"Hi Brad, I've just come to tell you how fabulous I am!"
Hi there, world. Today, I'm covering another underrated, low-budget, unpopular movie that I love: Richard O'Brien's 1981 film Shock Treatment. Marketed as not a sequel or prequel, but an "equal" to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treatment was a critical and commercial failure upon its release, but has developed a cult following over the past few decades.
Shock Treatment tells the story of Brad and Janet Majors (from Rocky Horror), a married couple who return to their home town of Denton. However, instead of being a regular ol' town, Denton is a giant TV studio in which the citizens of the town watch and/or star in TV shows live day and night, even sleeping in their studio seats. In this way, regular life is played out on camera. Janet and Brad are invited up from the crowd to participate in a show called Marriage Maze, during which Bert Schnick convinces Janet that Brad is an "emotional cripple" and must be sent away to a mental hospital on a show called "Dentonvale". Having gotten rid of Brad, the stars of Denton shows convince Janet that she is the next big thing, and a perfect match for the head honcho of Denton, Farley Flavors. As it turns out, Farley is Brad's lost twin brother. Jealous of Brad's marital bliss, Farley plots to steal Janet and leave Brad to rot behind bars in "Dentonvale". I won't spoil the rest of the plot, because I'm really hoping (selfishly) that some of you readers will want to watch Shock Treatment (which is available in its entirety through YouTube.).
Like Rocky Horror, Shock Treatment is a musical. However, I would argue that while I enjoy Shock Treatment, its songs are nowhere near as catchy as the songs from its predecessor. The score for Shock Treatment features a similar rock and roll vibe and also features the talents of O'Brien, as well as Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell, but I feel that Tim Curry's character and vocals carried quite a bit of Rocky Horror. As Curry declined to return for Shock Treatment, I feel the movie lost a lot of its potential charm (indeed, even a lot of Rocky Horror fans didn't like Shock Treatment).
However, Shock Treatment does boast the musical talent of Jessica Harper (who played Phoenix in De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise, which I recently reviewed). Harper is a fantastic singer, and- controversial opinion- I enjoyed her characterization of Janet Majors more than I enjoyed Susan Sarandon's.
Although it seems O'Brien tried to somewhat separate Shock Treatment and Rocky Horror in his marketing campaign, it is simply impossible to refrain from comparing and contrasting the two films. The most significant differences between the two are the recasting of Brad and Janet and the loss of Tim Curry, in my opinion. Susan Sarandon, who played Janet in Rocky Horror, apparently declined to return due to salary concerns. Barry Bostwick, the original actor for Brad, was unable to reprise his role due to conflicting filming commitments. Tim Curry and Jonathan Adams (who played Dr. Everett Scott in Rocky Horror) also declined to return, but I'm not sure why. Although many Rocky Horror fans were displeased with the recasting of Brad and Janet, I rather enjoyed the performances of Jessica Harper and Cliff De Young. I thought that De Young played a very dopey, but loving Brad, and Harper's portrayal of Janet was an interesting mix of innocence and desire for the public's affection. Interestingly, in both Shock Treatment and Phantom of the Paradise, Harper plays a young woman corrupted by a desire for fame and glory. Type-casting, anyone?
Like Rocky Horror, Shock Treatment featured a colorful, exaggerated design created on a nearly non-existent budget. According the costume designer Sue Blane, the costumes for the audience members were purchased from thrift stores to achieve a "cartoonish" vibe. Although the film's plot is supposed to be set in suburban USA, Shock Treatment was filmed in the UK. Because no outside location in the UK matched O'Brien's vision for Denton, he decided to set the entire film indoors. I think this was a good decision, because the closed-in concept for the movie helped underline the themes explored within the story.
What sort of themes are explored? Themes that are still eerily relevant, though this movie was conceived and filmed almost forty years ago. In Shock Treatment, O'Brien unwittingly predicted the rise of reality TV, as well as audiences that consider themselves to really be living with and experiencing what the people on-screen are going through. Additionally, Shock Treatment provides a commentary on our materialistic society, sprinkling "ads" for everything from beer to blenders within the live programs of Shock Treatment. Like Phantom of the Paradise, Shock Treatment also makes a statement about the packaging of new stars and the corruption of good people for the sake of entertainment- which is what happens to Janet's character after Brad is sent away.
