The Official Rocky Horror Picture Show Movie Novel

by Richard J. Anobile

"Don't dream it, be it..." At last, for all those possessed disciples or would-be participants in the most outrageous mixed-media extravaganza of our time, here is The Official Rocky Horror Picture Show Movie Novel!

"Give yourself over to absolute pleasure..." with over 800 full-color frame blow-ups depicting actual scenes from the movie, plus the complete dialogue and song lyrics that tell the entire story of this underground cult classic.

"Toucha, toucha, touch me..." and feel the frenzy and fun of this far-fetched fantasy film. Capture the sheer madness of this crazy, clever combination of science fiction, high-camp horror, erotic fantasy and rock musical spoof!

"Do the Time Warp..." and prepare for your own personal participation in the high-energy escape from reality of this modern day phenomenon.

Meet Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), two strait-laced, middle-American kids confronted by the defiantly decadent morality of the 70's as represented in the person of Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), a "sweet transvestite* from the planet of Transexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.

Currently residing in a remote castle, he and a group of other sex-crazed sensualists from outer space are celebrating the birth of Rocky, a perfect male specimen the mad doctor has created for his own "use" when Brad and Janet knock on his door for help.
Experience it for the first time or relive it again and again — The Rocky Horror Picture Show is reborn in the pages of this complete Movie Novel — and you don't have to wait until midnight to start.

Edited and adapted by Richard J. Anobile
Screenplay by Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien
Introduction by Sal Piro, President of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club

Genres: Comics, Music

200 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published February 1, 1980

About the author

Anobile pioneered the use of the movie frame blow-up technique to recreate entire films in book form. His books were valuable resources especially in a time before VCR's and DVD's and the internet. While they might be viewed as simplistic picture books now, they were an attempt at curating film at a time when it was often still an after-thought. Anobile has spent much of the rest of his life in film production.

Reviews

[Rosa]

This was fine, but for some reason I felt uncomfortable reading it, like it was a pornographic comic.

[arden]

Delightfully campy

[Justin Tate]

Circa 1980 and introduced by Sal Piro, President of the Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club, this is sadly not a “novel” at all but more of a comic book with stills from the movie.

Outside of being a collector’s item, the book contains a splash of historical significance. The first being that it exists at all. Now in its 50th anniversary, The Rocky Horror Picture Show film seemed, at first, to be a box office bomb. Executives were pleased with the feeling of “I told you so,” having harped before that it wasn’t 1969 anymore. The Sexual Revolution was over and Gerald Ford’s America wasn’t the moment to confront the masses with a bisexual, crossdressing musical alien.

Everyone involved gave up on the dream quickly, pleased with the result of their labor but willing to let the masterpiece live on only in their hearts. The movie was, as everyone said, simply too eccentric.

But wait! In one of pop culture’s rare moments of pre-Internet viralability, the movie reemerged nearly a year later at midnight screenings. Moonlit evenings were well-suited for the subject matter and added an air of discovery. Like stumbling upon a speakeasy, viewers left the theater feeling they’d just learned a marvelous secret. And what good was a secret if you didn’t tell everyone about it?

Soon enough, “virgins” (first time viewers) were being “sacrificed” on a regular basis, the audience shouted at the screen, brought water guns, toast, rice, and other props to showcase their familiarity with every line, and add to the experience. A cult classic was born.

And “cult” is the word Sal Piro uses in his three-paragraph introduction. But he uses the term affectionately, describing the viewing experience as a “feeling of family and community.” Most importantly, “love pervades this cult as they give themselves over to pleasure and exhort the philosophy of becoming all the things they have dreamed.”

Interestingly, Piro uses the unexpected success of Rocky Horror as evidence of hope for the new decade. Whether or not the ‘80s delivered the kind of hope he imagined is hard to say, but certainly the film’s appeal did not wane and Salvatore Francis Martin Piro would remain president of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Fan Club until his death on January 22nd, 2023.

For those looking for an actual book and not just pictures, Piro’s memoir Creatures of the Night (1990) sounds like a better option. In it he describes attending the original midnight screenings and seeing the crowds balloon over time.

Fifty years later, the film still sees sell-out crowds, shadow casts, and new virgins waiting to be sacrificed. Disney now owns the rights and, to their credit, they gave the film a glorious 4K restoration. Rumor has it the original stage play is returning to Broadway soon too. All evidence suggests we’ll still be doing the "Time Warp" on its 100th anniversary. I hope so.

[Lee]

This is basically the script with stills captured from the movie. I appreciate finding this book and having it as some fun memorabilia for a movie that means a lot to me.
I was surprised another review mentioned they felt like they were reading porn. There is a photo (maybe two) that shows a woman’s breasts, but visual nudity does not equal porn in my opinion (though I’m aware people’s opinions differ on that). The actress is wearing a corset, and she has stated over the years the nudity was never intentional, she just has a very long torso, lol.
The movie does have sexual themes, which is pretty widely known at this point since it’s been out for 50 years at the time of my writing this.
Seriously, if you have an opportunity to go and watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live cast performing along with the movie, do it! It’s such a fun time!

[Slashley]

Fans of RHPS will enjoy this visual novelization, full of color, choreography, and Tim Curry

[Michelle Llewellyn]

It does read like a comic book and not like a novel. I was a little disappointed not to find a movie-tie in novel with descriptive text and dialogue but a line by line, shot by shot, script-like paperback format of dialogue bubbles with the accompanying still shots from the movie capturing all your favorite moments.
I had the opportunity to peruse this at the University of Utah Library's Fine Arts collection since my local county and city libraries do not have this in circulation. Despite not reading like a paperback novel I still enjoyed reading the lines from the movie while hearing the actor's voices singing and speaking inside my head. The accompanying photos really bring the movie back to life for the reader. If you're a big fan of the movie and want to add this unique novelization of the script to your collection then get this book. I think I'll pass but it was fun to look at.