Shock Treatment (1981) User Reviews (129)

woefully underrated

[revcosmo · 7/10 · 31 October 2003]

As people have said, this film got a horribly bad rap, and made very little money. The reason, as people have also said, is that it was expected to be in the same vein as RHPS, which it simply was not. Sure, it had Richard O'Brien's trademark musical style and whimsy, but it wasn't the campy kitsch people were expecting. It was, in fact, an intellectual movie with a serious message, a brilliant satire of life in the late 20th century. O'Brien takes jabs at the hallmarks of the decline of modern Western civilisation; conformity, machismo, brainwashing, and the absurdity of the "American Dream".

The plot can be a little hard to discern on the first viewing, but, as with many great intellectual films, more nuances of what O'Brien is trying to say are picked up with each subsequent viewing. The film is certainly surreal, to say the least; and I would suspect psychedelics were somehow involved in the writing of the script. Denton, the picaresque happy U.S. everytown, is actually just a television studio; and all the residents are characters on television shows or are in the audience. Enter Brad and Janet, who, after experiencing the "horrors" of RHPS, are having marital difficulties. This works perfectly into the plan of a mysterious fast food magnate, who intends to steal Janet away from her husband and use her to promote his business. He conspires to have Brad locked up in the local mental hospital/soap opera, while promoting Janet as a new bombshell sensation, and taking the whole town under his thumb.

In short, if you're looking for more of RHPS, you will be sorely disappointed. But if you want a thought-provoking yet whimsical, tongue-in-cheek attack on all that is mind-numbing and soul crushing in our modern world, definately check this film out. Jonathan Swift would be proud.

Darker than "Rocky Horror", but just as much fun

[stormcatcher-2 · 7/10 · 27 August 2012]

The biggest problem with "Shock Treatment" is that at its core, it is a much, much deeper and somewhat darker film than "Rocky Horror". RHPS is more of a flat-out comedy, but "Shock Treatment" is very much a dark comedy. You have to think a little bit to "get" what the movie is pushing to you, and you'll probably have to watch it more than once before it'll all really make sense, and that's not something that most people are willing to do.

It also doesn't help the fact that Brad and Janet, while technically still the same characters from RHPS, are played by different people - and that Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, and Little Nell are playing completely different characters. Again, this confuses the heck out of most people, and it generally ruins the movie for them.

And that's a shame - because once you get under the surface of this movie, it's really quite ahead of its time. How many movies from the 70's and 80's can you think of that "prophesied" the coming of reality TV as a widely-accepted form of entertainment nearly two decades beforehand? And how likely do you think it would be that a married couple today might be willing to turn to video-administered pop psychology, a studio audience, and some very fake celebrities to try to find the answers to save their troubled marriages? "Shock Treatment" hits very close to home - maybe a little TOO close. I don't think too many people will argue that we live in some seriously dark times, and this movie takes that theme and runs with it.

The only major sore spot I had with the film was that I thought the plot thread between Brad and Farley Flavors was a little forced and contrived - but given that Richard O'Brien had to drastically re-write the script because Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, and Susan Sarandon chose not to take part, he did the best he could with the crew he did have, and I think it could have been much worse. No studio writer today could have written themselves out of such a corner, that's for sure. Plus, it's great fun to see Barrie Humphries hamming it up as Bert Schnick (quite the silly change from his stint as Dame Edna Everage), and a subtle cameo of Rik Mayall before "The Young Ones".

And oddly enough, I find the music for "Shock Treatment" to be far more enjoyable and catchy than the tunes from RHPS. I know, I know, how can anyone NOT love "Time Warp", "Sweet Transvestite", etc.? Well, it's not that I hate them...I've just heard them only about a million times apiece, and even with the audience participation, they get stale after awhile. But there's something infectious about the tunes here; every time I hear or read yet another story about some stupid celebrity marriage that's going down the tubes, I get the urge to hum "Bitchin' in the Kitchen". When I think about my small hometown, I start singing "Denton" under my breath. Hearing Brad and Farley verbally slug it out in "Duel Duet" is both sad and hilarious, and though it's very short, I think that Jessica Harper, as Janet, singing "In My Own Way" is one of the most bittersweet situational songs I've ever heard, as she questions her decisions about Brad and their marriage, and vows to try to see things through to the end. If you ever saw "Phantom of the Paradise", you'll be familiar with Jessica's singing voice - the gal can belt out a tune.

There are thousands of RHPS fans out there that will avoid this movie like the plague because they think it will taint everything about the original that they hold so dear to their hearts. And that's fine. They are two very, very different films, and "Shock Treatment" is not meant to be a late-night audience participation kind of gig.

