STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror

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Review by Mark Dujsik | September 25, 2025

It is incredibly odd to consider that The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a rock musical spoof of B-level science-fiction movies from the mid-20th century, might very well be one of the most important and significant films ever made. That has nothing to do with the film itself, which is a decent amount of fun, and everything to do with the audience that has transformed what's on the screen into an interactive theater experience. The film was released in 1975, and 50 years later, its original theatrical run is technically still ongoing.

The appropriately titled Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror covers the full history of the concept of what would become the film with the longest release ever, from the kernel of an idea from an out-of-work actor to its continued success as a hybrid piece of theater that some other movies have attempted to replicate but barely come to match. The filmmakers get at pretty much anything one would expect from a thorough account of and appreciation for, not only the film, but also everything surrounding it.

Much of that comes down to access, and Linus O'Brien, the documentary's director, has plenty of it. The name is no coincidence for those who know the film at the center of this story. He is, indeed, the son of Richard O'Brien, who wrote the whole of the stage show from which the film would be adapted and very happy to know that his legacy is cemented by the fact that neither stage nor film version of his material belongs to him in any meaningful way. It belongs instead to a well-established and ever-growing fanbase, who see the film as a way to express themselves in the comfort of an accepting crowd that they otherwise might not have been allowed to.

The documentary begins and ends with O'Brien, the creator, who has gone through his own journey of discovery along with the evolution of the cultural phenomenon he unwittingly began. Still identifying with masculine pronouns, O'Brien now sees himself as third gender or, as his son quotes him, "70% male and 30% female." This isn't the focal point of O'Brien's story within the film, but he now does understand why the themes of the stage show, which he wrote in pieces over the course of a few years to occupy himself in between acting gigs, are the way they are. O'Brien was figuring out a lot of things, even if he wasn't aware of them at the time.

There are assorted talking heads here, too—a professor in gender studies, a drag performer, the sister of the man who started the first fan club for The Rocky Horror Picture Show and helped spread the various rituals of an interactive showing by way of a newsletter, for example. All of them saw something of themselves in the material, as well. It might not have had anything to do with gender identity or sexuality, either, because everyone, after all, has some hidden "weird" side that's desperate to be expressed in some way. It's little surprise that the film, goofy and subversive enough on its own without the inclusion of audience participation, would become a means for so many people to express some part of themselves that they might otherwise keep to themselves.

On that level, O'Brien, the director, gets at the cultural impact and vitality of this 50-year-old film in a way that may seem obvious but is given quite a personal touch here. Yes, there are academics, the gender studies professor and a film historian, to speak of that impact in bigger-picture terms, but the filmmaker also speaks to Lillias Piro, the younger sister of fan club founder Sal Piro, who explains how her brother, who died in 2023, felt so accepted as a gay man at these showings and with groups of fellow fans at a time when open prejudice was the societal norm.

Just as fascinating, though, is the more practical side of the material's life. The director discusses the origin of the show with his father, the fine-tuning of the many catchy songs (and "The Time Warp," that immortal one) with musical director Richard Hartley, the various stage elements with their designers, and the staging itself with director Jim Sharman, who would also go on to director the film adaptation. Many members of the stage show and film's original cast are here to speak, too, including Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell from both, as well as Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon from the film.

As a most pleasant surprise, Tim Curry, who had a stroke more than a decade ago, is the subject of a seemingly lengthy interview. He looks and sounds healthy under the circumstances, while offering plenty of insights about his performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter and the material's legacy.

Indeed, it's impressive how much the film covers, considering that it's less than 90 minutes long. The documentary also has two very distinct through lines—the cultural and practical stories—running through the narrative, which additionally discusses the assorted stagings of the show in a few cities, the 1975 film's production, and how the latter went from box-office bomb to cult hit. Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is filled with illuminating trivia that never feels trivial, because the documentary knows that its subject, as odd as it may be, genuinely matters to a lot of people—and will continue to mean something for even more who have yet to discover it.

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