Videodrome

When Cronenberg made this movie he said he didn't know why he made it and that he gave it no discernibly obvious meaning. It isn't a horror movie though it contains horror, it isn't sci-fi though there is science based fiction. It is a strange and unique ride into the mind of a filmmaker. This films incorporates S&M, snuff video, psychotic hallucinations which can be induced through the television and behind it all is the archetypal villain universally known as 'the man' Empirically this is Alice in Wonderland except wonderland is now tv land and people who enter are turned into psycho assassins James Woods is the tv producer looking for the next big thing and he turns to the darker side only to find he has become one of these corporate killing machines. Where the film excels is in the depiction of how the hallucinations manifest and control Woods creating very unsettling imagery. They can't and would never try to make a movie like this anymore, aside from the fact this type of film would never be a financial success the appetite to think outside of the box is gone and we are left with 'final destination' and 'saw' and similar, all devoid of imagination, these films are the empty calories of the movie world whereas videodrome is almost artistic in comparison.

Winning combination of startling and gruesome special effects (all the more impressive given its age) and dystopian philosophising about TV's power to influence. James Woods is at his twitchy best and Debbie Harry does a great dead-eyed femme fatale. Definitely worth watching if you're a fan of Cronenberg's work or '80s sci-fi horror like The Thing.

Ever since watching 'A History of Violence' and 'Eastern Promises' I have become a fan of Cronenberg. Now I am in the process of watching all his older movies.

This film features all of Cronenberg's main themes: psychosis, sexual deviancy, and body horror. It also includes a strong performance from James Woods.

David Cronenberg, along with David Lynch, makes horror movies for people who like to think!

If you like this film I would also strongly recommend you also watch Cronenberg's 'Dead Ringers'.

Apart from the appearance of the delightful Debbie Harry this slow-moving and unrealistic piece of early 80s experimentation is barely watchable. No doubt there are technical and stylistic tricks which give the movie credibility (to avid film students and assorted buffs), but if you want story, even some decent dialogue, you'll be disappointed. I ended up ironing shirts with half an eye on the screen.