Parents' Guide to

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

By Maryana Vestic, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

A comedic cult classic with heavy sexual innuendo.

Movie R 1975 106 minutes
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 34 parent reviews

Avery B.
Avery B. Adult
January 17, 2021
age 10+

Don't dream it

Be it

This title has:

Great messages
1 person found this helpful.
bradmajors
bradmajors Adult
October 15, 2022
age 13+

Tim Curry fr

Say, does anyone know how to madison?

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
See all 34 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW opens with a conservative young couple (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) experiencing a flat tire on a rainy night. They find shelter in the menacing-looking castle of Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), a cross-dressing mad scientist. The film follows Brad and Janet's descent into the world of Dr. Frank N. Furter and his minions. He is building the perfect love god -- a muscle-bound blond named Rocky. As Brad and Janet rediscover their own sexualities and Rocky desperately wants to discover his own, the film grows more surreal, ending in the massive revelation that Dr. Frank N. Furter's glammed-out, androgynous self is more than just different, it's out of this world. Hunchback Riffraff deems the Doctor's lifestyle "too extreme" and subtly takes over in a very obvious reference to the powers of conformity, quashing the wildly different when it gets in the way of the greater plan.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (34):
Kids say (111):

The definition of kitsch, Rocky Horror is a campy, musical spoof on the haunted-castle horror movie, encompassing a '70s glam-rock world of androgyny with characters that are more than offbeat. Adults have been gathering at ritualistic midnight viewings of Rocky Horror across the country since its 1975 debut, contributing to it being a cult classic.

The movie has a built-in audience: lovers of glam rock and the world it sings along to. For this audience, it's like watching their favorite 1970s glam rock concert come to life. Rocky Horror is one of the best, if not the best-executed, examples of a film that celebrates the odd, the rejected, the rock-'n'-roll misfits who live by the beat of their own wayward drum. It's just not for kids.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Rocky Horror Picture Show's themes of personal and sexual individuality and the concept of "fitting in." Beyond the campy elements, what lessons are presented here?

  • Starting in New York City, this movie grew into one of the best-known "cult classics" of all time, in which moviegoers dress like the characters, dance to the musical numbers, and shout well-timed sarcastic remarks at the screen. What do you think is the seemingly timeless appeal of a movie that appears to be little more than a campy B-movie? What are some other examples of cult classics?

  • When the movie was released in 1975, many of the themes and content were considered taboo subjects. How is this movie a product of that time, and how does it hold up today?

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