Customer Reviews

Shock Treatment [VHS]

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Okay, bad comparison. But ST is plenty of the latter, which is a pity, because it's actually a very good movie.

The biggest mistake people have when seeing ST is that they expect 'a straight sequel to Rocky'. With the exception of a few minor elements such as incest and two characters with the names Brad and Janet, the resemblance is hard to find. The fact is that ST is a completely different movie than RHPS and most viewers come away disappointed because the title is inextricably linked to RHPS (in mind, if not in spirit).

Don't make this mistake. Erase all RHPS from your mind before viewing.

For starters, in terms of symbolism, ST is Plato's Allegory of the Cave compared to RHPS. The voyeurism of reality television was not at the extreme degree in 1981 as it is today, making ST's vision a strangely prophetic one. And yet it all seems very familiar. The basic premise is that the town of Denton is obsessed with a monster television show, a kind of all-encapsulating collection of programs with a seemingly never-ending time schedule. Brad and Janet are forced to participate in an isolating reality TV show called Dentonvale, supposedly to help their failing marriage, while two characters whose show has been dropped have uncovered a devastating conspiracy about DTV and must race against the clock to expose it before it's too late.

There is a deep sense of entrapment (the entire movie takes place on the TV set) and irony in ST. Whereas RHPS was a lighthearted homage to bygone celluloid, ST is a dark, cynical satire on a different kind of picture show, possibly even taking on the original Rocky fans with its portrayal of an audience who does nothing but 'participate' vicariously in the events onscreen. The movie contains elements, and often messages about, the following exhaustive list: broken relationships, fame (the darker side of), voyeurism, consumerism, conformity, obsession, freedom (the loss, search and gain of), the search for truth, redemption, gender roles, groupies (another stab at the RHPS community), sexuality (in an entirely different manner than RHPS), show biz, American icons, mental health, the relationships between siblings, and of course, reality TV and the sort of bizarre Phil McGraw-solves-all brain cures that populate the airwaves these days.

O'Brien manages to link all these elements with recurring symbolic images (Brad`s cage, the television screens) and symbolic lyrics ('Breaking Out'), then ties it all up in a darkly ironic package and sets it down in the even more ironic setting of a television studio. When you watch this movie, as well you should, you are watching a screen depicting people watching a screen being watched by a character watching a screen, and the things being depicted on the screens-within-your-screen are satirizing things we see on our screens in real-life everyday; not only that, but the characters watching television are satires of us watching television, which we are, and those characters watching other characters watch television might be us as well, since we are doing the same. On another mind-bending note, you are also watching a screen depicting a satire of a movie that appeared in so many screens it made possible the creation of the movie you're watching now. And the fact that you're trapped in this never-ending cycle is also represented symbolically in the movie, so basically, there's no escape.

Confusing? Yes. Deliberate? Probably not, but so much of it is fairly well done and so fun to watch (some people might call it sloppy, but then maybe they weren`t analyzing it for metaphorical content) that it's hard to imagine at least some of it wasn't intentional. There is still a sort of Rocky-esque flavour hovering around the set, with foreshadowing and important plot points steamrolled over by the seemingly non-sequitor dialogue and zany goings-on, but I didn`t find that this damaged the entertainment value any more than it did RH. Like RHPS, ST needs a few watchings to get it put in perspective. But, for aforementioned reasons, most viewers never get that far.

Oh, and the songs were great too.

A FEW NOTES ABOUT THE CAST:
O'Brien never should have used the names Brad and Janet for his leading characters, nor do I think De Young makes a good Brad (though his other role is quite pleasing and he manages to pull a few stunts I can`t imagine Curry doing as well. Blasphemy, I know). The roles call for completely different people and Harper and Young, while suffering under the burden of the B and J names which the movie could do without, deliver as best they can (and I maintain, after the "Looking for Trade" sequence, that Sarandon could never have pulled this off in her Janet role). Humphries' saliva-laden Bert Schnicks is the closest character to RHPS aside from O'Brien and Quinn's ever-present brother/sister duo.

