Shock Treatment (1981)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Awesome Movie

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I know a large portion of the Rocky Horror community despise "Shock Treatment", but I rather like it (and I'm a huge fan of The Rocky Horror Show). Even though I like "Shock Treatment", I can't lie and say it's 100% perfect. Because it isn't.History Lesson! The first draft of a "Rocky" sequel was a script entitled "Curse of the Baby" which became "Rocky Horror Shows His Heels". This script has not been made available to the public and it's a shame. Just from reading the plot line it sounds like a direct sequel to the previous work. But who knows how bad the script really is? So Jim Sharman suggested O'Brien rewrite the script so it wasn't as closely reminiscent to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Next comes my personal favorite version of a sequel, "The Brad & Janet Show" - this is practically "Shock Treatment" but better. So the closest thing to the best sequel (in my mind) would be this. So I guess you can say I look past the flaws and past the filmed footage to the actual original screenplay before it all took place inside of a TV studio. This decision took the reality out of everything.Even though I'm admitting this film is kind of a stinker, the witty dialogue of the original script is still present as are the songs. "Bitchin' In The Kitchen" is very clever, though Brad talking to appliances on a TV screen isn't as funny as talking to the actual appliances themselves (like in the original script). "In My Own Way" is such an emotional song, but the visuals of her walking through padded corridors loses its appeal. To understand what I'm comparing what to, I suggest finding a copy of "The Brad & Janet Show"."Shock Treatment", as I said, is still a fun movie to watch and what's great about it is you don't even need to watch Rocky Horror to understand it. It's an entirely new story. I even think the whole making fun of American television is wonderfully done (especially for about 2 decades before the ridiculous reality shows of today aired). What really shines out to me is the growing relationship of Oliver and Betty (formerly Munroe) Hapschatt. But I can't stop thinking if only Richard O'Brien had halted the film production during the actor's strike. If only the script hadn't been changed so much. If only he hadn't been so greedy for dough than dedicated to making an actually good movie. 'If' and 'Only'. Two small words that keep repeating again and again in my movie summary.A minor thing in my mind (that most people tend to dramatize) is the recasting of Brad and Janet. Now, me being a fan of the stage shows of "Rocky Horror" from the 1973 London Cast, the 1974 Roxy Cast, to the 1977 Norwegian Cast, I obviously don't care if new actors are playing Brad and Janet; there's enough of the usual gang of weirdos for you to still enjoy. Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon were the third pair of actors to play Brad & Janet, after all.Enough of my rambling. Should you watch this movie? Sure! It's very smart and amusing. But I suggest you look deeper into its production history after you view it.

Forget everything you know about newlyweds Brad and Janet Majors and the events involving a drag queen from space for the time being. There will be no aliens or references to classic science fiction, b movie, and horror films. No Barry and no Susan. What we have now is a different couple to play the pair in the new decade. This time the role of Brad Majors goes to Cliff De Young, an actor from films like The Hunger and even a Stephen King miniseries. Janet Weiss, Or should I say Janet Majors now, is to be played by Jessica Harper, known primarily for her main role in Dario Argento?M)s Suspiria. But there are a few familiar faces out there to put a smile on our faces. Though familiar, they hold different identities then what we knew them as before. Our tub of warm waters of sins of the flesh will now be drained clean and refilled by misunderstood reality and game show satire. The music is usually hit-and-miss in the tune department but tends to make up for it in lyrics. This movie is quite different from its predecessor, which caused the movie to be... well... not as much beloved by the Rocky Horror fans. For its time, no one could quite understand the satire, seeing as back then there were few game shows and reality Television. The movie is definitely a cult classic, but never quite managed to stack up to Rocky Horror. You could say being the sequel to Rocky Horror is both a blessing and a curse. Without Rocky, this movie would probably not catch as many fans's interest, yet with it, people, even today consider this quite a terrible sequel for the franchise. Although terrible in it's way, it is quite entertaining and difficult not to love at times. You have to watch it numerous times to truly understand what goes on behind the scenes of DTV. Like sushi in the 80s, they both plead for a second chance and eventually gain it by some. The idea of the film's satire may be a brilliant one but sadly it leaves most viewers "Bitchin' in the kitchen" in the end.Overall Best Songs: "Duel Duet", "Lullaby", "Shock Treatment", Great lyrics: "Look What I Did To My Id", "Looking For Trade"

