Synopsis for
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Brad Majors and Janet Wiess are two "normal college kids" in the late 70's from the small town of Denton. They fist met up in Dr Scott's refresher course and fell in love and now are attending a friend's wedding. Inspired by the events around him, as soon as the other guests leave, brad asks Janet to marry him in a song and she accepts. Joyous, the couple decide to go tell Dr Scott the good news and so they hop into Brad's car for a quick drive to Dr Scott's house in the countryside.

The Criminologist comes on and explains that we are about to embark on a strange journey following the misadventures of Brad and Janet. He mentions that despite the storm clouds gathering, the two decided to go for a long drive in the country anyway even though their spare tire was badly in need of air.

As they drive on, the sun sets and, sure enough, it begins to rain very heavily. Janet is starting to feel ill at ease considering how far out they are and that a bunch of bikers keep passing them on the road and suggests that they should turn back before something bad happens. We hear a loud BANG! and the car skids to a stop.

"What was the bang?", Janet asks, frightened. "We must have a blowout.", Brad replies.

Brad realizes he messed up badly by not refilling the spare tire and suggests that the two of them go to an old castle they passed along the way to call for help. Janet isn't so sure this is a good idea, but Brad talks her into it anyway as there's not much they can do otherwise. As they walk through the rain, Janet tries to shield herself with a newspaper, telling herself through a song that no matter how bad things get, there's always a good side and that things will always get better.

Soon the two arrive on the front doorstep of the castle. Brad knocks and just as the two were about to leave, the door is opened by Riffraff, a tall, gaunt, balding butler in a stark black suit. He glares at them, further unnerving Janet, though Brad tries to be friendly, introducing himself and Janet and explaining that they need a phone as their car has broken down nearby.

Riffraff totally ignored the introduction and simply asks, "You are wet?" "Yes... it's raining...", Janet says, puzzled. "Oh... I guess you'd both... better.. come inside..." Riffraff replies in near monotone and the two are ushered inside.

The foyer is outlandishly decorated with dark wooden furniture, stuffed dead animals and hunting trophies, and random relics and curiosities. Riffraff explains to Brad and Janet that they've arrived on a very special night as "the master" is having a party.

"Well, lucky him.", Brad says politely, and from upstairs, Magenta the maid comes down with a laugh, I'm lucky, he's lucky, you're lucky, we're all LUCKY!" leading into the infamous song "The Time Warp".

The Criminologist comes on and explains the steps to the Time Warp dance.

Brad and Janet are ushered into a great hall with a throne and a jukebox at it's far end where conventionists of every size and description wearing tuxedos and party hats are dancing and singing the Time Warp. During the song we are introduced to the gold-sequin-wearing, tap dancing Columbia. All of this is too much for Janet and Brad who try to sneak out carefully. Janet begs Brad to leave as the place is creepy, but Brad simply says that they've probably just stumbled on a hunting lodge for rich weirdos and says that they should stay to watch more "folk dancing." Janet refuses as she's "cold, wet and just plain scared!", though Brad tries to reassure her.

Janet turns around to leave and sees Dr Frank. N. Furter in full drag regalia, wrapped up in a black cloak. She screams and faints. Frank introduces himself though a song as a "sweet Transvestite from transsexual Transylvania". Brad asks him for help, explaining his plight, and Frank smirks and acknowledges that yeah, Brad needs help, and offers him a mechanic at first only to change his mind as "Maybe the rain isn't REALLY to blame" and instead decides to "remove the cause but NOT the symptoms."

Frank then goes into an elevator and rises upstairs to the applause of the partying conventionists. RiffRaff and Magenta strip Brad and Janet down to their underwear while Columbia scolds Riffraff and Magenta, telling them it's too good a job to rush. Brad tries to introduce himself, though Columbia gives him the cold shoulder saying he's Lucky to be able to see Frank's Laboratory, laughing at him before walking off, dumping Brad and Janet's clothing into the floor. Brad and Janet then are prodded into the elevator and taken upstairs to Frank's lab.

The Criminologist comes on and gives a sense of foreboding about the lab and the events about to unfold there.

Brand and Janet are led out into the center of an observing room where they are put on display by Dr. Frank N Furter, now wearing a lab coat and long gloves, who introduces them to the conventionists as "fine specimens" that their parents must be proud of. He then walked over to a box-like shape covered by a tarp and throws off the covering to reveal a tank. He shouts for Magenta and Riffraff to set the controls and start the machinery as the room darkens. Frank himself laughs maniacally as he turns knobs, dials, and wheels as fluids pour into the tank and a humanoid form appears slowly, skeleton first, much to Janet's terror and Brad's unnervance.

Carefully, Frank N Furter leads out the humanoid figure wrapped entirely in bandages and cuts them away to reveal a full-grown man with blond hair, tanned skin, blue eyes and a muscular figure wearing only a skimpy golden bikini over his crotch. Riffraff spins some wheels he shouldn't have while cackling to himself, setting the blond man, known as Rocky, loose. Frank chases Rocky through the lab crying his name as a bouncy song about the creation, Rocky feeling a sense of dread plays. Eventually Frank catches Rocky and scolds him for misbehaving, but says he forgives him as he's beautiful. Then, the deep freeze malfunctions and Columbia squeals, "Eddie!" as meatloaf rides out on a motorcycle, dressed in black leather, singing about his former glory. The conventionists eat it up, enjoying the show, but Frank becomes wrathful that Eddie stole his thunder and takes out a pickax, chasing Eddie into the deep freeze where he is hacked to bits. This puts everyone, even the giddy conventionists into a shocked and somber mood. Frank, tires to pick things up by talking about how beautiful Rocky is in a song, leading away his new creation to a "bedchamber" in a wedding-style procession.

