By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Linus O'Brien
Year: 2025
Running time: 89
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35521365/reference/
Michael says: “It’s funny how ‘The Rocky Horror Show’, and the subsequent movie-adaptation, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW are such iconic, pieces of entertainment that many people have seen multiple times, but as this documentary shows, I didn’t know a lot about the story of Rocky Horror and its origins.s In some ways, you couldn’t ask for a better person to tell that story as director Linus O’Brien is the sun of Richar O’Brien, creator of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ and originator of the role of Riff Raff on both stage and screen. Linus has access to pretty much everyone still alive that was involved with both the original London stage show, and the film, especially, of course, his father, who is a talented and thoughtful hairdresser from New Zealand who ended up creating one of the biggest cult hits in the world.
“The film charts the show’s origins, from the London to the Los Angeles stage, subsequent film that initially flopped, and then throughout it’s cult explosion and decades long run with fans performing the show in front of the big screen and audiences calling back to the characters on screen. Linus does a great job sculpting the story, with only one real flaw, but it’s one that has come up a lot in recent years… the film could have used more editing. Once the focus turns to the audiences, the energy goes out of the film. Now, this element is essential to the story of Rocky Horror, but perhaps if it had been interspersed throughout the doc, or tightened up a bit, it would have been more effective. As it is, after a strong start, the documentary ends on a weaker note. 3 1/2 cats
Screened at the 27th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival, Provincetown Town Hall, Opening Night, June 2025″