If you are a fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, or any cult movie, for that matter, this movie's worth a look. Cliff DeYoung and Jessica Harper star as Brad and Janet Majors (the hapless couple from RHPS), now unhappily married. They are contestants on the game show Marriage Maze, a sort of Newlyweds Game for people on the verge of divorce, hosted by Bert Schnick, a blind, abrasive German (Barry Humphries, in a hilarious pre-Dame Edna role). Brad ends up on Dentonvale, a reality TV show run by Doctors Cosmo and Nation McKinly (RHPS veterans Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn). As Brad is drugged and dragged off into the care of Nurse Ansalong (RHPS veteran Nell Campbell), Janet finds herself flung headfirst into the heart of the local TV studio,quickly becoming a local celebrity. And past that, you'll have to see the movie to find out what happens.

...Oooh, Shock Treatment. Quite possibly the catchiest line from any song included in this film. Shock Treatment has been cited countless times as a sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This inaccurate assertion had often to lead to many disappointed viewers who had bought the movie expecting a similar "erotic nightmare" which Shock Treatment quite simply isn't. However, after more than one viewing it is easy to see that Shock Treatment is an outstanding movie in its own right. Most of the musical numbers are on a par with or better than Rocky Horror, ones to look out for are the title track "Shock Treatment", the schizophrenic "Duel Duet" and the spectacular "Look What I did to my Id!" Althought the plot is slightly obscure, it's lack of clarity is more than made up for by some superb moments, from the tongue in cheek "Denton, USA" to the touching sensuality of "Lullabye".

The film reunites Patricia Quinn, Laura "Little Nell" Cambpell, Richard O Brien, Imogen Claire and many others from The Rocky Horror Picture show. The onscreen chemistry between Quinn and O'Brien as the incestuous Doctors Nation and Cosmo McKinley lends a quirky and erotic undertone to the movie, which fans and non-fans of Rocky alike will find irresistible, if a little unsettling. Campbell makes the most of a small amount of dialogue and gives a charming performance as the stunning but sweet Nurse Ansalong. Jessica Harper and Cliffe DeYoung work well as the quarelling couple, Brad and Janet Majors and Harper gives a believable performance throughout some rather unlikely situations.

In short, this is a very clever satire of "TV Culture" which may be confusing at the first viewing but where is may lack strength of plot it more than makes up for in outstanding musical numbers and charm. This was a thoroughly enjoyable film from start to finish and stands up to repeated viewing. Although it has not gained the recognition and success of Rocky Horror, it is more than deserving of its own cult status and dedicated fanbase. If you learn only one thing from this review let it be this;

Shock Treatment is under no circumstances a sequel to Rocky Horror. Four of the characters have the same names but the similarities end there. However, it is a fantastic film in it's own right and there is something in it to entertain more or less everyone.

Are you a Jessica Harper fan?Do you like the work of Richard O'Brien?If you answered yes for those questions, you should continue to read this review.If not, try a different movie.SHOCK TREATMENT is definitely the most weird, bizarre, unique, complicated film ever made and is to watched seriously.Make sure you watch it at least three times before forming a critically opinion of what you think.After the first viewing you are thinking "it's crap" and "I don't understand".By the second it is growing on you.But by the third, you are begging for more and want to keep the video forever.The higlight of this film is Jessica Harper's performance as Janet Majors.She is the only character that keeps the show together.If you didn't like Susan Sarandon in ROCKY HORROR, you'll most likely love Harper instead.Her sexy looks and voice make you want to listen to her sing over and over again.The problem wiht SHOCK TREATMENT is that too many people compare it to ROCKY HORROR.But maybe that's a good thing!On its own, the movie sucks!But if you take into consideration the kind of humour that Richard O'Brien puts into his work and the sort of songs he writes, you can understand the uniqueness of ST.Songs would be the only good thing about this film as there is too much dialogue and plot compilcation that first viewers get lost and promise never to watch it ever again.Because of this, not many people see it more times to make it slowly grow on you.Trust me, this film is only for ROCKY HORROR lovers who want to see more of O'Brien's work and for those who have often wondered what other actors would suit in the parts of Brad and Janet.Not to be missed or not to be seen!It's your decision.