The Criminologist comes on and mentions that Brad and Janet are in trouble now as they are being led away to seperate rooms for the night.

While separated, Frank N. Furter comes in, dressed as brad, and seduces Janet. Then he goes into Brad's room, dressed as Janet and tries to seduce Brad. Brad puts up a little bit of a fight, but is talked into it (though a song in the newer editions, though actually pleasuring him in the older ones). Afterwards, Janet feels frightened and used and goes to look for Brad. Meanwhile, Rocky escapes from the bedchamer and is running loose, chased by dogs through the rain by the gleeful Riffraff. While wandering lost and afraid, Janet encounters Rocky cowering beneath the tarp hiding in his tank. Seeing that he's injured, she tears her petticoat to bandage his wounds, pausing as she realizes she's aroused.

The Criminologist comes on and mentions the complexity of human emotions and the dangers of lust. He fades away to Magenta and Columbia who are secretly watching Rocky and Janet in the tank via a monitor in their room.

Janet tries to seduce Rocky, explaining that she used to be a virgin, but now she finds she really likes sex and wants it NOW. Rocky is more than happy to oblige, meanwhile Columbia and Magenta watch in secret, laughing and playing with one another, making fun of the events unfolding before them. As the two enjoy one another, Dr Scott comes to Frank's castle.Brad recognizes his old teacher and is happy to see him, but Frank N. Furter is angry that the two know one another, recognizing Dr. Scott as a federal agent investigating UFOs, suspecting Brad and Janet are actually spies. Brad denies this, explaining that Dr. Scott is an old teacher of his, but Frank doesn't believe him. Frank N. Furter takes Brad to the lab where he turns on a powerful magnet to drag Dr Scott's wheelchair up to them, Dr. Scott still inside it. The clunk of Dr. Scott's wheelchair arriving wakes the sleeping Janet and Rocky who sit up in shock. Everyone in the room is frightened, confused and hurt to see one another here. Magenta come sup and announces that dinner is ready. Attempting to handle things with grace, Dr. Frank N. Furter dismisses everyone for dinner, informing them that formal attire is optional as he stomps off enraged.

Everyone meets in a grand dining room for a dinner of roasted beef and vegetables in honor of Rocky's Birthday. Frank demands that everyone sing Rocky "Happy Birthday." Dr. Scott reveals in a song that he's not here to investigate Frank and his household, but to look for his nephew, Eddie, who went missing with a cyptic cry for help in a letter being the last contact he had from him. Sure, Eddie was a no good kid, but he's still family. In response to this, the tablecloth is pulled off the table to reveal Eddie's hacked-up body in a glass case... and the fact that they were being served roast Eddie for dinner. Brad and Dr Scott are paralyzed with terror, Janet runs to Rocky's Arms. Frank is outraged, slapping Janet. Janet runs away with Frank chasing after her, encouraging her through a song to stop sleeping with everyone else as she's now his.

Janet, followed by Frank N. Furter, Rocky, Brad, and Dr Scott end up in the lab again. Frank pulls a switch to "glue" everyone's feet to the floor but his. Everyone tells Frank he's a "Hotdog, but he'd better not try to hurt her." In response, he simply flips a switch and turns them all to stone. Columbia comes in and tells Frank he's gone too far this time as now people are really hurt. Frank N. Furter simply responds by turning Columbia to stone, too. Frank. N Furter than offers sexual favors to Magenta she's been a "loyal servant", and she flat out refuses him. Annoyed, Frank tells the two to prepare for the floor show.

The Criminologist comes on and hints that in this place where nothings as it seems the Floor Show is going to be something very shocking.

The next scene we see the statue versions of everyone on stage, now all wearing fishnets, makeup, a thong and the same bustier. One by one they are unfrozen, and they each sing and dance a song about how they've changed since they came here. Dr. Scott is accidentally unfrozen and realizes that this place is a trap and everyone should run while they still are sane enough to escape. Frank N. Furter comes out like a prized showgirl and sings a solo, starting an orgy in a swimming pool that is uncovered as he sings. After the orgy, Frank N. Furter sings a song praising his wild and untamed, passionate household.

This song, however is interrupted by Riffraff and Magenta, now in strange uniforms and armed. Riffraff informs Frank that it's all over as his mission was a failure due to Frank becoming too extreme. He declares that Frank is now he and Magenta's prisoner as he has been made commander, and that they're going back to Transylvania now. Frank is happy for this, singing about how long he's been wanting to go back to the homeland he was exiled from. Riffraff stops him again and explains that only he and Magenta are going home; Frank N. Furter is to be killed. Riffraff kills Frank with a raygun as he tries to run away. Rocky, seeing his creator fall, grabs Frank and climbs the set in the background of the stage, crying in rage and pain. It takes several shots from the raygun, but Rocky is killed and falls into the pool where he and his creator float dead.

Riffraff turns to Brad, Janet and Dr. Scott and tells them to leave now while they still can and they do so. Meanwhile, in a now empty house, Magenta and Riffraff celebrate going home as an incestuous relationship is implied. The house flies away under a rainbow and blue skies, leaving Dr. Scott, Janet, and Brad writing on the charred ground, still in drag from the floor show as it flies away. In some versions there's a song about loss of innocence called "superheros" here.

The Criminologist comes back one last time with the somber, iconic lines:

And crawling on the planet's face

Some insects call the human Race.

Lost in time,

and lost in space...

...and in meaning...