Rocky Horror Picture Show Quotes

The Rocky Horror Picture Showwas released over 40 years ago but is now as popular as ever before. The film follows Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) as they go on a road trip after getting engaged and get stranded at Dr. Frank-N-Furter's mansion. The film received mixed reviews upon its release but quickly developed a cult following.

With hidden meanings about the glam rock movement and gender expression, there is plenty to dissect in each viewing. The musical was rebooted as a TV movie in 2016 but received mainly negative reviews. The original, however, is still highly regarded due to the original musical from Richard O'Brien and the screenplay from O'Brien and Jim Sharman. Here are 15 fabulous quotes from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Updated on November 11, 2020 by Christopher Fiduccia :The Rocky Horror Picture Show is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, and the film is still just as relevant as ever. Tim Curry's stand-out film is often a yearly tradition for many people around Halloween, but there really isn't a bad time to watch the movie. The Rocky Horror Picture show is a quotable film from start to finish, with the musical numbers written by Richard O'Brien (Riff Raff) keeping people singing along for the full hour and forty minutes. So, let's go on a strange journey, and revisit some of the most memorable lines in the film.

15 'I WOULD LIKE, IF I MAY, TO TAKE YOU ON A STRANGE JOURNEY'

Since he is the narrator, the Criminologist wasn't actually there at the time of the events at Dr. Frank-N-Furter's mansion, but he still had some memorable lines in the film.

In his very first line, the Criminologist opens by saying, "I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey," which is a great way to begin the story that is about to unfold. His opening line is unforgettable, but so is his final line of the film, "And crawling on the planet's face, some insects called the human race. Lost in time. And lost in space... and meaning."

14 'You're Like a Sponge. You Take, Take, Take, And Drain Others Of Their Love And Emotion.'

Shortly after Rocky is brought to life, Eddie bursts into the laboratory to start the "Hot Patootie" musical number. While everybody is impressed by his act, Dr. Frank N. Furter is not. Frank N. Furter ends up bludgeoning Eddie with an ax, which obviously devastates Columbia.

Columbia confronts Frank N. Furter, which allows actress Nell Campbell's acting ability to really shine through. Distraught by Eddie's death, Columbia yells at Frank N. Furter, telling him how horribly he treats people and that she's had enough. She compares him to a sponge, saying, "You chew people up, and then you spit them out again," before insulting Rocky.

13 'THAT'S A RATHER TENDER SUBJECT. ANOTHER SLICE, ANYONE?'

One of the more memorable songs comes near the middle of the movie when Dr. Frank-N-Furter kills Eddie. The scene itself can be taken as a metaphor for Glam Rock taking over rock 'n' roll, and the song "Hot Patootie-Bless My Soul" is one of the catchier songs of the film. Eventually, Dr. Everett von Scott comes looking for his nephew Eddie and sits down for supper at Dr. Frank-N-Furter's mansion.

When he asks about Eddie, Columbia exclaims, "Eddie!" before Frank-N-Furter' revs an electric knife at her and says, "That's a rather tender subject. Another slice, anyone?". The line is witty since it is soon after revealed that the guests are actually eating slices of Eddie, whose body is underneath the glass table.

12 'Janet! Dr. Scott! Janet! Brad! Rocky!'

This quote might just be a repeated line of the main characters' names, but it represents an important part of the movie. Janet gives herself over to "absolute pleasure" and sleeps with Rocky in his birth tank.

Everyone is surprised to find the two together, especially Frank-N-Furter and Brad. Dr. Scott sets off the loop of everyone, surprisingly exclaiming each other's names when he discovers Janet is at the castle. This marks the point in the film where Frank-N-Furter becomes hostile towards Janet, which lasts until the end of the film when the group harmonizes "Don't Dream It, Be It."

11 'I'LL TELL YOU ONCE, I WON'T TELL YOU TWICE. YOU BETTER WISE UP JANET WEISS'

Towards the end of the film, the song "Planet Schmanet, Janet" is sung by Dr. Frank-N-Furter. It's no secret that the Doctor is a jealous person, so when Janet runs to Rocky when she gets scared from seeing Eddie's dead body, Frank-N-Furter has an issue.

He chases after her and starts singing, "I'll tell you once, I won't tell you twice. you better wise up Janet Weiss." Frank-N-Furter chases her to his lab where he then says "The transducer will seduce ya" before he flips the switch, and Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott are all stuck in their place.

10 'THERE'S A LIGHT, OVER AT THE FRANKENSTEIN PLACE'

After the Criminologist introduces the story, Brad and Janet are seen driving through a storm in the middle of the night. After their car gets a flat, they have no choice but to trek through the storm to try to find help. As they are walking through the rain, they see a light in the distance coming from Dr. Frank-N-Furter's mansion.

They break into song and sing, "There's a light" as the Transylvanians sing back, "Over at the Frankenstein's place." Needless to say, Brad and Janet wouldn't have been so thankful if they knew what was in store for them.

9 'Don't Dream It, Be It'

WhileRocky Horror Picture Showmight just seem like a strange and zany sci-fi movie to watch on Halloween, the underlying themes are about sexuality and gender identity. When Riff Raff and Magenta are about to take Frank-N-Furter back to Transylvania, Frank-N-Furter sings a swan song of sorts.

Frank-N-Furter sing, "Don't dream it, be it,"which essentially ties itself to another famous lyric in the movie:"Give yourself over to absolute pleasure." The lyric "Don't dream it, be it" is telling audiences not to dream about who they want to be or how they present themselves, but simply be it.