But if you can see this one with an open mind, I really encourage you to give it a viewing. It's definitely more fun than the individual sum of its parts.

Bad, but so was RHPS

[preppy-3 · 5/10 · 27 June 2001]

I'm a BIG RHPS fan but, seriously, it's not a good movie. Take away the audience and what you have is a stupid, confusing movie with good acting and great musical numbers. "Shock Treatment" is a lot like that. Some good acting and fantastic musical numbers...but that's about it. The plot is confusing and vague (WHY is Janet becoming a star? What do her parents have to do with anything? Why lock up Brad? What are the Judge and Betty Hapschatt doing in this movie?) and (compared to "Rocky") VERY tame (it's PG).

Jessica Harper replaces Susan Sarandon as Janet Weiss and she's a good choice. She seems a little lost at times (not her fault, the script is against her) but mostly is very good and sings better than Sarandon (although that doesn't take much). Cliff De Young replaces Barry Bostwick as Brad Majors and he's horrible. He manages to overact and underact and his singing is.....um, unmemorable. Also Barry Humphries plays Bert Schnick, an evil TV host. He's loud, annoying and very unfunny...unfortunately, he has a major role. Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn (who looks wonderful) are a brother and sister doctor team and are good. Nell Campbell is uproarious as a nurse and her boyfriend (played by Rik Mayall) is also very good but they are both sadly underused. Charles Gray does what he can with a nothing role.

The set design is impressive (with WAY too much red lighting) and the songs are very good and performed with gusto by the entire cast (LOVE the title tune!). Still, it's not a good movie. If only comes to life during the music numbers. It's worth seeing for those and some of the performances. Otherwise, it's a waste.

Also, O'Brien (who wrote it) disowns this film now--what does that tell you?

It's a comment on the whole RHPS phenomenon

[belialprod · 5 November 2004]

"Shock Treatment", aside from being a hellava lot of fun, seems to be Richard O'Brien's dig at the whole RHPS phenomenon.

Forget about this being a RHPS sequel. It's not. The whole tone is different. RHPS was an affectionate salute to B-science fiction movies of the 50's married to the seventies punk rock movement. "Shock Treatment", if it is related to RHPS at all, is a satire of the whole RHPS fan culture. Consider: "Shock Treatment" takes place in a TV studio where the audience lives 24/7. They live for the highs received from Denton TV, yet are a pretty conservative lot on the whole. Isn't that like the typical RHPS audience where straight laced Brad and Janet types go to the show, enjoy the freakiness for two hours, then go back to their normal, suburban lives? "Shock Treatment" goes to great lengths to satirize the horrors of suburbanity, and the costumed entertainers they worship. The most blatant example? Two of the main characters, who profess to be doctors, turn out to be character actors. Character actors who have great fun in costume and in the end, drive off into the sunset, in a cool new car, back to suburban normalcy.

And you know what? I have barely scratched the surface of what makes "Shock Treatment" so clever. If you've read anything recent written about it, you know the film is a huge piss take on reality television, and a prescient(by over 20 years)parody of our current culture which makes stars of...well, whomever the TV industry, film industry, and Hollywood publicists tell us we should think of as stars. Paris Hilton? Vin Diesel? Even Jude Law. Did we discover these people? No, they were foisted upon us,we were TOLD they were stars, much as Janet is in "Shock Treatment". When Janet wakes up and realizes she wants her real life back, another cute chick is pimped up and easily accepted.

"Shock Treatment" is a very smart movie that works on the intellectual level RHPS did not. Hey, I love RHPS, but it operates from a gut, instinctual level. "Shock Treatment", if you give it a chance, will make you think about the media's grip on society, make you take a second look at the "stars" adorning the covers of magazines such as Entertainemt Weekly, give you a whole new take on the audiences lining up for RHPS every Halloween (unlike the 80's when we went every month or weekend), and, having been made in 1981 (!) add no surprise to the fact that Richard O'Brien is a prescient futurist who made a killing in the stock market.

Heck, I haven't even talked about the fact that "Shock Treatment"s use of primary colors, editing, and music video style sequences, predates the birth of MTV by at least a year. This movie could be called a template for the 80's music video boom.

Lastly, I have to comment on one facet which will either a) draw RHPS fans and non fans to check this move out or b) disregard this entire review. I absolutely, unequivocally, LOVE the music in this movie. Every song is fun in the best tradition of the short lived "rock musical" genre (I often sing a somewhat edited version of "Lullaby" to my kids at bedtime)and, on screen, every song is presented with a strong sense of atmosphere. Come to think of it, this IS "Shock Treatment"s greatest commonality to RHPS, except in RHPS, the atmosphere was dark and cluttered, in "Shock Treatment", it's bright and sterile. Two different settings. Two different themes. Both brilliantly achieved.