The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a great satirical horror spoof musical, and you probably wouldn't think there was a follow up, but there was, from returning director Jim Sharman. Basically this one, set six years after the previous film events, spoofs the world of television, specifically game shows crossed with early reality TV. Returning and in the audience for this show on a giant TV station called "Dentonvale", hosted by the eccentric Bert Schnick (Barry Humphries, best known as Dame Edna Everage), are now married Janet (Jessica Harper) and Brad Majors (Cliff De Young). They are currently in a rocky patch with their marriage, and the show offers a chance for them to restore their feelings for each other, which Janet is more than happy to do, while Brad is imprisoned. As time goes by it seems that Bert, along with the McKinleys as right hands, Nation (Patricia Quinn) and Cosmo (Richard O'Brien, also writing), are offering more than just the romance re-ignition, but a star career for Janet. She is entranced by her new life of stardom with the help of the megalomaniac TV crew, and has pretty much forgotten all about Brad, that is until we find out the other big name in the show Farley Flavors (also De Young) is the twin brother of Brad. After some looking behind the scenes by concerned Judge Oliver Wright (Diamonds Are Forver's Charles Gray) and Betty Hapschatt (Ruby Wax) things are settled in the end, I can't remember or be bothered to find out how, but it is. Also starring Nell Campbell as Nurse Ansalong, Rik Mayall as 'Rest Home' Ricky and singer and frequent guest judge in The X Factor Sinitta Renay as Frankie. One or two of the songs are a little catchy, the lyrics certainly do alright, and the colourful sets and costumes look okay, but all this doesn't make the film any better. The acting is terribly cheesy, the story is stupid, the music doesn't always fit, and you just know deep down that the first film is better, this is easily the most forgettable sequel I've ever seen, a silly musical satire. Pretty poor!

Shock Treatment (1981): Richard O'Brien, Cliff De Young, Jessica Harper, Patricia Quinn, Charles Grey, Nelle Campbell, Rik Mayall, Barry Humphries, Darlene Johnson, Manning Redwood, Jeremy Newson, Betsy Brantley, Perry Bedden, Christopher Malcolm, Ray Charleson, Imgone Claire, Eugene Lipinski, Barry Dennen....Original Music by Richard O'Brien, Richard Harley...Director Jim Sharman.Shock Treatment, released in 1981, was the follow-up to the far more popular and successful musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" of 1975. Richard O'Brien, the lyricist and Richard Harley the composer, teamed up once again to make this lesser sequel for the new MTV generation of the 1980's. Despite using the same characters of Brad and Janet, and some of the same actors from Rocky Horror, namely Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nelle "Little Nelle" Campbell and Charles Grey (who was the narrator in Rocky Horror), there is still no real semblance to Rocky Horror Picture Show and it's a completely different animal. Gone is the vulgarity of the original, the in-your-face raunchy humor, the camp and the overall fun spirit of Rocky Horror. Also, the plot in this sequel is painfully thin compared to the science fiction/horror parody of the first and it turns out to be simply a boring musical satire about empty glamour of the 80's, the consumerism and materialism of pop culture. Why the creative genius of the Rocky Horror Picture Show should want to make a "thinking man's comedy" is beyond me. If you're like me, you only watched this because it's got the Rocky Horror Picture Show team working on a new musical but it's no Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ultimately, it's too long, boring and the songs aren't even as good. But here's the plot for those curious enough to see this train wreck of a film: Brad and Janet, fresh from their adventures with the ghouls from the Rocky Horror Picture Show (Frank'N'Furter is dead, Riff Raff and Magenta and the rest return to Transsexual Transylvania), return to their beloved and wholesome American small town of Denton. But they soon discover that even this Rockefeller painting of a town is not what it used to be. The whole town has been invaded by the phenomenon of Television and everyone is part of the audience or performers of a hugely popular game show. The whole thing is eerily like what today we call reality television. The "real lives" of certain people are seen as either glamorous or deplorable. In the case of Brad and Janet, Janet decides to liberate herself from her formerly submissive "housewife" role of Brad's woman and turns into a glamorous TV soap star, with the ad and flattery of creepy, agenda-driven producers. The industry mogul is himself Brad Majors' own long lost brother who intends to crush his brother whom he is jealous of and win the heart of Janet Weiss. Brad is sent to a mental asylum where he undergoes the eponymous "shock treatment" by its managers played by Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn, who are NOT Riff Raff and Magenta but entirely new characters. In the end, even Janet realizes she's been brainwashed and turned into a product rather than a whole person and she, Brad, her best friend Betty and Betty's new boyfriend (Charles Grey) decide to leave the crazy TV-infected town.The songs are creatively written, no doubt, and only a few are actually good including "Denton USA" and "Shock Treatment" but this time around the songs are too "intellectual" and satirical. They contain none of the nonsense and campy humor of Rocky Horror Picture Show and therefore are forgettable songs. Everyone knows the songs from Rocky Horror Picture Show and their respective scenes/plot point/ from the movie but with Shock Treatment, the whole thing is like some weird and crazy MTV video spoof. Nevertheless, it contains fine cinematography, and often it does seem to fit into MTV individualized videos. But the story itself is too dull and meaningless. At least with RHPS there was an obvious satire of science fiction and horror mixed with 1970's decadence. Shock Treatment manages to put you in a state of shock, straps you into a chair and gives you high dosage of insane music, color, 80's fashion and pop culture. It's really very sad that this was the last we saw or heard of the Rocy Horror team.