Review of Shock Treatment (1981) by Gerry P — 24 Nov 2012

No one has really heard of this film except for Rocky Horror fans. I liked The Rocky Horror Picture Show, so I decided to watch this on Youtube.

It's not as Good as "Rocky" at all. It's not as strong and the songs aren't memorable. There's only three good songs for me; "Denton", "Farley's Song" and of course the title song "You gonna need a ...... oooooooooooooohhhhh, shock treatment". Other than that, the other songs....... meh.

The biggest complaint is Janet. She's just so unlikable in this film. I think that was the point, but she just goes to far. Jessica Harper's performance is actually good, but her singing voice, it sounds too much like a man. A lot of people, including myself, thought that her singing voice was dubbed by a man.

The song that puzzles me is "Bitchin' in the kitchen." Where Brad and Janet sing their problems to household products. At that point I was like "WHAT?" Yeah, when I have a problem, I explain my problem to products in my house too.

It feels kind of bland and wears thin in the 2nd act. I feel sorry for poor Brad who spends most of the movie in a straight jacket and forced to take medication. The only reason why he and Janet are on the show is because they have a problem with their marriage.

Another thing I don't get is the whole thing where Bert Schnick is blind but he isn't really. And then he's able to see in the second act as if by magic? I don't get it. I really don't.

However, I like the camp sets and costumes. The magical numbers are well shot and choreographed. Cliff De Young was good as both Farley and Brad.

Worth watching if you're a Richard O'Brien fan. Don't expect it to have that flavour "Rocky" brought you.