Not as good as I thought it would be, but not as terrible either

[deideiblueeyez · 6/10 · 31 December 2014]

I was watching Cinema Snob and one of his reviews was on Shock Treatment. I learned that this was a sequel to Rocky Horror Picture Show and I was entranced by the footage that was shown in said review, so I watched it in full for myself.

I was hyped and it did meet some requirements that I enjoyed in Rocky Horror, such as the bizarre setting, the slightly off characters, and the catchy songs.

My complaints would have to be that most of the songs were sung by Jessica Harper as Janet, who makes full use of her deep second soprano/salto voice. Now that was good--once she transformed into a diva her songs were full of life and very catchy--I would have liked to see more songs featuring lead vocals by the doctors or even those from Denton.

Richard O' Brien was phenomenal to watch as Cosmo McKinley. Intense and measured with obvious chemistry between him and his co-star Patricia Quinn (playing Nation McKinley) as they played the two sibling doctors who were previously under the employment of Doctor Frank n Furter in Rocky Horror. I loved Brien's vocals and his slightly mischievous character (the very last scene with the flashing of the car keys comes to mind) and for the most part the direction that the movie took was enjoyable. Apparently O'Brien not very proud of this movie or his role in it (he thought his singing and dancing sucked or something) but him being in the film was honestly one of the things that made it entertaining.

The movie features that layered electric guitar sound in most of the songs that is prominent in 80s music despite it only being released in 1981, and while that is enjoyable to listen to, it dates the music because of that era's signature sound. Not really a criticism or a compliment, just an observation.

I think what I had trouble with was the uneven pacing. The movie's plot does not have a large driving force behind the characters like in Rocky Horror: In Rocky Horror, Brad and Janet wanted to find some help and eventually escape Furter's castle; in Shock Treatment, Brad is deigned to receive treatment and Janet just goes along with it while being groomed to be the new poster child of Farley Flavors's business. A lot of down time was shown with little action, is what I'm saying.

If you liked Rocky Horror, this will either be a great addition to it or you'll be disappointed. If you don't particularly like Rocky Horror, Shock Treatment is toned down in its sexual proclivities by a large margin, but it still has that kind of Twilight Zone feel that will either turn you on or off. If I had to, I'd give this a 6.5/10.

I see you shiver with trepi......dation!

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 12 September 2021]

No matter how hard one tries to judge Shock Treatment on its own merits, comparisons to The Rocky Horror Picture Show are inevitable, and it doesn't hold up at all well against that titan of cult musicals. While Shock treatment's songs are suitably catchy (although frequently frustratingly brief), the rest of the film is a hugely disappointing mess, with a muddled plot -- the result of numerous rewrites -- that lacks the sense of sheer abandonment and fun of its predecessor.

Jessica Harper, so great in The Phantom of the Paradise, replaces Susan Sarandon as Janet, and does admirably, her singing voice once again on top form; sadly, Cliff De Young isn't as impressive, making for a remarkably bland Brad Majors (it doesn't help that De Young also plays the villain of the piece, TV mogul Farley Flavors, with equally lacklustre results). Rocky Horror performers Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, 'Little Nell' Campbell (looking very sexy!) and Charles Gray return, albeit as different characters, and the cast is rounded out by Ruby Wax, Barry Humphries and Rik Mayall. A cracking line-up, but let down by the scrappy script.

Written by O'Brien and director Jim Sharman, Shock Treatment is admittedly ahead of its time in the depiction of fame as a drug, where ordinary everyday folk are willingly to be turned into TV stars and subsequently manipulated by the media, but while the story might be prescient, it simply isn't that engaging, and with all of those revisions, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. Some moments feel wholly out of place, while others feel like desperate clones of far better scenes in Rocky Horror.

Visually, the film is interesting, Sharman imbuing proceedings with a garish cartoon-like aesthetic, his colourful song and dance numbers being the highlights. 'Lullaby', in particular, is superbly handled, with a single shot tracking between characters in different rooms as they prepare for bed; sadly, like a lot of the film's best songs, it is woefully short.

Shock Treatment will, of course, be of interest to fans of everything Rocky Horror, and some may consider the mere fact that it comes from the same creative team enough to warrant their devotion (rose tint the film), but the cold hard truth is that there is a very good reason why this one hasn't garnered the same cult following: it simply isn't very good.

Denton, Denton, you've got no pretension...

