Videodrome
Universal Pictures | Release Date: February 4, 1983
5.4
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 148 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
80
Mixed:
18
Negative:
50
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
9
thexpertoffilmFeb 23, 2014
While not all David Cronenburg's films can be considered masterpieces, this one certainly is. The special effects look disturbing even by today's standards. The story and acting are pretty good too. The only thing is lacks is a clear story.While not all David Cronenburg's films can be considered masterpieces, this one certainly is. The special effects look disturbing even by today's standards. The story and acting are pretty good too. The only thing is lacks is a clear story. While it leaves some of the plot to the viewer's imagination, it still is confusing. But this still is a great horror films that you should watch. Just not with your parents.… Expand
3 of 3 users found this helpful30
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7
ThefilmnerdJul 3, 2013
I saw it last night, and it was really interesting. The idea that snuff movies can make you get hallucinations, is interesting, and the speciel-effects is incredibly done by Rick Baker.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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7
Voodoo123Nov 2, 2022
Provocative psychological mystery thriller explores modern culture and the idea of indulgence and the effects of consuming content that impacts the human psyche as we seek to thrill and indulge ourselves. Fascinating visual effects withProvocative psychological mystery thriller explores modern culture and the idea of indulgence and the effects of consuming content that impacts the human psyche as we seek to thrill and indulge ourselves. Fascinating visual effects with cronenbergs trademark body horror imagery. The cast, production quality and soundtrack are excellent although some of its hasn't aged very well in 2022.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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7
kyle20ellisMar 22, 2022
David Cronenberg's films are technically very well made and while his films are very disturbing a good deal of his films also have either a dark or subtle wit, poignant emotion or even both. He is for me one of the most interesting and unlikeDavid Cronenberg's films are technically very well made and while his films are very disturbing a good deal of his films also have either a dark or subtle wit, poignant emotion or even both. He is for me one of the most interesting and unlike any other out there directors, despite being known for body horror and originating it his films are much more than that. All these are the reasons for my admiration and appreciation for him.

Will be honest in saying that 'Videodrome' is not quite one of my favourites of his, do much prefer the likes of 'Dead Ringers' and 'The Fly' and find that they are more accessible as films. It is still a very intriguing film that hits hard on the disturbance factor. Something of a transition film, with all the distinctive Cronenberg touches and themes but now exploring more ambitious concepts, on top of being one of his most disturbing 'Videodrome' is also one of his most personal and most complex.

'Videodrome's' weak links really are the story and pace in the latter stages. The story starts off very interesting and much of the film is unsettling in atmosphere, but in the latter stages it does start to unravel and the more it does the less sense it makes and more muddled it gets until the viewer is completely lost.

As the story unravels, the pace does too, meandering until it becomes exhausting when things get on the over-the-top side.

However, as always with Cronenberg, 'Videodrome' is a very accomplished looking film. It boasts some of the most startling imagery of any Cronenberg film (in a way that is both disturbing and also oddly beautiful), Cronenberg again showing his visual mastery even if the techniques became even more refined in his later work, as can be seen with 'The Fly' and 'Dead Ringers'. Howard Shore's, a Cronenberg regular, score is deeply haunting while also with a degree of emotion, not just going for full on horror but also the emotional core.

Script may not have as much dark wit or poignancy as other Cronenberg films, but it probes the mind at least and flows well. Much of the film is truly unnerving and makes one think twice about the future of media, the tension there frequently. Cronenberg directs with a typically adept touch. The characters carry 'Videodrome', Max is a sleazeball and is a meaty one at that. The acting is very good, with the driving force being James Woods giving a lead performance of true ferocity.

Overall, good if not one of my favourites of Cronenberg. 7/10… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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8
alejandro970Nov 11, 2018
One of well known organic-mental horror opus of David Cronenberg. Somehow is a critism of abusive media, with chilling score by Howard Shore and sequences that require steel stomach. Pay attention for Deborah Harry, vocalist of Blondie.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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7
billplanetJul 3, 2019
I watched this film many times after it was released but saw it again the other night for the first time in about 30 years. I was surprised to see how well it still holds up and was able to draw me into its story.

I wouldn't put this up withI watched this film many times after it was released but saw it again the other night for the first time in about 30 years. I was surprised to see how well it still holds up and was able to draw me into its story.

