Shock Treatment is a 1981 satirical musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien.
It is a spiritual sequel to the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show and features characters from the previous film, most portrayed by different actors, as well as several Rocky Horror actors in new roles.
The film stars Jessica Harper as Janet Majors and Cliff DeYoung in a dual role as her husband Brad, as well as the movie's main antagonist Farley Flavors, with O'Brien and Patricia Quinn playing sibling character actors, Cosmo and Nation McKinley, and also stars Ruby Wax, Charles Gray, and Barry Humphries. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States.
The film is set in the fictional town of Denton, which has been placed under the control of a television network. The town's entire population is involved in the network's productions. Brad Majors finds himself imprisoned in the local mental hospital, while his wife Janet becomes the pet project of Farley Flavors, the local plutocrat.
Given a limited release on the midnight movie circuit beginning on October 30, 1981, Shock Treatment was a critical and commercial failure, not earning the same level of cult film status its predecessor received. Later reviews have been warmer, praising its satirical themes, particularly a prescient satire of reality television. In 2015, the film was adapted as a stage production in London.
Plot Continuing from The Rocky Horror Picture Show are the characters of Brad and Janet Majors, now married. The film takes place in the town of Denton, U.S.A., which has been taken over by fast food magnate Farley Flavors. The film is set within a DTV (Denton Television) network television studio and opens as the studio audience is admitted into the studio. Brad and Janet, seated in the audience, are chosen to participate in the game show Marriage Maze by the kooky, supposedly blind host, Bert Schnick. While on the Marriage Maze, Brad is deemed "an emotional cripple," and is forcibly sent to Dentonvale, a mental hospital located in the studio run by siblings Cosmo and Nation McKinley and the subject of the synonymously named reality show, for "treatment."
While Brad is locked away at Dentonvale, Farley Flavors, via prerecorded video, persuades Janet to pursue superstardom, suggesting that her fame will make Brad better. Although Janet participates willingly, her compliance is assured when she is drugged by the McKinleys. Janet's parents, Emily and Harry Weiss, also become enamored with fame and television, appearing first on Marriage Maze, answering questions about Brad's alleged mental instability, and later, as their "prize" for answering questions about Brad correctly, on Happy Homes, a reality TV show that follows people on a television set of an idealized suburban home. Rapidly, Janet and her parents forget about Brad and become obsessed with fame.
In the meantime, Betty Hapschatt and Judge Oliver Wright, cohosts of the Denton Dossier and the only people not won over by Farley Flavors' flashy television shows, investigate Flavors and the other people involved in DTV. The duo eventually discover that Cosmo and Nation McKinley are not doctors as they claim, but merely character actors, and that Farley Flavors himself is Brad's jealous, long-lost twin brother, seeking to destroy Brad and take Janet for himself. Betty Hapschatt and Judge Wright break Brad out from his prison in Dentonvale and have him confront his twin. The trio break onto the set of Farley's latest show, Faith Factory, during its debut just as Janet, who is heavily drugged, is about to be crowned "Miss Mental Health." Seeing Brad helps Janet snap out of her drug-induced trance and she returns to him. Flavors imprisons Brad, Janet, Betty, and Judge Wright, then invites the remaining audience members to follow him to Dentonvale. Everyone except the four prisoners and the kids in the local band, Oscar Drill and the Bits, willingly and enthusiastically accept straitjackets and commit themselves to Dentonvale in the name of "mental health." Brad, Janet, Betty, and Judge Wright escape the office they are locked into using one of Betty's hairpins to pick the lock. They join the band and successfully hotwire the car given to Miss Mental Health by a show sponsor. Band members force open the door to the studio and Brad, Janet, Betty, Judge Wright and the band drive off as a voice over reminds the viewer that "the sun never sets on those who ride into it."