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 22 November 2014]

The further adventures of Brad and Janet Majors are detailed in this follow-up, rather than true sequel, to the cult phenomenon "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Instead of paying tribute to classic schlock cinema, what screenwriter / songwriter / actor Richard O'Brien and screenwriter / director Jim Sharman do is savagely satirize the whole television industry. In so doing, they create a film that, while maybe not as memorable as RHPS, is fairly entertaining in its own right. You miss the presence of Tim Curry, but there are several other returnees from the first film. The efforts of the cast are really what make this work as well as it does. Not all of the songs are that great, but there are a few that are insidiously catchy.

Brad is now played by Cliff De Young and Janet by the lovely Jessica Harper. Their hometown of Denton has been transformed into one big TV studio in which a citizenry full of sheep gleefully take in an assortment of soap operas and game shows and the like. In fact, they're even made to live at the studio! Brad and Janet, in their attempt to salvage their now shaky marriage, are eventually made prisoners of the local TV programming, with maniacal business mogul Farley Flavors (also played by De Young) intending to make a star out of Janet.

Ms. Harper is such a pleasure to watch, especially when she dons that great black dress. De Young is fun in his dual roles. O'Brien and Patricia Quinn are delicious as the "doctors" who see to Brads' needs. Charles Gray and Ruby Wax do well as the two characters out to undermine the whole charade. Nell Campbell is fantastically sexy as the short skirted nurse. And Barry Humphries clearly enjoys himself as eccentric and flamboyant TV host Bert Schnick. Also appearing are Rik Mayall, Betsy Brantley, and Wendy Raebeck.

"Shock Treatment" is now notable, of course, for the way it portrays the reality television business and the way that celebrities can be manufactured out of any individual. It's not macabre and campy in the way that RHPS was, but it's still fairly wacky, and has a reasonable amount of energy to keep it going. Fans of "Network" may enjoy it just as much as any fans of "Rocky Horror".

Seven out of 10.

Seuqel to Rocky Horror has great songs and some good ideas, but no script to support them. A major misfire

[dbborroughs · 3/10 · 19 October 2006]

The sequel to Rocky Horror Picture Show is a major misfire. Unable to get a story that worked, or would work with out its "stars" since Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick having moved on to other gigs, Richard O'Brien was forced to come up with something else. What he came up with is a spin on TV domestic life as Brad and Janet, played here by Cliff DeYoung and Jessica Harper, go on a TV show to sort out their marital strife. What transpires is the world as TV studio as the world is seen to be nothing more than a stage for the camera to film everyone and everything.

The idea is sound. Heck, it was used in some variation in the Truman Show, and to a lesser degree EdTV, but here the idea never really gels. Perhaps its because everything is in a studio that film falls down, I'm not sure. Certainly its not helped by a script which only occasionally works. The movie sputters from one thing to the next with out really seeming to have a direction. The cast is mostly fine and rises above the fair at best script. Only Jessica Harper, Star of Phantom of the Paradise and Suspiria seems to falter as if unsure of the mediocre material.

The best thing is the movie are the songs which are quite good and cry out for a better venue.

Seeing this film again for the first time in probably 20 years was both a pleasure (there was a reason the songs have stuck in my head, they are good) and displeasure (the story just doesn't work). Thinking back to when I saw this on a bootleg video copy in the early 1980's (hey it was the only way to see it for the longest time) I wasn't so wrong in thinking I had missed something, I had, I missed taking the time out to see a better movie.

Rocky Horror fans should see it once just to say they have, everyone else should probably avoid it unless you want to hear some really good songs stuck in a really poor movie.

Perhaps the most underrated film in cinema history...

[jermdown · 8/10 · 13 June 2005]

I loved Rocky Horror. I thought it was a great film and proves to be one of my favorite musicals. So when I found out that there was a sequel, I searched it out... with much difficulty. Apparently the film was a huge flop and therefore is extremely rare. (funny, when you think about Rocky Horror, which was originally a huge flop as well, but was re-released after finding cult status).

I have just watched Shock Treatment twice in a row and I'm proud to say I love it just as much as Rocky Horror. But be warned, Shock Treatment has completely different subject matter (which means no revealing cross-dressing, references to old horror films and no Tim Curry), but some familiar characters and some very familiar actors appear in a film that looks at the brain-washing nature of television.

It wasn't the sequel I expected, but after seeing it twice, I realize it is the perfect sequel to a perfect film like Rocky Horror.

But the emotion I was filled most with after watching this film wasn't happiness, it was frustration. I was frustrated that this film is shunned by many, that it never has been released onto DVD and most probably never will be. It was depressing to know that probably the only way I am ever going to view this great film is on a terrible quality full screen VHS cassette.

