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:

viewer | tv station | contestant | marriage | female pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

Trust Me, I'm A Doctor.

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

PG

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "Lullaby" sequence was filmed in only one take.

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Goofs

During the finale, as the four singers rise from the bleachers, Ruby Wax trips and places her hands against Charles Gray's back to keep from falling over.

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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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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Slumber Party Massacre II (2016)

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Soundtracks

Look What I Did To My Id
(Mom-Dad/Ralph-Macy/Cosmo-Nation/Ricky-Ansalong)
Written by Richard Hartley and Richard O'Brien
Performed by Darlene Johnson, Manning Redwood, Jeremy Newson, Wendy Raebeck, Richard O'Brien,
Patricia Quinn, Rik Mayall and Nell Campbell

User Reviews

Good movie for Rocky Horror types

This movie does match and surpass "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" in many ways. You can tell that Richard O'Brien and the film's producers had a bigger budget to work with. The songs are a match to the original (same song writer, same style...). Visually, a little too heavy on the reds, but this WAS 1981, after all. This movie will be enjoyed by those who will get the Rocky Horror references that are scattered throughout. Too bad Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon weren't there to provide a little more continuity to their characters. Jessica Harper does a great job though, she appeared in several off-beat movies in the 70s ("Phantom Of The Paradise" and "Suspiria" spring to mind) so playing in a Richard O'Brien movie was not too much of a stretch for her it seems. This sequel was, to me, a lot sexier than RHPS. The original seemed to center on campiness and shock value, it's here as well, but there is a lot more eye-candy in this sequel.

I'm still waiting for a Richard O'Brien / John Waters musical collaboration. Imagine the possibilities!