ROCKY HORROR

A photographic journey into the making of a cult film.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show debuted in theaters 50 years ago, and it never really left—the movie still draws often-costumed fans to special showings where they dance, sing, and throw toast and toilet paper. (It’s complicated.) Rock had a front-row seat at the filming of the movie as its chief photographer, and in this book, he and co-author Mohr bring readers behind the scenes. They explore the origins of the film, which was based on a stage musical, via interviews—some conducted for the book, some from other publications—with its principals, including actors Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick. (Among the anecdotes is one from actor Patricia Quinn, who reveals that Curry “hated” being made “gorgeous” by makeup artist Pierre La Roche.) Refreshingly, the book doesn’t neglect the crew of the film, including La Roche and costume director Sue Blane, who created the movie’s iconic looks. The film bombed on its release but found new life in midnight screenings among a subculture that included many in the LGBTQ+ community: “This type of safe space proved to be a key to both personal and artistic development and inspired and fostered generation after generation of performers and artists,” the authors write. The book is centered on Rock’s beautiful photographs from the shoot; they capture, as he writes in the foreword, “a time of colorful exploration in sex, music, fashion, and chemistry.” Rock died in 2021, and Mohr in 2025; this book is a fitting last testament to their remarkable careers. It’s a given that any reader who knows all the words to “Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch Me” will be delighted, but anyone with an interest in 1970s film will find something to love here.

A strange journey, sure, but a worthy one.