I'm hoping that this will find higher status eventually and is released onto a far more watchable medium. This film proves a satirical look at television, specifically in the eighties, but in doing so creates a prophetic masterpiece long before its time.

Hilarious musical treat

[ThrownMuse · 7/10 · 15 March 2005]

In this satirical spin-off of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Brad and Janet (this time around played by Cliff De Young and Jessica Harper), find themselves as contestants on a reality game show in their perfect suburban hometown/TV station of Denton (which is owned by a fast food corporation!) Brad and Janet are now married, and the game show host (played rather deliciously by Dame Edna) quickly convinces the impressionable Janet that the catatonic and emotionally unavailable Brad isn't living up to her standards. Brad is held captive in the mental hospital (Dentonvale) while Janet is immediately thrust into Denton super stardom. Will their marriage survive? Will THEY survive?

This movie is hilarious, but it slightly misses its target as a satire. De Young is awesome in his dual role as the comatose Brad and the overwhelming Farley, owner of Denton. Jessica Harper's powerhouse vocal performances are key to this movie. The music rocks and the lyrics are witty. My only complaint about casting is that Little Nell has very little screen time. The ending is a bit of a tart--"Shock Treatment" is surprisingly anti-climactic. But as much as this movie is ridiculous and silly, it is even more charming and entertaining. Favorite scene--Janet to Brad (in his cell), after her first guitar-totin sequin-wearin performance as the star of Denton: "I've come to tell you I'm fabulous."

My Rating: 7/10.

Shock needs a new treatment

[sunznc · 3/10 · 1 January 2008]

The follow up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Yawn. Esoteric at best. The songs are good though. The movie isn't even understood by the actors who star in it so how can we, as the audience understand the little inside jokes? Some people say the film was ahead of it's time. That it laid the groundwork for the reality shows of today. It may have been ahead of it's time but that doesn't mean it is interesting or fun to watch. I was literally falling asleep because it meant nothing to me. It would have been much more fun had Pat Quinn, Little Nell and Richard O'brien played the same characters from RHPS. They don't. They are all together here but are different people. Charles Grey is here also but is someone else. I think the reason this film never worked well is because of that very reason; a lot of the original actors are back but aren't the same characters. Just didn't do anything for me. Sorry.

A good film!

[bromley001 · 8/10 · 19 April 2004]

A decent movie, and nowhere near as bad as everyone makes out. Whereas Rocky Horror is weird in it's transvestite/alien way, this is actually better for a mainstream audience - it may be weird, but in a surreal/escapist way. Nice to see Ruby Wax in a lead role - she actually has a pretty big part as Betty, And the Rocky Horror actors - Richard O' Brien, Pat Quinn, Charles Gray and Nell Campbell are all great too (although it would have been nice to see a bit more of Nell) Keep a look out too for a pre-'Young Ones' Rik Mayall, playing Nell's love interest, interestingly enough. My advice is, if you can find a copy, get it - it's well worth investing in, whatever people may say.

Denton, Denton......

[13Funbags · 7/10 · 25 April 2017]

I put off watching this for a very long time and now I'm kicking myself for it. While not a Rocky Horror Picture Show sequel, this film does feature several characters from the film portrayed by different actors and several Rocky Horror Picture Show actors portraying new characters. Somehow, Brad and Janet become the stars of a bizarre TV network and wackiness ensues. The new Brad & Janet are terrible singers but it's a decent movie. Little Nell looks amazing in this, that's all I could think about while I watched this.Well,that and....Hey that's Rik Mayall!!! It's sad to think Rik is dead now and Nell looks dead. If you like Rocky Horror Picture Show,you have to see this.If you don't like RHPS,you must avoid this.

Shock Treatment

[jboothmillard · 2/10 · 28 October 2010]

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!

You're not looking at the king of anything- you're looking at an ace!

[zmaturin · 13 November 2000]

I had heard a lot of bad things about this "sequel" to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", and I can see how people expecting a return to the sexual hi-jinx of that classic would be disappointed. I found this to be great in a completely different way. Save for a few RHPS character and location names, this is pretty much unrelated to that flick. This stands on it's own as an excellent musical-comedy with great songs and characters.

"Shock Treatment" takes place entirely in the television station of DTV, a local TV station that probes into the lives of its town's citizens. Brad and Janet (who act differently and are played by different actors than in RHPS) discuss their marital strife and appear on "Marriage Maze". Brad is found to be in need of help, so he's shipped off to "Dentonvale", the channel's bizarre medical show, while Janet is groomed to be the new star of "Denton Dossier", a show that tells people how great Denton is. Meanwhile, nefarious fast food mogul Farley Flavors is conspiring to take over the town and Janet with his latest show, "Farley Flavor's Faith Factory".

