‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Doc ‘Strange Journey’ Re-Release Sets the Stage for a Narrative Feature | Exclusive

Ready to do the time warp again?

Magenta Light Studios has acquired the documentary “Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror,” directed by Linus O’Brien, with plans to re-release the film later this spring (it was self-distributed last year). The re-release will include special event screenings in New York on April 24 and Los Angeles on May 1, featuring Q&As with O’Brien and additional guests to be announced. A wider expansion has been set for May 8.

“Strange Journey” originally premiered at South by Southwest in 2025 and traces the origins of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”: “From a London fringe theater production to its meteoric rise as one of the most enduring cult films of all time. With intimate access to creator Richard O’Brien and other key collaborators, the documentary explores what makes the play and film so singular, its groundbreaking and transgressive themes, iconic performances, and unforgettable songs that reshaped popular culture,” per the official release.

But that’s not all — Magenta Light has also acquired the narrative feature “Creatures of the Night,” written by Mark Loughlin and Jill Mazursky. The film “chronicles the origins of the midnight movie phenomenon surrounding ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show.’” “Creatures of the Night” is set in 1975 Los Angeles during the film’s initial box-office failure and “follows a diverse ensemble — Marc, Dori, Emma and Sal — as shifting societal norms collide with emerging identities. United by the movie’s subversive spirit, they help transform ‘Rocky Horror’ into a groundbreaking midnight sensation in New York City, defying convention and sparking a global cult following that continues to transcend generations.”

TheWrap spoke to Bob Yari, CEO of Magenta Light Studios, about both of these projects.

He said that he saw “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” when it was first released (Yuri was in college) and immediately purchased the soundtrack.

“But I had no idea the type of effect it had on a whole category of people and young people that were struggling with identity issues and the documentary, when I watched it, it really brought that to the forefront of how impactful the original film was how many lives it had actually saved, how many young people found that there was a world that they belonged in and there were people like them,” Yuri explained. “When I really started understanding that it wasn’t just a fun, entertaining film, but it was it had that type of impact and the fact that probably a lot of people like myself didn’t realize that impact, I thought that’s something we should get involved in.”

Part of the mission statement of Magenta Light Studios, Yuri said, is “to be there for really good independent films that are not finding distribution.” He points to “Strange Darling,” which was a minor sensation when it was released in 2024 via MLS. “We thought it was an amazing film, so we got behind it, supported it and then it got kind of the visibility it deserved, I think, and we’re hoping the same thing here.”

As for the narrative film, “Creatures of the Night,” Yuri said that there isn’t a production company attached yet, but that Magenta Light occasionally gets behind movies and makes them. “This is one of those that I really believe in. So we’re going to be out there. We’re looking for our director, and we have great ideas for cast, but it’s a terrific film,” he said. “It’s about the fan group they got behind it when it first played at midnight in a theater in New York, and how they really drove its nontypical success, with people coming in, costumes, the shadow acting. This was the little band of misfits that created its success. And it’s a story, again, not a lot of people know, but it’s really touching and heartfelt. I’m a huge fan of the script.”

Among Magenta Light Studios’ diverse slate is “Deep Water,” a shark thriller from Renny Harlin starring Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley, that will be out on 2,500 screens this May and starts with, as Yuri noted, “by far the scariest plane crash sequence I have ever seen in any movie.” And that’s before the sharks show up.

The post ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Doc ‘Strange Journey’ Re-Release Sets the Stage for a Narrative Feature | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.