Does Shock Treatment suck as much as everyone says?

[JerrBear81]

Cuz I sort of have a hard time believing it. Maybe in comparison to Rocky Horror, but alone? I haven't seen it yet...

[kalorama]

Well, aside from the actual physical pain of the treatment, the ongoing side effects (memory loss, loss of muscle control, blackouts, possible catatonia) aren't too much fun.

[Tadhg]

Well, aside from the actual physical pain of the treatment, the ongoing side effects (memory loss, loss of muscle control, blackouts, possible catatonia) aren't too much fun.

Pretty sure he means the 1981 movie.

[Ryan K]

Yeah. It sucks pretty bad. I had a VHS copy for a long time until I lent it to someone at work and they quit. Can't say I was too broken up about its loss.

The plot is atrocious. The songs aren't memorable in the slightest. And, for me, it's just painful.

[sehthan]

I didn't find it very compelling. It's most certainly missing that spark of lunatic inspiration that makes Rocky so fun, not to mention Tim Curry. Let's face it, without Tim Curry's ridiculously charasmatic performance holding it together, Rocky wouldn't be too fondly remembered either. He's not the only thing that's good in Rocky, but he's what makes it work. Shock Treatment simply didn't have the personality.

[JerrBear81]

Yeah. It sucks pretty bad. I had a VHS copy for a long time until I lent it to someone at work and they quit. Can't say I was too broken up about its loss.

The plot is atrocious. The songs aren't memorable in the slightest. And, for me, it's just painful.

I mostly ask because I like the songs I've heard (Covered by "Marc with a C" and accoustic). I did hear one song in it's original format and it didn't strike me as too good.

[Pól Rua]

There are a couple of plots which I despise.
One of these is the one where the central character(s) are brainwashed/mind-controlled/drugged and aren't in control of their own behaviour.
Basically, this means that the characters have no appearance of control over the storyline, and the whole thing becomes an exercise in watching puppets do whatever the story requires them to do.
Shock Treatment has such a plot.

A shame, really, because there's some real talent in the cast.
...and Cliff De Young, who played Brad/Farley would've made a great Englehart/Rogers-era Bruce Wayne.

[bert]

Cuz I sort of have a hard time believing it. Maybe in comparison to Rocky Horror, but alone? I haven't seen it yet...


The BIGGEST problem I have w/ the film (being a huge Rocky Horror fan (just ask Solaris and Bubba Jo Wants :) )) is that in order for Shock Treatment to work, you have to believe that the events in Rocky Horror never happened.

Brad and Janet are unchanged from thier experiences at Franks castle. . .(hell, it isn't even MENTIONED). . but it's just not believable that they would revert back to the "nerdy" couple they are at the beginning of Rocky.

that said. . .

Shock Treatment has MUCH better songs, and they integrate into the storyline better than they do in Rocky.

I've had the soundtrack for years, and bought it on CD the moment I saw it.

"Little Black Dress" and "Goodnight" are better than any of the songs in Rocky.

Rocky Horror, it isnt'. . . but a fantastic collection of songs?

yep

[acagle7]

Yeah, it's not really that good. It was planned originally to be a sequel to Rocky Horror. I wish it had stayed a sequel to Rocky Horror.

[Nate Grey]

Well I heard sound clips of the soundtrack on Amazon.com and it sounded good to me. No "Time Warp" type song, but still cool.

What's interesting is that supposedly the reason this isn't out on DVD yet is because Rocky Horror didn't sell what the studio thought it would on DVD. What, is everyone bootlegging it or something?

And for those who HAVE seen it (I have not)...Cosmo and Nation remind me a LOT of that psychiatrist and nurse who used to chase the Warner Bros. and Dot around on Animaniacs. Coincidence?

[Evan Waters]

I think it's actually a bit better than ROCKY HORROR in some ways- the story's smarter and there's a nice satirical element.

And the songs are brilliant. Short, but lots of fun.

[king mob]

What's interesting is that supposedly the reason this isn't out on DVD yet is because Rocky Horror didn't sell what the studio thought it would on DVD. What, is everyone bootlegging it or something?



There's issues with the music holding it up last i heard.This could be translated as nobody can be bothered working out the clearance issues as they're not willing to spend the money on it.

[Evan Waters]

There's issues with the music holding it up last i heard.This could be translated as nobody can be bothered working out the clearance issues as they're not willing to spend the money on it.

That's... actually rather strange seeing as all the music was by O'Brien and Hartley.

[Sean Whitmore]

It wasn't as evenly good as Rocky Horror was, but there were definitely enough random moments of wackiness to make it worth watching. Bert Schnick staring blankly out the window while the rest of the cast sings "Lullaby", Brad's friends and family dancing stupidly around him while he's locked up in a cage, and the studio audience going to sleep in their seats when the broadcast day is over. :)

My favorite random gag is when Janet's mother tells her: "You know your father doesn't like Mexicans." And the word "Mexicans" echoes over and over again until it reaches the audience, who suddenly explode into thunderous applause for some reason.

And the songs are just fun as hell (some of them actually deserve to be in a better movie ;) ). Denton USA, Bitchin' In The Kitchen, Thank God I'm A Man, Lullaby, Little Black Dress, Shock Treatment, Carte Blanche, Duel Duet, and
Anyhow Anyhow are the ones worth listening to, IMO.


SEAN

[Sean Whitmore]

The BIGGEST problem I have w/ the film (being a huge Rocky Horror fan (just ask Solaris and Bubba Jo Wants :) )) is that in order for Shock Treatment to work, you have to believe that the events in Rocky Horror never happened.

Brad and Janet are unchanged from thier experiences at Franks castle. . .(hell, it isn't even MENTIONED). . but it's just not believable that they would revert back to the "nerdy" couple they are at the beginning of Rocky.


The way I've had it explained to me (from a friend who's a much bigger Rocky fan than I and cruises the webrings endlessly), Brad and Janet's marriage is breaking apart precisely because of the events of Rocky Horror. Brad became even more of a shy shmuck than he was in the first film (remember, Janet actually liked him then), and Janet went the other way, becoming more and more uninhibited.

Brad completely lost his libido (being sucked off by Tim Curry can have that effect), which is why Janet institutionalized him. Farley's lyric "you lost your baby when you lost your balls" is a shot at Brad being "gunshy". And Brad singing "Anyhow, Anyhow" at the end symbolizes him coming to terms with his sexuality again.

Or something. Which, if you ask me, is a LOT to get out of a dopey little movie. :D


SEAN