Jessica Campbell (who has worked with Dario Argento AND Woody Allen) is superb as Janet, and Cliff De Young plays Brad and Farley so excellently it's hard to tell it's the same actor (he even has a duet with himself!). The rest of the cast is populated with British comedians (Ruby Wax, Barry Humphries, and "The Young Ones"' Rik Mayal, who should have had a bigger part) and RHPS vets including Patricia Quinn, Little Nell, Charles Grey (also a former Blofeld!), and composer Richard O'Brian.

O'Brian's songs are fantastic and some exceed the quality of tunes in the better known "Rocky Horror". Clever lyrics and catchy tunes abound in classics like "Bitchin' in the Kitchen", "Little Black Dress", and the haunting "Lullaby". The choreography is great too, like the brief mirror-dance that accompanies "Look What I Did To My Id".

"Shock Treatmet" gets T-E-N, that's ten out of ten!

Give me shock treatment!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 1 June 2019]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show may have failed when it was first released, but somehow, midnight showings have kept it in limited release four decades after its premiere, making it the longest-running theatrical release in history.

In 1979, writer/cast member Richard O'Brien wrote a sequel called Rocky Horror Shows His Heels. I remember reading about this in an issue of the teen magazine Bananas. If you remember this magazine, you are officially old. Anyway, this script would have featured the return of all of the characters from the original film, even the ones who died. However, director Jim Sharman didn't want to revisit the film and Tim Curry had no interest in coming back.

Two years later, Sharman and O'Brien reunited for this movie, which had the tagline "It's not a sequel... it's not a prequel... it's an equal." This infuriated fans, as they wanted Curry, Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick instead of new cast members. And where Rocky is strange, Shock Treatment is near lunatic in its depiction of the town of Denton.

Complicating matters was that the Screen Actor's Guild strike led to the entire being shot on a sound stage in the UK, which I feel adds to the proceedings. Your mileage may vary, but there's plenty to like here if you keep an open mind.

Brad and Janet Majors have gotten married and settled into the town of Denton, USA. Brad is now played by Cliff De Young (The Hunger) and Janet is Jessica Harper (seriously, do you think she was tired of playing in films that only maniacs like me enjoy, like this one, Suspiria and The Phantom of the Paradise?).

Denton has been taken over by fast good magnate Farley Flavors, also played by De Young, and is totally encased within a TV studio where town residents are either stars, cast, crew, regulars or audience members.

Our heroes are selected for Marriage Maze by the supposedly blind game show host Bert Schnick (Barry Humphries, who you may know better as Dame Edna). For winning, Brad gets placed on the soap opera Dentonvale, where brother and sister doctors Cosmo and Nation McKinley (O'Brien and Patricia Quinn, pretty much playing similar roles from Rocky Horror) while Farley molds Janet into a singing superstar.

Meanwhile, Betty Hapschatt (Ruby Wax, the script editor for Absolutely Fabulous) and Judge Oliver Wright (Rocky Horror narrator Charles Gray) learn that everyone is just a character actor and that Farley is Brad's evil twin, out to take Janet for himself.

While our heroes all escape, the rest of the town loves being on TV so much that they commit themselves to remain in Denton and all become characters on Dentonvale.

The cast of Shock Treatment is pretty amazing and absolutely filled with talent:

Little Nell comes back as Nurse Ansalong, Young Ones star Rik Mayall is around as "Rest Home" Ricky, while Officer Vance Parker is played by Chris Malcolm, the first Brad from the Rocky Horror stage show. Betsy Brantley, who played Neely Pritt, was the body model for Jessica Rabbit as well as playing Dolph Lundgren's girlfriend in I Come In Peace. And you can catch Rocky Horror fan club president Sal Piro in a brief cameo.

Barry Dennen, who plays auto dealer Irwin Lapsey had an interesting career. He helped Barbara Streisand develop her act and lived with her romantically for a year before learning that he was gay. He's in a ton of movies, appearing as Mendel in The Fiddler on the Roof and Pontious Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as Claude LeMont in the "High Adventure" segment of The Kentucky Fried Movie. He's also in The Shining, Dark Crystal, Madhouse, The Shadow and Trading Places, as well as voicing tons of video games and cartoons. Sadly, he never recovered from a fall in July of 2017 and died a few months later.

Ironically, Brad from this movie and Janet from Rocky Horror - DeYoung and Sarandon - are a couple in The Hunger.

Shock Treatment never achieved the levels of fandom that Rocky Horror did. But man, it has some great songs, Jessica Harper in gothy makeup and a "Little Black Dress," and predates the world's fascination with reality TV by several decades. It's worth tracking down - it's really something else.

