card set for the 20th anniversary.
- In 2000, Vital Toys released action figures of Frank-N-Furter, Riff Raff, and Columbia that were sold individually or as a set. Two more were planned for release, however, due to poor sales, they were never made.
- Frank-N-Furter was released as a CelebriDuck on Celebriduck.com.
- McFarlane Toys released a fully 3D rendered sculpture of the film's poster available at cultureboom.net.
- Funko released Pop! vinyl figures of Brad, Janet, Frank-N-Furter, Columbia, Riff Raff, and Magenta in 2015. In 2016, they released action figures of the same characters.
References
[edit]
- ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (September 13, 1991). "At the Movies". NYTimes. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ^ Drees, Rich (27 September 2010). "Script Review: REVENGE OF THE OLD QUEEN". Film Buff Online. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ^ "The Rocky Horror Show: Touch Me Game". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ^ Osborn, George (26 February 2017). "The case for a video game musical". Eurogamer. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ Snow, Georgia (19 February 2016). "The Rocky Horror Show Touch Me app in development | News". The Stage. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
