Shock Treatment (1981)

Janet and Brad become contestants on a game show... but wind up as captives instead.

Director:

Jim Sharman

Writers:

Richard O'Brien (screenplay), Jim Sharman (screenplay)

Stars:

Jessica Harper, Cliff De Young, Richard O'Brien

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Harper	...	Janet Majors
Cliff De Young	...	Brad Majors / Farley Flavors
Richard O'Brien	...	Dr. Cosmo McKinley
Patricia Quinn	...	Dr. Nation McKinley
Charles Gray	...	Judge Oliver Wright
Ruby Wax	...	Betty Hapschatt
Nell Campbell	...	Nurse Ansalong
Rik Mayall	...	'Rest Home' Ricky
Barry Humphries	...	Bert Schnick
Darlene Johnson	...	Emily Weiss
Manning Redwood	...	Harry Weiss
Wendy Raebeck	...	Macy Struthers
Jeremy Newson	...	Ralph Hapschatt
Betsy Brantley	...	Neely Pritt
Perry Bedden	...	Neely's Camera Crew

Storyline

Following on from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", this musical is set several years later in Brad and Janet Majors' hometown - which has become a giant TV station; residents are either participants or viewers. They are married now, but their romance has fallen on the rocks. Ostensibly to fix their marriage, Brad is imprisoned on the program "Dentonvale" (the local mental hospital) while Janet is conscripted to become a new star. As Janet is entranced by the high life, she forgets Brad. Who is trying to woo her away?

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Plot Keywords:

rock band | revolver | polaroid | scream | spoof | 

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Taglines:

It's Not A Sequel... It's Not A Prequel... It's An Equal

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was widely believed by fans that John Candy appeared uncredited as the mustached man in the audience the camera zoomed on. So much so the filmmakers had to state it in the DVD commentary.

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Goofs

When Brad knocks over the pitcher of water on the "Marriage Maze" set, a glass is propped against one of the "M"s. The glass wasn't there in previous shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [voice-over] Once upon a time, there lived a real fast guy. His life was fast. His friends were fast. Heh - even his food was fast. But he was still not satisfied. He wanted to share his fast philosophy with someone else, a beautiful girl. Trouble was, she was in the arms of... another man.

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Alternate Versions

All DVD releases cut the original End credit version of the Denton "Overture" in half, and then prematurely fade out the single version of "Shock Treatment" when the credits are over. The original version features the complete "Overture" playing over the credits with "Shock Treatment" playing over a black screen as exit music. The edit shortens the film from 94 to 92 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in The Cinema Snob: Shock Treatment (2014)

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Soundtracks

Anyhow, Anyhow
(Brad/Janet/Betty/Oliver/Chorus)
Written by Richard Hartley and Richard O'Brien
Performed by Cliff De Young, Jessica Harper, Ruby Wax, Charles Gray and "the chorus"

User Reviews

Perhaps the most underrated film in cinema history...

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1981 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Brad and Janet Show

Filming Locations:

Lee International Studios, Wembley, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 88 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1