Absolute Pleasure: Queer Perspectives on Rocky Horror
Since its earliest midnight showings at the Waverly Theater in New York City, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been an underground sensation. For five decades, people around the world have dressed up and gathered in dark theaters to dance, yell, mime obscene acts, and forge connections with other queer people and weirdos.
The film shattered expectations and social norms at the time of its release. But how does its presentation of queerness—not to mention its portrayals of murder, manipulation, consent violation, and cannibalism—hold up today? The essays in Absolute Pleasure—by queer writers including Sarah Gailey, Grace Lavery, and Magdalene Visaggio—explore the film's complicated legacy, along with queer and trans joy, sexuality, family, generational understandings of queerness, and what we do with our problematic faves.
Events & Tour
Margot Atwell and the other writers will be doing events around the US Fall 2025. Sign up here to express interest and get notified about tour and event plans!
September 16, 7-9 PM
Pub Day! Reading & Conversation
Hive Mind Books (free tickets and preorders)
Brooklyn, New York
September 17 7-9
Basie Center Cinemas (free tickets and preorders)
Red Bank, New Jersey
September 18 7-11 PM
Launch Party!
3 Dollar Bill (tickets and information)
Brooklyn, New York
September 21
Brooklyn Book Festival 4:30-5:30 PM
Signing at the Feminist Press Booth
Literary Marketplace
Brooklyn, New York
September 25: Joy in the Soft Apocalypse
The Word is Change, Brooklyn NY
September 26 7 PM: Riff Raff Bookstore & Bar
Conversation and Film Screening
Providence, Rhode Island
September 29 7 PM: Transsexual World Forum
Franklin Park, Brooklyn NY
More events TBA…
Praise for Absolute Pleasure
"As someone with a Tim Curry tattoo on my arm, Absolute Pleasure sent glorious shockwaves of recognition through my body with each and every soul-baring essay. I felt validated, fascinated and “Toucha Toucha” touched by every joyous, bittersweet, libidinous, liberating, mascara-smeared confession from fellow Transylvianians."
Darren Stein, director of Jawbreaker
"Absolute Pleasure delivers exactly that! I've given myself over to this collection of queer essays that reflect on Rocky Horror from a rich and diverse range of queer perspectives, and I must say—it's been incredibly satisfying. Knowing that so many fellow, lonely young outsiders were guided to the light over at the Frankenstein place and found where they truly belonged reaffirms my lifelong passion and fandom for all things Rocky Horror. I smiled so much while reading this that my face began to ache."
Peaches Christ, filmmaker & cult leader
“Absolute Pleasure is a poignant and timely reflection on this iconic film and what it has meant to so many, not just as a movie watched but as an experience and a cultural touchstone. At a time when our community needs it most, this collection brings playful hope."
Sassafras Patterdale, author of Lost Boi
"A collection as colorful, subversive, and comforting as the film it celebrates, Absolute Pleasure immortalizes in print The Rocky Horror Picture Show's still-unrivaled capacity for building queer connection and community in ways both wistful and wicked."
Joe Vallese, editor of It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror
"Rocky Horror Picture Show rocked my world as a teenager in the ’70s, and the light it showed me over at the Frankenstein place was where I first learned I could remove the cause, and enjoy the symptom, of being trans. The essays in this expansive anthology are so many lighters, held aloft, that illuminate the enduring influence of this film."
Susan Stryker, author of When Monsters Speak
"Virgins and veterans alike will find something to contemplate in this wide-ranging collection, which is not afraid to interrogate a beloved classic while also celebrating its profound impact on weirdos and misfits across generations. As one of those weirdos, I’m so glad it exists."—Jess Zimmerman, author of Women and Other Monsters
