That was an excellent one.

Simply A Masterpiece

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This stunning film, grim and graphic at nearly every turn, is an incredible early work by David Cronenberg when he was still into his "body horror" cycle. ("The Dead Zone", done the same year, broke him free for a moment.) James Woods delivers an amiable performance as Max Renn, operator / part owner of a small time cable TV station. He's looking for edgy new programming, and his employee Harlan (Peter Dvorsky) shows him the pirated transmissions of a hideous series dubbed "Videodrome". There are no stories to speak of, it's just straight-ahead torture and degradation. Well, as it turns out, viewing Videodrome causes freaky and strikingly violent hallucinations for just about anybody.Taking a journey into the worlds of David Cronenberg is always interesting, if nothing else. And "interesting" is never a bad quality to possess. Some people may wince at the effects sequences in these early movies, but they are evidence of the way that Cronenberg could often appeal to adult intellects as well as affect them at gut level.Here, he hypothesizes that television and technology are so ingrained into human experience and existence that they can become part of our physical makeup, so to speak. His themes are prophetic; "Videodrome" could be seen as a way-ahead-of-the-game forerunner to the "torture porn" sub genre that exploded in the 21st century. And the desire for some networks and stations to try to draw people in with entertainment that they can't get anywhere else has remained relevant over the decades.Approximately 35 years later, the wonderfully gross Rick Baker effects lose none of their power to amaze. This viewer was particuarly delighted by the pulsating videotape and television set, and by that "flesh gun" that results when a regular gun is fused into Max's body.Cinematographer Mark Irwin and composer Howard Shore do typically excellent work. This is also a nice showcase for a solid cast: Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry (the Blondie singer looks VIVACIOUS, and is intriguing as an enigmatic woman who gets off on physical pain), Lynne Gorman, Jack Creley, Dvorsky, and Les Carlson as Barry Convex, the villain of the piece.After all this time, the new flesh is still living a very long life.Eight out of 10.

Wow! After the highs of Scanners, Cronenberg delivers a much different movie in which Baker's special effects merely complement the story. It's certainly one of Cronenberg's weirdest movies, considering that it involves kinky sex, bizarre hallucinations, and a national conspiracy to control the public. Yet these factors and more combine to make VIDEODROME a unique, compelling, and ultimately disturbing movie with a wonderful premise.James Woods is on top form once again (does this man ever give a bad performance?) as the seedy boss of a cable show who's always looking for new kicks. In this day and age, softcore pornography isn't enough and Woods wants something harder. Into his life comes the alluring Debbie Harry, who seduces him by stubbing out a cigarette on her breast. However, soon she is gone again and Woods is left alone in his apartment to become obsessed and hypnotised by the disturbing video tapes he has in his possession.The first notable special effect shows a video cassette pulsating and is completely shocking and unexpected. Things get more and more elaborate from here. Woods' television set becomes a living, breathing organism and he manages to stick his head through the screen before waking up the next morning, his mind a mess. Throughout the film, wilder things happen, like Woods sticking a gun and then a tape into a cavity in his stomach. In the end it turns out that it's all part of a plan for public domination and that Woods is a test subject.There are some great characters in this film to support the excellent Woods in his lead. I especially liked Brian O'Blivion, a character who communicates only through the television screen. Elsewhere we have a nerdish associate of Woods, a pushy secretary, and the creepy proprietor of the show. Things culminate in some astonishing bloody scenes at the end which are often jaw-dropping. Seen today, Cronenberg's film seems quite prophetic in detailing how television can be used to control a nation and the importance it plays in our lives. The idea is sound and if viewers can get over the abstract, complex nature of the film then I'm sure they'll find themselves enjoying it. VIDEODROME is certainly a clever, shocking and disturbing horror movie with an original idea and fine execution from the master of the grotesque.

Protagonist Max Renn runs the sleazy Channel 83 in Toronto and is constantly on the lookout for the next thing. Then one of his employees shows him something strange; a satellite broadcast known as Videodrome that appears to show torture and murder. At first they can only lock onto the signal for a minute and believe it is being broadcast from Malaysia… later they learn it is actually coming from Pittsburgh! Soon after he first sees Videodrome he starts to hallucinate and from then on it is hard to know what is real and what he is imagining. In what follows we see a strange opening appear in Max's abdomen; he later inserts Betamax tapes into this slot. He investigates the company behind Videodrome and learns that it is a plot to effect everybody… will he be turned into their pawn or will he destroy Videodrome?This is definitely a very strange film; indeed for much of the time we don't know if what we are seeing is actually what is happening or if it is just part of the hallucination; in fact there are parts that look as if they are meant to be real but we are later told weren't… of course there is no way of knowing if that later information is real or not! It might sound very confusing but it isn't… it almost doesn't matter if what we see is meant to be real… that is the point of Videodrome. While there are only a few scenes that would qualify as a bit gross there are several disturbing moments. The pre-CGI special effects are impressive and add to the films strangeness… most notably the strange slot that appears in Max's abdomen and the way a gun fuses to his hand and becomes part of him. James Woods does a fine job portraying Max Renn as things get weirder and weirder; making us believe that the character believes in what he is happening to him. Overall I'd certainly recommend this film if only for its weirdness; there are some disturbing moments but nothing that is likely so offend horror fans.

Videodrome doesn't have the same well-written characters that The Fly (1986) did but it still has the power to draw us in due to its disturbing visuals and great themes.After a television executive searches for an intense new program for his TV network, he discovers a VHS tape called "Videodrome" which causes him to undergo a series of bizarre hallucinations.Sometimes, this movie becomes too disgusting to watch (which is a good thing) and for good reasons too because the visuals are very disturbing and well-done. The movie tends to surprise us with its visuals too when we're least expecting it which makes its scenes work even better.This also has great acting from James Woods. All of the other actors were great too but James Woods was really the only one who I felt stood out in the movie. However, his great performance was enough to carry the movie.This movie has a chilling message which becomes more powerful today seeing as how technology keeps on advancing which leads to explicit and graphic entertainment rise.This is still a great movie but I feel that The Fly is a better movie than this. The reason I think so is because The Fly contained well-written characters. I couldn't really connect with Max Renn as I did with Seth Brundle. However, this shouldn't bother you too much if you don't mind lack of character development. However, this is why I feel that The Fly is a little better.In conclusion, this is a disturbing movie which contains a deep message. It gives audiences some disturbing things to think about. This is an amazing movie and all. I just think that The Fly is better because of its character development. However, you should still see this one too.