SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

From the people who did the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," the same people collaborated for this film as well. Brad and Janet are back and revived by Cliff De Young and Jessica Harper. They are a married couple in the television of fictional DTV in 1981. Due to the Actors Strike in 1980, they film in a London studio. The concept was far fetched and perhaps ridiculous but now it makes sense. Brad and Janet's marriage is exploited on air. I have to admit the film is entertaining with a musical style of its own. Ruby Wax is great in it as is Patricia Quinn (also known as Lady Stephens as Nation McKinley), Richard O'Brien, Barry Humphries, and more. The film may not have been as successful or become a cult classic like Rocky Horror. Still it's not a bad film perhaps a visual feast for the eyes. The audience's costumes were actually bought in Texas thrift stores by Sue Blane and others. If it wasn't for the Actors Strike, they would have filmed in the USA.

I've seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show live and on TV, but I was never a fan. My husband, a big RHPS fan, found a Shock Treatment DVD (the 25th Anniversary edition) in the video store bargain bin. He convinced me to watch it. I wasn't expecting to like it, but I did.First of all, Shock Treatment is NOT a RHPS sequel. Some of the actors and characters are the same, but the storyline is completely different. RHPS was a satire about cheap, Z-grade horror films. Shock Treatment is a satire about fame and celebrity. Brad and Janet Majors are now married and unhappy. They go on a TV show hoping to save their marriage, and end up trapped. Fame turns from nectar to poison, and nothing is quite what it seems.The musical sequences are the best part, especially "Denton USA," Lullaby", "Looking for Trade," and "Look What I Did to my Id." Aside from being infectiously good, they let the viewer trace Janet's journey from concerned wife to celebrity and back. The movie is remarkably clean; the only real titillation is in "Lullaby." Shock Treatment was ahead of its time. Reality TV didn't exist in 1981. Now, anyone can become a celebrity by exposing their personal lives to the small screen. In 1981, Kate and Jon Gosselin would have been 2 people with a lot of kids, not celebrities.If you're expecting a sequel to RHPS, you will be disappointed. If you're puzzled by Reality TV "stars", you're a fan of rock musicals, or you go in with an open mind, you could find yourself loving Shock Treatment.

Shock Treatment (1981) * 1/2 (out of 4) Needless sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show has Brad and Janet (now played by Cliff De Young and Jessica Harper) appearing on a game show where they become hostages for various wild antics. I'm a firm believer that sequels should never be made with the same characters as the first film unless you can get the original cast members. What happens in sequels without the original cast members is that the new actors are forced to give horrid performances because they're trying to "act" like the original actors. That's the case here as the two leads come off horribly bad but that's not the films only problem. The songs are incredibly dull and the entire story is pointless and lazy. I'm not exactly sure what they were going for here but it fails on pretty much all levels. We can debate the merits of the original film but it's certainly a lot better than this thing.

The follow up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Yawn. Esoteric at best. The songs are good though. The movie isn't even understood by the actors who star in it so how can we, as the audience understand the little inside jokes? Some people say the film was ahead of it's time. That it laid the groundwork for the reality shows of today. It may have been ahead of it's time but that doesn't mean it is interesting or fun to watch. I was literally falling asleep because it meant nothing to me. It would have been much more fun had Pat Quinn, Little Nell and Richard O'brien played the same characters from RHPS. They don't. They are all together here but are different people. Charles Grey is here also but is someone else. I think the reason this film never worked well is because of that very reason; a lot of the original actors are back but aren't the same characters. Just didn't do anything for me. Sorry.