Absolutely one of the worst movies.

[LeviDood · 1/10 · 15 August 1999]

As a younger fan of the Rocky Horror Picture show, I wasn't even born when it first came out, and I wasn't more than a year old when this movie came out. Saying this I can safely say I wasn't waiting for a sequel. After getting hooked on Rocky, I was told about another movie, a sort of a sequel called Shock Treatment so I then proceeded to look it up, and it turned out it was going to be on one of the satellite premium channels later that same day. I was not prepared for how horrible a movie I was about to see. This movie has an incredibly thin plot (not that Rocky was much better), but what sets it apart is it tries so hard not to look intentionally cheesy.

This movie has cleaner sets than its predecessor, but they are so small you feel cramped in just watching. The music is the worst I've ever heard in a movie, making a musical of it only made it hurt more. The acting was horrible, even thought some of the actors aren't. The only good that came out of this movie was the spotting of some my favorite Rocky Characters in different roles. All in all, this movie ranks in my worst 5 movies of all time along with Club Vampire and The End of Violence.

A Major Disappointment

[rneil95 · 6/10 · 7 February 2009]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my favorite movies. Every time I watch it, I get a sense of enjoyment that many other movies don't really have. So, once I heard there was a sequel, I looked into it. I got a copy of the DVD, and watched Shock Treatment. I don't know if I wasn't in the mood for it or something, but I didn't like it all that much. Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, and Charles Gray all return from Rocky Horror, but they all take on new roles. They were the only characters who I thought were well-crafted. I hated every other person in the movie. Cliff DeYoung, who played Brad and Farley Flavors, was really disappointing. Barry Bostwick is the one and only Brad Majors (asshole) to me. Jessica Harper, who takes on the role of Janet, really doesn't do justice to Susan Sarandon. Sarandon's portrayal was so girlie and Harper plays her like a man. Jessica Harper's singing was awful, as well. Every time she sang I wanted to ram my head against the wall repeatedly. Barry Humphries plays Bert Schnick, and he was just unbearable. Lastly, Ruby Wax plays Betty Hapschatt, and again, another cringe-worthy performance. The only people who I thought were really any good were the returning cast members. The songs, while inferior to Rocky Horror, were still good. With Richard O. at the helm, you can't go wrong with the songs. The storyline wasn't that great. It seemed all over the place and I had a hard time following it the entire time. It was a really big letdown. I don't know if my opinion will change when I watch it again, but we'll just have to wait and see.

It certainly was no "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 12 June 2018]

While I am a big fan of the original "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", then it is sort of odd that it has taken me so long to actually getting around to watching "Shock Treatment".

This sequel to the immensely popular "Rocky Horror Picture Show" is much less known. and it wasn't before 2017 that I actually had the chance to watch it. So was it worth the wait?

Hardly so! The story is nowhere near in comparison to the predecessor. And it was really odd to see Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Charles Gray and Nell Campbell return to the movie but in different roles than in "Rocky Horror Picture Show". That just didn't really work for me. The roles of Brad and Janet were now played by someone else entirely, which just was a slap to the face.

It should be said that the cast was good, and I was surprised to see Rik Mayall here.

There were a few good songs here and there, but they are not classics like the tunes from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show".

"Shock Treatment" was adequate enough if you haven't seen "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", but since most of us have, then "Shock Treatment" turned out to be a mediocre experience.

A movie ahead of it's time.

[ANewLeaf · 10/10 · 3 October 2004]

After afew years since my last comment on this movie things have changed. The explosion of reality television on TV now makes the commentary on this movie a lot more relevant then when it was originally released. This movie looks not only at the "actors" of this form of entertainment but also the audience and even the producers. A lot of the people who watch this movie are seeing it in a monotone 2 dimensional way, when this movie has a lot more depth then can be seen with such a view.

This movie still deserves the 9/10 I gave it 2 years ago, it probably deserves 10. The style with which O'Brien shows the consumer/TV culture that was forming at the time this movie was made still works even today. This movie is a satire, it is not a spoof like the RHPS was, it is not a sequel, and it cannot be watched in the same manner. It works very very well as a satire on it's topic though using over the top imagery, effective musical numbers, and very over the top characterization.

I just wanted to tell you how fabulous I am!

[jhroyal3 · 7/10 · 15 July 2012]

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"

A step or two down from Rocky Horror but still pretty interesting

[Red-Barracuda · 5/10 · 22 October 2021]

This is the sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Again, it was directed by Jim Sharman, with songs and screenplay from Richard O'Brien; many of the cast of the former film return too, mostly in different roles. The story has Brad and Janet become contestants on a deranged game show. Definitely, not on the same level as the earlier film, with a confusing plot and lack of overall focus. Nevertheless, it looks good and has some decent songs.

