Before I get into my comments about the new 25th Anniversary DVD for "Shock Treatment", you should know that it has often been referred to as the 'unofficial' sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." This is and important piece of information for a couple of reasons. You may or may not know that "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is one of the most famous and successful cult midnight movies in history. For years, audiences could go to theatres for midnight movie showings, sing and dance along with the cast, and in many cases dress up as the cast and act out the scenes in front of the screens. Audience members would usually throw pieces of toast when someone proposed a toast, light lighters when the line was sung "there's a light…" and held newspapers over their heads during the rain scene. Kinda crazy, huh?

Well, for those of you who never experienced it, I can tell you that for a high school kid it was actually pretty fun. Embarrassingly enough I think I went to see "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" every Friday and Saturday night for a little over a year. And while I was never part of the 'floor show' as it were… they did have a costume contest that I entered. I was going to dress as Eddie (Meatloaf), the doomed biker friend of Columbia. (Keep in mind that at this point I'm assuming you HAVE seen it…) Well, as luck would have it, my dear mother had seen the film ONCE, just to see what I was doing with my weekend. As odd as it was, she loved it, but suggested strongly that I should dress up as Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), the main character… and cross-dresser. So I listened to her sage advice and dressed in a black corset, stockings, high heels, a huge pearl necklace, etc… and won the contest. Twisted as might be sometimes, I never doubted her advice after that.

Anyhow, now that I've strayed way off the subject, I'll try and segue back. "The Rocky horror Picture Show" was so popular that writer/actor Richard O'Brien teamed back up with director Jim Sharman to create a 'sequel' of sorts. They came up with "Shock Treatment." Now, the only reason it was ever considered a sequel was because the two protagonists from "Rocky Horror", Brad & Janet Weiss were brought back to endure yet another outlandish adventure. Only this time instead of fighting cross-dressing aliens from the planet Transylvania, they were up against an unscrupulous businessman who turned their hometown of Denton, USA into a giant TV studio in order to brainwash the townsfolk.

But that wasn't the only change, Brad & Janet were originally played by Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, but in "Shock Treatment" they were replaced by Cliff DeYoung and Jessica Harper. However the rest of the main cast was filled by "Rocky Horror" actors Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell and Charles Gray… just playing new characters. Like "Rocky Horror", "Shock Treatment" was a musical, but unfortunately the music wasn't quite as catchy and it never quite became as huge a cult hit. There are fan clubs out there, but where most people have at least of heard of "Rocky Horror", I know of few who have heard of "Shock Treatment." Personally, I think it was every bit as creatively silly but lacked the charm of its predecessor.

Still, it is quite enjoyable and I'm glad to see someone taking the time to put it out on DVD. Previously, it was only available on VHS and that version was horrible. This new DVD boasts a terrific transfer and I don’t remember it ever looking or sounding so good. The colors in the movie are very loud and garish and they all look superb. The 5.1 Surround Sound enhancement doesn't make the film sound like a blockbuster, but it does sweeten it quite a bit.

What surprised me though was that Fox actually took the time to put together some great special features, including a commentary by the presidents of the official fan club, Mad Man Mike and Bill Brennan. It's obvious the pair really love the film and they have an encyclopedic knowledge of it which they are not afraid to share. It’s a fun commentary to listen to because you can tell they are having so much fun doing it. Fox also included a 15 minute featurette on the making of the movie, complete with some newer interviews with quite a few members of the cast. This is followed up by a featurette on the music and two theatrical trailers.

Opinions differ as to whether or not "Shock Treatment" is better, worse or as good as "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", but if you like one you'll probably like the other.

Directed by: Jim Sharman
Starring: Jessica Harper, Cliff DeYoung, Patricia Quinn, Richard O'Brien, Charles Gray, Nell Campbell, Ruby Wax, Barry Humphries
Extras: Audio Commentary by Fan Club Presidents Mad Man Mike and Bill Brennan, A Shockumentary, Score Featurette, Theatrical Trailer, International Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 9/5/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Shock Treatment: 25th Anniversary Edition a B.