Shock Treatment is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman and co-written by Sharman and Richard O’Brian. The film is a sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show and stars Jessica Harper, Cliff DeYoung, Richard O’Brian, and Patricia Quinn. The film takes place in the fictional town of Denton which is under the control of a television network. This means that the whole town’s population is involved in the network productions, were Brad finds himself imprisoned in the mental hospital as Janet becomes a local celebrity under the control of Farley Flavours the Man in charge of Denton. Shock Treatment is a satire on television, commenting on reality show celebrities and an audiences need for exploitation.
The film takes place in Denton a town that is entirely a TV show/station as is known as the home of happiness showcasing how much the media controls peoples lives. The first song in the film the Denton song is a satire small town American patriotism showcasing of TV manipulates and exploits the masses, through the town being a TV show it showcases how through reality TV the lien between fiction and reality is blurred switch leads to the exploitation of the masses. Farley flavours controls the town through the TV with his logo looking like a swastika further showing his dictator like control. From this the TV show becomes a constant part of their lives with Farley using Television to create a reality show celebrity for the masses to worship using audiences’ dependence on human exploitation for his own gain to become a dictator.
The people on the show are empty shells manipulated by the TV. The character of Bert hosts a show called Marriage Maze that Brad and Janet are on. They turn Janet against Brad and exploit them for reality TV and the audience. This shows how reality Tv manipulates people as Janet sends Brad off to treatment with the audience laughing. The song Bitchin in the kitchen showcases of TV and the media uses reality TV to exploit normal people’s problems such as Brad and Janet’s marriage problems as Brad is carted off like a mental patent. Janet then sings to the spectators blurring the line between media especially reality TV and its audience, as in Dentonvile the doctors are introduced like the intro to a TV show. Brad is meant to be taken away, but he doesn’t want to go so they inject him, and he faints, as Janet’s parents appear on reality TV answering questions. About Brad further showcasing the audience exploitation which is interrupted by an advert as they care more that they won a game show. Farley Flavours’ influence expands to all of Denton as he controls Dr Cosmo’s research, in the song In My Own Way. Janet reflects on her bad relationship with Brad showing that on one hand she loves him but on the other she doesn’t showcase the power of reality TV and the celebrities that are made on it. Janet’s mum is like a stage mum trying to push her into fame, as in a reality TV segment of the film called Happy homes Janet and her mum have a conversation that turns into a sitcom complete with product placement as the audience watch. This showcases how television is used to control people and create a new reality for them, this also predicts the rise of reality television as their lives have now become part of the entertainment broadcast, this also showcases how audiences wants to exploit humanity through the media to be used as entertainment as shown through reality TV.
Harry Janet’s dad is presented as a stereotypical American dad as well as presented as being racist and homophobic with the song Thank God I’m a Man being a satire of conversative traditional American men and values as well as being a satire of product placement, the film also shows Farley flavours being in control of everything form TV, to Food, To dental hygiene. Judge Oliver wants to bring down Falrey Flavours who has a monotony over the media and therefore the people as they want Janet to be the face of a new reality show turning normal people into celebrities. Within Denton everyone is fake, this is shown through Farley’s Song as Janet enters Farley’s studio where they manipulate her showing her a TV where Farley says his going to sell a fake cure for mental health using Janet as the face of the product. This showcases how big media companies control and miniplate everything by using people like Janet as a pretty face in advertising to sell and product they like. They end up manipulating Janet into believing Brad hats her and wants her to instead become a famous reality TV show celebrity, as everyone uses Janet as a commodity and trap her in a TVV set showcasing the power and television and trough a hyper reality TV celebrates can easily be manufactured. In the song Lullaby all the characters including Brad and Janet are shown living on the TV set as the relationships in the film are showcased to the public who also live and sleep there commenting on a sort of hyper reality TV, this is further illustrated with the song Little Black Dress as Dr Cosmo manipulates Janet into being on the show to control Denton creating a reality TV show celebrity.
The citizens of Denton live on the set showing how TV is their lives and Janet is transformed inro a reality TV star and local celebrity showcasing the power of the media to turn normal people into objects of desire. The Me of Me song Janet signs on TV before it becomes a stage show is about Janet’s vanity which comes along with her reality TV celebrity status which disrupts the power of Farley witch he doesn’t like as this artificiality is also shown with a fake factory. Janet has finished her transformation into a celebrity as she doesn’t care about Brad with her parents literally being written out of the film. Janet’s and Brads lives have become a reality TV show with Janet slipping into her vein celebrity persona and that she only cares about herself as Farley the one in charge of the media controls everything, with the song Shock Treatment being about how to cure Brad with extreme treatment and Janet embraces her celebrity status as the audience worships her. Janet doesn’t care about brad, like a reality television celebrity she just wants fame, fortune, power, and influence. She wants the audience that she hates to love her as the fame goes to her head as she demands a bigger crowd as shown with the song Look at Me. As this is going of Brads parents drug him and care more about their image then him and Janet doesn’t care about brad and only loves herself. Janet takes a journey through her mind as people manipulate her by telling her brad is manipulating her, which leads to the song Looking for Trade about Janet looking for fame and fortune and how she will ultimately trade brads love for it.
Janet is then made a superstar with her own groupies but acting as a cometary on stardom the film shows that this has destroyed her friendships with the song look what I did to my id about how people self-destroy their own minds to make it themselves. Janet is hounded by the press and the media as like a lot of stars she is given drugs to sedate her as the film gives a twist that Farley is Brads brother and their parents died. The song breaking out is performed as a meta song about Brads escape as Farley and the others talk about manipulating Janet to be used as an innocent face commenting on how these giant monopoly companies control celebrities and the publics vison of them. The film uses theory as a commodity to exploit people’s unhappiness as they want to use Janet as there pretty face to sell their worthless product. The TV that Janet appears on is called faith factory showcasing how people are manipulated to worship Janet as she is dubbed mas mental health again showcasing how companies exploit people’s problems with a pretty face, as her parents are proud, and everyone loves her showing the dangers of being a reality TV celebrity. Farley Flavours uses reality TV to exploit the masses with Janet being the face of it all. the climax of the film is presented with the song Dual Duet as they all burst in, and Brad and Farley meet face to face. Song explains that Farley wants to manipulate Janet as he sees Brad as a Looser, and Brad sees Farley as a monster they hate each other losing their family they both hate earth other with Farley having more intelligence but brad being a good person.
The doctors come into to try and control the situation and win over the cowed. At the end of the film Brad, Janet and their accomplices are kicked out as Farley ultimately wins. They now control people’s mental health through drugs as they get all Dentonvile hooked as a fast-food giant controls the mental health system and by extension everyone in Denton. Brad, Janet, and the doctors escape as they have their freedom and escape to the anyhow, anyhow song, as the Denton song also comes back showing that the citizens are under Farley’s control as Brad, Janet and the others escape.
Shock Treatment is a film showing the power that television and by extension the media has on people its ability to elevate and control normal people by making them celebrities and how this system profits and functions as a form of exploitation on the general public being its audience.