You Must Be At Least This Crazy To Enter

[RiffRaffMcKinley · 10/10 · 24 August 2007]

Ah, "Shock Treatment"-- a witty, campy, colorful movie bursting with cheeky innuendo and amazing songs (one line from "Duel Duet": "You're a dead-end, deadbeat, nowhere mister with a kisser like a Mississippi alligator's sister").

First of all, you have to approach "Shock Treatment" as a sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." While it doesn't contain the same level of raunchy cheese (or the aliens, or the transvestites, or the sex gags... mostly), it follows the married life of Brad and Janet Majors... who are now on the rocks (no pun intended) after years of marital boredom. This is because Brad is the only person in the town of Denton who doesn't jump for joy watching the town's mind-numbing TV station, which is ruled by a greedy corporate sleaze master with an old connection to Brad and Janet.

So eventually, a phony TV host (Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna) and his quack-psych-doctor cohorts (Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn, who played Riff Raff and Magenta in RHPS) take Brad a hostage in their psychiatric facility/soap opera set so that station sponsor Farley Flavors can turn Janet into the next big DTV star.

A few cast members return in different roles (Charles Gray, Nell Campbell, and some of the Transylvanians, for example), with Jeremy Newson coming back as Ralph Hapschatt. Generally, people dislike this movie, but I love it. And you know why? It's rock and roll. It's obscure. And it's just too much of a riot to pass up.

Shock Treatment: The Trainwreck that Still Holds Up

[udrivemenutty · 6/10 · 2 January 2015]

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.

Did I Watch The Same Movie?

[voilodion · 1/10 · 29 April 2003]

As a huge fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, having gone to the midnight screenings and even won a costume contest for my faithful reproduction of Riff-Raff, I felt it my duty to see the sequel once I discovered it existed. In retrospect, the fact that it took several years after my first viewing of RHPS (in 1987) to discover that there WAS a sequel should have been my warning. Regardless, I dutifully searched dozens of video rental shops until I found a copy of this . . . ahem, film.

I was looking through the IMDb list of the 100 worst films of all time, just for kicks, and thought of this film. In disbelief that I did not find it on the list, I looked it up, and discovered to my horror that there were actually people who gave this grotesque cinematic abomination a 10! Obviously, they were thinking of a different movie. At first, I thought maybe it was just that they had not been exposed to the original, in all its laughably earnest campiness, and were not, as I was, grievously disappointed by the contrast with the sequel. But as I pondered more on the subject, I was forced to discount that theory. Even beyond the failures of this pitiful offering in contrast to the original, there really was nothing of merit in this film even as a stand-alone work. It fails to instruct, enlighten, inspire, entertain, or move the audience in any way. The performances were dull and lifeless, without even the charming shallow campiness in the worst performances in the original film. The script was probably partially to blame for the lacking performances, as it offered nothing upon which the actors could even attempt to build interesting characterizations, or even any consistent motivations. The plot was tortured and convoluted, showing the author's desperation to find some direction for this stinker to go. The songs, well, let's not even go there, it's sufficient to say that, as bad as all the other elements of this film were, the songs, in their writing and execution, made the rest of the film seem like riveting entertainment.

All of the above comments are made on the basis of this film as an individual entity, apart from any comparison to its predecessor. Just to contrast, let me say this. The Rocky Horror Picture Show endures DESPITE its obvious fallacies, based on the very elements it had (energy, naughtyness, a sense of nostalgic tribute, earnest performances, thoughtfully constructed songs) that this "sequel" lacks. In sum, RHPS at least had SOMETHING to say, even if it was said in such a way as to make it a subtext to the campiness of the production as a whole. This film talked without saying anything, and was devoid of any passion or cleverness that might excuse the absence of its message. If you're not a fan of RHPS, avoid this waste of plastic. If you are a fan, find a bunch of other fans that have not seen it, pitch in to rent it, then watch as much of it as you can bear in a large group so that you can console each other over the wasted opportunity Richard O'Brien had with the considerably larger budget and timeframe he obviously had to make this. Or, take my advice. It's a tragedy. It's like watching Boris Karloff in The Terror. It's like watching Bela Lugosi in the Ed Wood movies. No, better yet, it's like watching Orgy Of The Dead, one of those movies Ed Wood made after Bela died, which had no plot, no script, and no characters, just a series of topless girls in spooky make-up dancing soullessly and endlessly to inane music. It's like looking inside someone and finding their soul has taken its leave, but the body refuses to die. Run away. Save yourself.