Cast
Jessica Harper as Janet Majors (née Weiss), a woman in a dysfunctional marriage and the object of Farley's desires. Cliff DeYoung as Farley Flavors, owner of a major fast food company and the new commercial sponsor of DTV, who hatches a plan to make Janet into a celebrity and commit her hapless husband, Brad, (also DeYoung) to Dentonvale. Richard O'Brien as Dr. Cosmo McKinley, a star of the soap opera Dentonvale, and Nation's supposed brother. Patricia Quinn as Dr. Nation McKinley, a star of the soap opera Dentonvale, and Cosmo's supposed sister. Ruby Wax as Betty Hapschatt (née Munroe), the host of The Denton Dossier, a talk show. Charles Gray as Judge Oliver Wright, Denton's leading social scientist. Barry Humphries as Bert Schnick, the maniacal, Viennese, and supposedly blind host of the Marriage Maze show. Manning Redwood as Harry Weiss, Janet's bigoted father. Darlene Johnson as Emily Weiss, Janet's doting mother. Jeremy Newson as Ralph Hapschatt, Betty's ex-husband, who co-hosts The Faith Factory Show. Wendy Raebeck as Macy Struthers, Ralph's seemingly-air-headed girlfriend, who co-hosts The Faith Factory Show. Betsy Brantley as Neely Pritt, a local reporter making a documentary about DTV, Flavors, Janet, and The Faith Factory Show. Christopher Malcolm as Vance Parker, the corrupt police officer and head of security patrolling the DTV studio. Little Nell as Nurse Ansalong, star of Dentonvale, and who is a supposed clinical nurse. Rik Mayall as "Rest Home" Ricky, star of Dentonvale, and who is a supposed clinical orderly. Eugene Lipinski as Kirk, the studio's catering worker. Barry Dennen as Irwin Lapsey, president of Lapsey Autos and who briefly appears on The Faith Factory Show. Gary Shail as Oscar Drill, the eponymous founder and lead singer of Oscar Drill and the Bits, a local Denton garage band that performs shortly before The Faith Factory Show makes its inaugural television debut. Sinitta Renet (in her acting debut) as Frankie, a singer and member of Oscar Drill and the Bits, as well as one of Janet's groupies. Claire Toeman as Brenda Drill, a singer and member of Oscar Drill and the Bits, as well as one of Janet's groupies. Donald Waugh as Glish Davidson, an electric guitarist and member of Oscar Drill and the Bits. David John as a drummer and member of Oscar Drill and the Bits. Gary Martin as a bass guitarist and member of Oscar Drill and the Bits. Sal Piro as Guy on Pay Phone (uncredited)
Soundtrack Ode Records issued the soundtrack album on vinyl and cassette in the United States on September 9, 1981, and later reissued it on CD in 1994. The album was produced by the composer, Richard Hartley, and includes longer versions of "Thank God I'm a Man" and "Carte Blanche", as well as two unlisted bits taken directly from the film, the Farley Flavors "commercial break" (after "Denton U.S.A.") and the rhyming dialogue, which directly precedes "Duel Duet" (before Duel Duet on the vinyl and cassette releases, and after "Breaking Out" on the CD version).
All editions are missing Richard O'Brien's solo version of the title song (which plays during the end credits and features backing vocals by Nell Campbell), though it was released as a 7" vinyl single, and included on the CD Songs from the Vaults: A Collection of Rocky Horror Rarities, which was exclusive to the Rocky Horror Picture Show 15th Anniversary boxed set.
All LP, cassette and CD issues of the soundtrack include the credit "Music and lyrics by Richard Hartley and Richard O'Brien". O'Brien's solo single version of the track "Shock Treatment" reverses the order, and gives writing credit to Richard O'Brien & Richard Hartley.
Song Chief singer(s) Other singers Overture (Instrumental) Denton U.S.A. Neely, Harry, Emily, Vance,Brenda, Frankie, Ralph, Macy Audience Bitchin' in the Kitchen Brad, Janet In My Own Way Janet Thank God I'm a Man Harry Audience Farley's Song Farley Cosmo, Nation, Ansalong, Ricky Lullaby Nation, Cosmo, Janet, Ansalong, Ricky Little Black Dress Cosmo, Janet, Bert, Nation Me of Me Janet Frankie and Brenda Shock Treatment Cosmo, Nation, Ansalong Janet, Ricky, Bert, Harry, Emily Carte Blanche Janet Looking for Trade Janet, Brad Oscar Drill, The Bits Look What I Did to My Id Emily, Harry, Cosmo, Nation,Macy, Ralph, Ansalong, Ricky Breaking Out Oscar Drill The Bits Duel Duet Farley, Brad Anyhow, Anyhow Brad, Janet, Oliver, Betty Oscar Drill, The Bits, Farley, Cosmo, Nation, Bert, Harry, Emily, Ralph, Macy, Vance, Ansalong, Ricky, Kirk, The floor Manager, The Wardrobe Mistress, The Makeup Artist, Audience
Charts Chart (1982)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)73
To obtain the American sound required for the DTV audience in several of the musical numbers, about 50 American soldiers were brought in to record the choruses in question. According to Hartley, the servicemen were unsure of the subject matter of the lyrics and how they would be used in the film.DVD featurette (“Let’s Rock ‘n’ Roll: Shock Treatment’s Super Score”) Twentieth Century Fox. 2006.
Production Development Following the unexpected and overwhelming success of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on the midnight circuit, Richard O'Brien approached producer Michael White with the idea of filming a sequel. In 1978, he began work on a script titled Rocky Horror Shows His Heels, which found Frank and Rocky resurrected, Brad and Dr. Scott now lovers, and Janet pregnant with Frank's baby. Director Jim Sharman was resistant to revisit the material and Tim Curry had no desire to reprise the role of Frank, but O'Brien had put some work into the songs, so he decided to retain them and simply revise the story.
The new script was titled The Brad and Janet Show. This version is closer to what ultimately became Shock Treatment and was planned to be produced, but the filmmakers were plagued with a variety of problems. Dr. Scott had also been included in the script, but Jonathan Adams was busy performing in Tom Lehrer’s musical revue Tom Foolery and was not allowed to take time off of his contract to reprise his role. The filmmakers intended to shoot on location in Denton, Texas, but production screeched to a halt in 1980 when the Screen Actors Guild went on strike.
With only a small window when cast and crew were available, the filmmakers had to get creative. Television had been a heavy motif in the script, so production designer Brian Thomson came up with the notion to rework the story and set it in a giant TV studio, using a film studio in England, which shaved $1 million from the budget and gave them the luxury of working in a controlled environment. The script endured a final draft in which all of the locations were changed to television shows, and the role of Dr. Scott morphed into game show host Bert Schnick. "I was frightened the strike was going to finish too soon and we'd have to go back to our original conception," commented O'Brien.
Casting