Nell Campbell, Tim Curry, and Patricia Quinn, photographed by Mick Rock as Columbia, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and Magenta in *The Rocky Horror Picture Show,* 1975.

Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, and Richard O’Brien, as Riff Raff.

The exterior of a movie theater playing *The Rocky Horror Picture Show,* photographed by Robert Landau.

*Top,* Tim Curry and Peter Hinwood, as Rocky; *above,* Nell Campbell.

Barry Bostwick, as Brad, and Susan Sarandon.

Susan Sarandon, Peter Hinwood, Barry Bostwick, and Nell Campbell.

Let’s Do the Time Warp Again!

With Halloween around the corner, music photographer Mick Rock’s behind-the-scenes images from the set of The Rocky Horror Picture Show offer a rare glimpse into the making of Richard O’Brien’s campy cult classic

The Rocky Horror Picture Show turns 50 this year, and if you still haven’t caught a midnight screening of the longest-running theatrical release in film history (grossing more than $200 million to date), then all we have to say is “Dammit, Janet!” And if your name isn’t Janet, you’re still on the hook. Because Richard O’Brien’s magnum opus is more than just a campy cult classic; it’s a science-fiction-horror-glam-rock musical that celebrates B movies as much as it satirizes them. It’s also become both a cornerstone of queer culture, due to its avant-garde depiction of sexual fluidity, and a crowd-favorite piano-bar set list.

If all that sounds like high-concept jargon, allow us to explain the film in plain English. A newly engaged couple, Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon), seek shelter in a castle owned by a mad scientist after their car breaks down in the rain. They are greeted by the hunchbacked servant Riff Raff (O’Brien himself), who introduces them—after one of the most recognizable numbers of all time, “Time Warp”—to his master, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, played with gusto by Tim Curry.