8 'IN JUST SEVEN DAYS, I CAN MAKE YOU A MAN. DIG IT IF YOU CAN'

Peter Hinwood had a very short-lived acting career, but his most famous role by far was Rocky in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Rocky was the muscular creation from Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who was rather dimwitted. Shortly after Rocky is born, Dr. Frank-N-Furter gives him a set of weights and breaks out into song.

Frank-N-Furter is mainly talking about how Rocky will keep his impeccable muscles in shape, but his most famous lyric in the song is, "In just seven days, I can make you a man. Dig it if you can!". Unfortunately though, Rocky doesn't stay as faithful to Dr. Frank-N-Furter as he had hoped.

7 'GREAT SCOTT!'

Christopher Lloyd may have popularized that phrase "Great Scott!" in 1985 for Back to the Future, but The Rocky Horror Picture Show included the line ten years earlier. When Dr. Everett V. Scott (played by Jonathan Adams) first appears in the film, he makes quite an entrance.

He comes smashing through the wall of Frank-N-Furter's lab and then rolls down the long ramp. Right when Scott smashes through the wall, Brad exclaims, "Great Scott!" since he wasn't expecting to see him in Frank-N-Furter's mansion. Dr. Scott is looking for his nephew Eddie, but unfortunately, he had just been killed a few scenes prior.

6 'HOT PATOOTIE, BLESS MY SOUL! I REALLY LOVE THAT ROCK N' ROLL!'

Frank-N-Furter cut out half of Eddie's brain to give to Rocky but then ends up murdering Eddie with an ice pick. Before that, however, Eddie smashes through the freezer on his motorcycle and breaks into song and dance.

The only song that the character Eddie (played by Meat Loaf) sang for the entire movie was called "What Ever Happened to Saturday Night?" also known as "Hot Patootie, Bless My Soul." The entire song is catchy and even includes a saxophone solo from Eddie, but the best line in the song is the chorus, "Hot patootie, bless my soul! I really love that rock n' roll!".

5 'I'm A Wild And An Untamed Thing. I'm A Bee With A Deadly Sting'

From Pennywise inIT to Wadsworth inClue, Curry has appeared in many popular movies over the years.Rocky Horror Picture Showwas Curry's very first movie, and he managed to turn Frank-N-Furter into one of his most iconic characters.

Frank-N-Furter is a rather extravagant character, and the line, "I'm a wild and an untamed thing. I'm a bee with a deadly sting,"pretty much describes the character to a tee. Frank-N-Furter wasn't afraid to be his fabulous self, and people knew not to cross him. After all, look at what happened to poor Eddie.

4 'DAMMIT, JANET, I LOVE YOU'

Brad and Janet are two characters that are forced to confront their homosexual and bisexual urges throughout the film. At first, however, they are seen as a cookie-cutter suburban couple. After they attend a wedding and Janet catches the flower bouquet, Brad proposes to her during a catchy musical number.

The chorus of the song, "Damnit, Janet, I love you" is one of the most recognized lines from the film. That being said, Janet's line, "Brad, I'm mad for you too" isn't quite as catchy. After that, they begin their trip to see Dr. Scott, so the fun hadn't really even begun at that point.

3 'SO COME UP TO THE LAB AND SEE WHAT'S ON THE SLAB. I SEE YOU SHIVER WITH ANTICI…PATION'

Soon after Brad and Janet are introduced to Riff Raff, Magenta, and the rest of the party-goers, they meet the host of the party, who introduces himself as a "sweet transvestite." With Janice and Brad being innocent newlyweds, they are visibly uncomfortable with Dr. Frank-N-Furter's appearance, but he is clearly very comfortable in his skin, despite him being an alien.

The song "Sweet Transvestite" is probably the most famous song of the film behind "The Time Warp" and the line, "So come up to the lab and see what's on the slab. I see you shiver with antici........ PATION!" is delivered perfectly by Tim Curry.

2 'LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!'

The most popular song to come out of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is arguably "The Time Warp." When Brad and Janet first arrive to Dr. Frank-N-Furter's mansion, they are greeted by Riff Raff. Riff Raff begins the song by singing, "It's astounding, time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll," but the tempo of the song quickly picks up from there.

After Riff Raff and Magenta rush through the doors to the main ballroom, Brad and Janet see all of the people attending the Annual Transylvanian Convention. The song continues with Riff Raff, Magenta, Columbia, and company singing the famous line, "Let's do the time warp again."

1 'And Crawling, On The Planet's Face, Some Insects, Called The Human Race. Lost In Time, And Lost In Space... And Meaning.'

Rocky Horror Picture Show is no doubt a weird film, and the ending is no exception. When Riff Raff and Magenta reveal themselves as the aliens from the planet Transylvania, they let Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott go. The castle is then revealed to be a spaceship, and the aliens fly off into space.

The trio crawls around on the ground singing their final song before it cuts to the narrator. The Criminologist gives the final line of the film, comparing humans to insects crawling on the surface of the Earth.

NEXT: The 10 Greatest Lines From Beetlejuice

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About The Author

Christopher Fiduccia (1037 Articles Published)

Christopher is a news writer, editor, and trainer at Screen Rant. He graduated from Rock Valley College in 2018 with an Associate of Arts degree and a Media Production Specialist certificate. After running his own movie blog for over five years, Christopher joined the Screen Rant team in 2018 as a list writer. Christopher is a sucker for '80s horror and giant monster movies but has covered a wide range of topics during his employment at Screen Rant.