In summary: Shock Treatment is a colorful, eccentric little musical full of subtle commentaries on the direction in which society was moving in 1981 that are more relevant now than ever. Although some of the musical numbers are forgettable, and some of the character recastings unforgivable, Shock Treatment is worth watching if you want to spend about an hour and a half in a cartoonish world not so different from our own.
Rating: C+
P.S. Here's the link to the movie...
Shock Treatment - YouTube
Like Rocky Horror, Shock Treatment is a musical. However, I would argue that while I enjoy Shock Treatment, its songs are nowhere near as catchy as the songs from its predecessor. The score for Shock Treatment features a similar rock and roll vibe and also features the talents of O'Brien, as well as Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell, but I feel that Tim Curry's character and vocals carried quite a bit of Rocky Horror. As Curry declined to return for Shock Treatment, I feel the movie lost a lot of its potential charm (indeed, even a lot of Rocky Horror fans didn't like Shock Treatment).
However, Shock Treatment does boast the musical talent of Jessica Harper (who played Phoenix in De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise, which I recently reviewed). Harper is a fantastic singer, and- controversial opinion- I enjoyed her characterization of Janet Majors more than I enjoyed Susan Sarandon's.
Although it seems O'Brien tried to somewhat separate Shock Treatment and Rocky Horror in his marketing campaign, it is simply impossible to refrain from comparing and contrasting the two films. The most significant differences between the two are the recasting of Brad and Janet and the loss of Tim Curry, in my opinion. Susan Sarandon, who played Janet in Rocky Horror, apparently declined to return due to salary concerns. Barry Bostwick, the original actor for Brad, was unable to reprise his role due to conflicting filming commitments. Tim Curry and Jonathan Adams (who played Dr. Everett Scott in Rocky Horror) also declined to return, but I'm not sure why. Although many Rocky Horror fans were displeased with the recasting of Brad and Janet, I rather enjoyed the performances of Jessica Harper and Cliff De Young. I thought that De Young played a very dopey, but loving Brad, and Harper's portrayal of Janet was an interesting mix of innocence and desire for the public's affection. Interestingly, in both Shock Treatment and Phantom of the Paradise, Harper plays a young woman corrupted by a desire for fame and glory. Type-casting, anyone?
Like Rocky Horror, Shock Treatment featured a colorful, exaggerated design created on a nearly non-existent budget. According the costume designer Sue Blane, the costumes for the audience members were purchased from thrift stores to achieve a "cartoonish" vibe. Although the film's plot is supposed to be set in suburban USA, Shock Treatment was filmed in the UK. Because no outside location in the UK matched O'Brien's vision for Denton, he decided to set the entire film indoors. I think this was a good decision, because the closed-in concept for the movie helped underline the themes explored within the story.
What sort of themes are explored? Themes that are still eerily relevant, though this movie was conceived and filmed almost forty years ago. In Shock Treatment, O'Brien unwittingly predicted the rise of reality TV, as well as audiences that consider themselves to really be living with and experiencing what the people on-screen are going through. Additionally, Shock Treatment provides a commentary on our materialistic society, sprinkling "ads" for everything from beer to blenders within the live programs of Shock Treatment. Like Phantom of the Paradise, Shock Treatment also makes a statement about the packaging of new stars and the corruption of good people for the sake of entertainment- which is what happens to Janet's character after Brad is sent away.
In summary: Shock Treatment is a colorful, eccentric little musical full of subtle commentaries on the direction in which society was moving in 1981 that are more relevant now than ever. Although some of the musical numbers are forgettable, and some of the character recastings unforgivable, Shock Treatment is worth watching if you want to spend about an hour and a half in a cartoonish world not so different from our own.
Rating: C+
P.S. Here's the link to the movie...
Shock Treatment - YouTube
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