...for one of the most confusing movies you will ever see. I personally got a little bit of detail out of this movie, but the rest of it was random singing and dancing. The funniest thing about this picture is in Richard O'Briens storytelling of live as a tv show. Many people whine and moan that it's nothing like the rocky horror picture show, let alone not a sequel, well guess what....THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A SEQUEL, FRANKS DEAD, OK!? (sobs...) Anyway, for those of you who want to hear of the movie in itself, Denton (Brad and Janet's hometown) is now a big tv studio. Each morning, studio audience members arise from their chairs to view the newest game shows. Brad and Janet (again, nothing like their other characters) are having problems. Seems brads an emotional reck, and after going on a new game show hosted by crazy blind man bert schnidt, Brad is soon committed to a tv show/psychiatric ward called Dentonvale. Richard O'Brien and Patricia quinn once again give stunning performances, this time as Cosmo and Nation McKinley (again into the idea of incest). Little Nell is in the movie as Nurse Ansalong, not too big of a role actually, just eye candy. Charles Gray however has a much more active role than in the R.H.P.S, and he sings too! I suppose the main plot is centered around Janet becoming famous to help brad, then forgetting about him completely and becoming too thrilled with being famous. I highly recommend this, not as being compared to the R.H.P.S (nothing compares with that) but rather as an open minded person who loves looking at weird stuff.

This film gets a bad rap. The first time you see it, all you think is "what the heck was that?" but it grows on you very quickly. Great music. Great actors. I love Cliff De Young as both Brad and Farley, and Jessica Harper is superb as Janet. Plus, we still get to see God (Richard O'Brien), Patricia Quinn and Little Nell from the original movie. Not as much sex and "shock" as in RHPS, but a must see for any Rocky fan. This movie stands out on it's own. It rocks!!!

This movie should stand on it's own. To look at it as a sequel to Rocky Horror (as has been said) is unfair (and was poor marketing).

It is wonderful and strange, the more you watch it the more you pick up on the things going on. Somethings like (without revealing plot) People talking on tv monitors in the background are saying things relevant to the conversation that the characters are having. The movie is filmed from four different perspectives, etc.

On the surface it looks mindless, but it is a thinking persons movie.

It is perhaps a truism that satire is a hard sell; that it doesn't work unless the audience knows exactly what is being satirized. If so, we can forgive 1981 audiences because they "didn't get" Shock Treatment. There is a saying in the theater: "Satire is what closes on Saturday night." Perhaps that can explain the short theatrical life and almost instant dismissal of this smart and clever film upon its initial release. It is a thoroughly satirical, media-mocking work of genius brought to you by the creators of the Rocky Horror Show. However, its original audience were not looking for smart and sassy satire; they were looking for more leather and whips and people running around in their underwear. You'll find none of that here. What you will find is a film about 20 years ahead of its time. It thoroughly savages the concept of media saturation and instant celebrity, aspects of society hardly even mentioned, much less understood back in 1981. Of course, we understand those things NOW due to own sickness of our constant bombardment of Crap Culture artifacts such as "Access Hollywood," "American Idol," and 24/7 news coverage. In this story, the town of Denton seems to utterly live for television. The townspeople sit in the studio audience of the local tv station all day, watching as the shows are taped and even seem to sleep there at night! Brad and Janet's marriage is troubled, so they go to see a marriage counselor. But by the film's logic, said marriage counselor is the host of a game show called "Marriage Maze," their session being televised for all to see. Brad is then committed to an asylum which again is really a soap opera called "Dentonvale." And so on. All their lives are played out before a live audience, relative to whichever show they happen to be on at the time. It's not unlike Jim Carrey's "The Truman Show" in that regard, except the Dentonites know full well they are on tv, revel in that, and constantly aspire to earn themselves roles on "better" shows, backstabbing their friends and relatives in the process. How, I ask you, is that much different from the constant plotting and backstabbing of reality show contestants as they practically sell their souls to stay on the show a little longer? In Brad & Janet's media-as-god society, all of one's private business is a subject of public knowledge and consumption. When Janet's father hears an anecdote about a local boy caught naked with gay Mexicans, he immediately condemns the incident in song, offering his instant judgment by singing "faggots are maggots; thank God I'm a man," much to the delight of the studio audience. This again, foreshadows our current means of public opinion--that of news story followed by immediate reaction via the internet and news commentary shows. I do not know if the movie's creators were amazingly prescient or just far more wary of the media at the time this movie was made...either way it seems like a commentary on TODAY's society, not that of 1981.

