Few film openings are as iconic – or as mysterious – as the giant red lips that sing “Science Fiction/Double Feature” at the start of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The look of disembodied lips for the opening of the movie was from the mind of production designer Brian Thomson, who based it on the painting “Observatory Time: The Lovers, 1936 by Man Ray”, also known as “Lips over Hollywood”,.
But likely also from a 1973 Royal Court Theatre performance of Not I by Samuel Beckett, performed by Billie Whitelaw – in which her entire body was covered in black cloth, except for her lips.
But what many fans don’t realize is that there have been multiple sets of lips used throughout the franchise’s history – from trailers and posters to sequels and reimaginings.
Here’s a breakdown of the 10 most notable “lips” in Rocky Horror lore:
The Opening Lips
The lips in the film’s opening belong to Patricia Quinn (Magenta), but they’re lip-syncing to the voice of Richard O’Brien (Riff Raff). Quinn reportedly agreed to do the film only if she could sing the opening song—but the vocals were ultimately dubbed.
The Inspirational Lips
The idea for the lips came from “Observatory Time: The Lovers, 1936 by Man Ray”, also known as “Lips over Hollywood” – which has been described as the quintessential Surrealist painting.
The Poster Lips
The famous lips on the promotional poster are not from the film at all. They belong to Playboy model Lorelei Shark and were photographed specifically for the artwork. They’re arguably the most recognized lips in cult cinema history. These are sometimes seen flipped horizontally.
The Trailer Lips
The lips featured in the theatrical trailer weren’t Quinn’s but those of Rhea Ruggiero, adding another mysterious layer to the film’s promotion.
The Jaws Lips
These are an alternate take of Lorelei’s Poster Lips, shot to look like the popular-at-the-time 1975 Jaws movie poster.
The Newspaper Lips
Cropped and flopped Lips, cropped to look like Jaws movie poster, from newspaper adverts.
The Soundtrack Lips
Line Art version of The Lips from advertising for the first US release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Original Soundtrack Album (1978).
The DVD Lips
The Lips from the first DVD release of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (2000)
So there we are. Who knew?!
