Richard O'Brien's Shock Treatment landed with a dull thud on release in 1981; this semi-sequel to Rocky Horror didn't please that film's rabid fan base and failed to find one of its own, hampered by one of those seemed-like-a-good-idea marketing concepts, screening the movie only at midnight.
Seen three decades on (!*), it actually looks both fabulously proto-80s and really rather clever. Despite the lamentable absence of Tim Curry, having Barry "Edna" Humphries around in what looks like a key role must provide some diversion, and anything that give us another glimpse of Little Nell really ought to be worth a look.
*Geez we're all getting old, fast, no?
I played the Shock Treatment soundtrack album rather endlessly in high school.
ReplyDeleteWhat I missed most from RHPS was Barry Bostwick in his tighty whities.
I think that's pretty much what I miss in most movies, actually...
ReplyDeleteA little over a decade after its initial release, Shock Treatment found its audience with a newer generation of Rocky Horror fans. I first watched it on Cinemax in the early 90s. I was a rabid RHPS fan at the time (and still am) and I couldn't quite make heads or tails of it until my sixth viewing. I did like the music though.
ReplyDeleteNowadays Shock Treatment is a staple at Rocky Horror conventions with performers acting the movie out live ala RHPS.
What I find most interesting about Shock Treatment is that it was way ahead of its time. A musical about reality television taking over america's lives - it would do very well these days.