Aside from the obvious heavy and somewhat disturbing societal comment, this movie is fast-paced and very fun. The songs are mostly satirical but very enjoyable. "Bitchen in the Kitchen" is a hilarious send-up of common marital missteps, rhyming everyday household appliances with the problems of wedded bliss. Jessica Harper's deep and seductive tones serve her well in several tunes, while the original Rocky Horror cast lends a hand in the larger chorus numbers. The songs aren't as especially memorable or singable as the Rocky Horror songs, but they do achieve a far higher level of wit and intellect. Not to say that this is an "intellectual musical," as it does still have its moments of outright rude hilarity. Ironically, a quick viewing of this movie requires far less brainpower than it did in 1981, because our society has almost become the thing that Shock Treatment satirizes. Anybody viewing it for the first time today will immediately understand its point. Some may even think it is a NEW movie, commenting on "American Idol" and "Survivor."

As for the dvd itself...it's far better than the old vhs release. It is at last in widescreen. The colors, contrast and picture are quite vibrant. The sound seems to have an odd remix in places. In the "Denton" number, it fades out too much during the clapping section, for example. Some of the dialogue scenes are a bit shrill as well. Overall the soundtrack is about 75% of what it should be. But the picture is, I would say, exceptional for its age. There are a few muddled extras...there are two "making of" type documentaries, which manage to record all-too-brief interviews with stars Cliff DeYoung, Betsy Brantley and Rocky alumni Patricia Quinn. There is also a dull audio commentary by Shock Treatment Fan Club Presidents Mad Man Mike and Bill Brennan...let's leave audio commentaries to the professionals from now on, shall we?

The film has long been neglected. It is written off by Rocky Horror fans because it's not a true sequel, and it was ahead of its time and misunderstood by the rest of the public. Its time is NOW. It deserves to be seen and studied, and very much enjoyed. It can be enjoyed on its own merits with or without Rocky Horror. So, leave the leather teddy in the closet, put the toast away and have a look!

Anyone claiming ST to be a true sequel to RHPS is being almost as silly as saying Fierce Creatures was a sequel to A Fish Called Wanda.

(Actually, if anything, ST could have been considered a prequel, had the Brad and Janet characters not already been married.) Also comparing boring Barry to boring Cliff is pointless, since the Brad character was supposed to be boring anyway and both did a fine job at it. (Although as a bonus, Cliff in his alter ego station boss role looks like a dead ringer for Timothy "Dick Deitrich" Stack.)

The only major difference in this movie was the replacement of the original beloved "dammit Janet," the always cranky-looking Sarandon, with the more wide-ranging Harper. She puts an interesting spin on the role, infusing it with the increasingly debauched (and often sarcastic) attitude it requires, with the sultry and sexy attitude of a Janeane Garofalo (if Janeane could sing, that is).

But one has to ask, why use Brad and Janet at all, then? Good question. This flick would have also been as effective, if not more, without any such RHPS distractions.

Many media shortcomings are lampooned, including the phony star-making (and breaking) system, the always tacky fashion biz, soap operas, rude talk shows, MTV and TV in general. The whole thing was way ahead of it's time (in fact the movie release date, 1981, was the same year MTV had barely begun.)

People seem to be very afraid of accepting this movie because it predicted a dismal conservative media future of rife censorship married to greed-crazy commerce... which actually came true.

The music (with a half dozen solid catchy tunes) and script were both clever, and did indeed seem a natural style which both Richard O'Brian and John Waters might work with together in the future. (To interest Waters, however, the subject would no doubt have to involve serial killers in some way.)

Let nitpicking viewers also bear in mind that while RHPS was produced by Mike White, ST was not (John Goldstone handled those chores this time out).

Okay, now that we've got all of the above straight, let me conclude by pleading with ST's studio, Fox, to please finally release the DVD version! Thank you!

...that one of the only way I've been able to get friends to watch this movie was to say it's a follow up to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," which ultimately does "Shock Treatment" a disservice, as it has little to do with RHPS and is in a completely different style.

Where RHPS was an affectionate parody of celuloid horror and seventies excess, "Shock Treatment" is a ruthlessly enjoyable stab at 80s commercialism and the trend of life iteself becoming entertainment (and this was nearly 20 years before the whole "reality show" wave.)

The music is perfect new-wave and the cast does a superb job. Jessica Harper's Janet is sultry and has a stunningly deep, smoky voice. Nell Campbell is underused, but a delight when she is onscreen, and Patricia Quinn and Richard O'Brien seem to be having a great time!

Watch it with an open mind, you may just enjoy it.