Shock Treatment (1981)

• Shock Treatment: The Original Sound Track
• Phantom of the Paradise
• Rocky Horror Picture Show: 25 Years of Absolute Pleasure
• Little Shop of Horrors
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975 Film)
• Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition (The Complete Series)
• Grindhouse Presents, Death Proof - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition)
• Hairspray
• From Beyond (Unrated Director's Cut)
• Grindhouse Presents, Planet Terror - Extended and Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition)

I heard in an interview with Patricia Quinn that one day during filming, Barry Humphries asked her "Pat. Do you know what this is about." "No," she replied.

That about sums this movie up, but it's good anyway. What I especially like about the movie is the rhythm, the feel of it.

It's almost alagorical, it's an absurdist perspective on media.

It belongs to no specific time, it's long-ago and it's now, and it's the future. The music is fantastic, the plot (after 20+ viewings) is still, to use the words of Richard O'Brien "Muddled.confused." I can't even begin to describe it to people.

I'm a proud owner of a copy of the video, and I whip it out at the slightest provocation.

And its "criticism" of media (or parody of 60s/70s tv shows, whatever) is too direct, too unsubtle. All in all, it's unfortunately a quite typical sequel. But there are many movies that were relevant in their day and yet are still enjoyable to watch. Lack of plot is more evident than in RHS, and all in all it's just meaningless not funny, not particularly witty, doesn't go anywhere. This musical/movie is rubbish, almost complete waste of time. Well, yes, there is a reason. And character casting/acting is not bad, even though plot is below sub-standard, and music is just-ok as well. I still give it two stars (as opposed to one) since it is some fun to spot all early-80s artifacts, from Space Invaders arcade machines to hair styles.

This one is not vintage wine but low-grade vinegar. Given that it's not particularly well known (some people calling it "hidden gem".)., I was wondering whether there is a reason for that after all, you'd think rocky-heads would definitely have checked it out. Since I like RHS, I decided to have a look at this sequel. I guess it is possible that in its time this was relevant, and it has just aged badly.

This film is like the seriously embarrasing black sheep sister in the Rocky Horror family. However, unlike Rocky Horror that you can enjoy multiple viewings of, this is worth only a one or 2 time look.

If all the original cast were in it, and maybe a bit darker of atmosphere, it may have had a chance. You'll need shock treatment after watching this.

God Bless Richard O'Brien's 70's rock #'s in the original masterpiece. I own it as a Rocky fanatic, only for completing the collection.

However, I like weirdness, and there is some remedial value on that level. Even die hard Rocky Horror fans will cringe at this movie.

This is more his 80's excurtion in comedy.

It's just too bad the storyline and wit couldn't have been sharper. Right to the very end you're worried that you, yourself, are stuck in a show, forced to partake in whatever the studio manager desires you to do. The story itself tries really hard to be clever, but falls short of a lot of potential. I once read a review that said this film was ahead of its time, but O'Brien needed to clean up the script - I have to agree with that.

Among the strange, eclectic cast include the two doctors overlooking Brad (Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn, playing incest again) the nurse (Nell Campbell, aka Little Nell) and the "blind" show host. The plot involves Brad and Janet (our heroes from the previous film) finding themselves in "Denton, USA", a TV station that practically functions as its own city. They're chosen as contestants for a medical game show, and the owner of the station falls in love with Janet. Brad and Janet are played by two different people: Cliff De Young and Jessica Harper. I really wanted to enjoy this film; some of the songs (like "Denton USA" or "B****in' In the Kitchen") are really catchy, and it has a fun style of film making to it. It just sticks to the thin plot of the villain's love for Janet and kinda lingers on that for a long while.

They're OK, except I could never get over Jessica Harper's voice; it can sometimes get deep, kinda like Cher's does, and there were times where she was singing off-screen and I actually, sincerely thought Brad was singing. The ensemble is all right for the most part. He immediately has Brad locked up while Janet is brain-washed into his adoring bride. It bombed at the box office and was nearly forgotten until it was finally released on DVD. Unfortunately, the film its fans adore isn't as strong either.

Halfway through this movie gets terribly boring, and feels like it goes on forever. Yeah, "Rocky Horror" was weird, but at least after each song you felt like you were going somewhere, not just stuck in a mobius strip of weirdness. Apparently it's had a bit of a cult fandom, though not as strong as the original. "Shock Treatment" is the sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Spoofing sensationalist television would especially strike a chord in this day and age of reality shows, but the movie can't get off the ground with it.