User reviews

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.

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"

"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.

One of those films that makes you realise what a long time ago the eighties now were. For this sequel to 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' most of the usual suspects - including Patricia Quinn in a becoming green matron's uniform that compliments her red hair - have been reassembled with a few new faces including Ruby Wax and Rik Mayall and the welcome addition of a very camp Barry Humphries.

Instead of the old dark house of the original we get a futuristic setting shot in migraine-inducing colours and containing its own singalong in the form of a studio audience. The satire on TV is pretty obvious, and it has a mise en scene that makes Ken Russell look restrained, so that much of the time you may feel as if you're hallucinating; but for better or worse this is was what resulted, and you may be confused but you're unlikely to be bored.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

It took a few times forcing myself to sit through it, but hey, i had the same experience with Rocky! My fav song is 'Bitchin in The Kitchen', although 'Lullabye' comes a close second. This movie grows on you like bad fungus!

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.

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!

When I went into this movie, I was thinking: "Oh god this is going to be AWFUL" but I thought it was a witty, charming (in a way), ahead of it's time and overall amazing.

This is the lesser-known sequel/equal to The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which I believe is NOT either of those because it really doesn't feel like it is! You can argue ALL you want with me if it is or not, but I just don't think it is.)

The plot is: Square Brad (Played by Cliff De Young) and Janet (played by Jessica Harper) are forced to be contestants on a TV game show called "Marriage Maze." And that's it, they didn't go very deep with the plot.

Though there are a couple of flaws to this movie (as with ANY sequel), first of all Janet (played by Jessica Harper) in this movie has a low voice compared to the Janet that was played by Susan Sardandon in the RHPS had an almost squeaky voice at points, There is a plot-hole or 2 in there, why is everyone living in a TV studio? Is that what everyone did in the 1980s? I know it was a pretty weird time but still... sometimes the acting is just outright bizarre, and not in the Rocky Horror way, and a couple more that I couldn't think of off the top of my head.

But on the upside the soundtrack is amazing, I had "you need a bit of, OOOOO Shock Treatment!" stuck in my head for a week, I love the weird yet experimental ideas they had for the roller-coaster of a movie and I was laughing every 10 seconds! The comedy is VERY witty and worked almost every time!

I'd recommend it if you're looking for a weird indie film.

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.

"Shock Treatment" - a wasted non-sequel

Welcome to Denton, the town that is one television studio - an original setting for which I give the film a full 3 stars out of 10. But that was it. What follows is a musical in which there is a lot of whining and singing, which seems like an endless dentist drilling after the third song at the latest. The plot is a confused hodgepodge of media criticism and reality TV satire, which is mostly complete nonsense - I'm guessing this is unintentional on the part of the director. Unfortunately, the actors don't exude a spark of charisma. Janet is the main character, Brad is in the madhouse? Why not. But the spark doesn't fly. The music is... well, it exists. No "time warp" moment in sight. For fans who see this film as a sequel to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, "Shock Treatment" is like a cold coffee that you don't immediately throw away because the cup is pretty to look at. But this prospect soon becomes boring.

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've said it before and I'll say it again Jessiaca Harper the best looking women ever and that is the best reason to watch shock treatment. I bought this as it came with the newly re released Rocky Horror Picture Show and I thought that this movie would be more coherent than it is. It's hard to follow and jumps from subject to subject without a good segue. I also did not like how this movie tries to capitalize off the success of Rocky Horror. If they had intended this to be a follow up then it should have followed the monster subplot again and not went into this weirdness. I can see how this movie could be seen as a sequel because it it is weird even weirder than Rocky Horror, but I don't believe that to be the case. I think the only reason the characters names are Brad and Janet in this is because the people who made this wanted more money for the crap they were about to feed us. Now there are a few good things in this movie, Namely Jessica Harper as I mentioned before. I love to hear her sing, especially in Phantom of The Paridise were she is at her all time best. The songs in this film are somewhat good and that combined with Harper warrant this film a six but it's plot sucks, avoid unless your a Harper fan.

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?

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.

The songs are still great but everything in between really struggles to stay interesting. It's really is a shame because you can clearly see that there is a great story buried under the surface.

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.