I wouldn't put this up with The Dead Zone, The Fly or Dead Ringers as far as execution goes, but the ideas and creepy vibe are prime Cronenberg. Rick Baker's effects work and the acting are top notch for the era.

Check this out if you want a disturbing (if a little dated), thought-provoking puzzle of a movie to watch.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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8
samcharlot123Mar 16, 2023
Cronenberg's best work, I believe. Maybe Naked Lunch has it beat. Very disturbing and touching on taboo subject matter. Some images in the film are hard to watch, but I'm sure Cronenberg wanted to disgust the audience so they cannot want thisCronenberg's best work, I believe. Maybe Naked Lunch has it beat. Very disturbing and touching on taboo subject matter. Some images in the film are hard to watch, but I'm sure Cronenberg wanted to disgust the audience so they cannot want this type of stuff in reality. A truly terrifying movie. James Woods is great. My only issue is that the film is only 1 hour 30 minutes. I could've watch the story unfolds for a little longer.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
troubador127Sep 24, 2013
I first saw this movie about 5 years ago, and I find something new about it each year when I watch it again in the fall. Creepy, and makes you question everything.
4 of 5 users found this helpful41
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6
VerbalCantJul 9, 2012
Some food for thought, but not as much as I had hoped. Continually strives to take the plot where you're not expecting, which is meritorious, but unfulfilling. Falls short of greatness, and has dated badly. The future turned out to be a wholeSome food for thought, but not as much as I had hoped. Continually strives to take the plot where you're not expecting, which is meritorious, but unfulfilling. Falls short of greatness, and has dated badly. The future turned out to be a whole lot worse than even David C could imagine.… Expand
4 of 6 users found this helpful42
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8
SpangleSep 28, 2016
Touching on ideas that director David Cronenberg would later bring back again in a different way in eXistenZ such as alternate realities, flesh guns, and being plugged in/controlled through your body. Showcasing significant paranoia aboutTouching on ideas that director David Cronenberg would later bring back again in a different way in eXistenZ such as alternate realities, flesh guns, and being plugged in/controlled through your body. Showcasing significant paranoia about cults, the government, and new technology, Videodrome is a truly unique and thoroughly Cronenberg (read: weird) experience. Packed to the brim with his trademark body horror, this one is quite a ride.

As with his later exercises in eXistenZ, Videodrome showcases oddly solid special effects that seem so real that you could reach out and touch the torso vagina bursting out of Max Renn (James Woods). Many Cronenberg films have these oddly realistic looking body horror sequences that never seem comical, but downright horrifying. The Fly had a lot of these elements as well and it really demonstrates Cronenberg's wheelhouse. He knows body horror better than anybody and he is not afraid to showcase his skill in this arena. In spite of his manipulation of the reality around us and within his typically realistic settings, the films always feel so horrifically real. Though exaggerations of the world around us, films such as Videodrome often mirror seedy elements of our world and bring them to us in a thoroughly visceral manner. While things such as those depicted in this film would not happen, some form of them certainly does (namely cults, non-literal mind control, snuff films, and the "subterrainian market"). Cronenberg has a knack for bringing these elements to the forefront of our mind and is truly horrifying.

The film's usage of alternate realities is also splendid as, once the concept is introduced, you can never truly be sure what is a hallucination. Hell, everything could be. Is there even a show called Videodrome or is Max Renn just psychotic? How much of this happened? Did he ever actually meet Nicki Brand (Debbie Harry) and others? There are so many possibilities and this is a prime example of how Cronenberg can mess with your mind. He not only distorts reality through his realistic settings and people juxtaposed against his body horror and unique special effects, but also through alternate timelines. Things that seem so real to Max appear to have been nothing but another hallucination. However, things can certainly go in the reverse and things that appear to be hallucinations could easily be reality. Things he imagined he hallucinated could have truly happened and the hallucination merely convinces him they did not. Weird, I know.

Cronenberg's toying with killing in the name of some movement or cult is another link one can draw to his later film eXistenZ (and I am sure others, that one just happens to be one I watched). In both films, characters kill people in the name of some movement. Here, Cronenberg makes it all the more horrifying by showing that everybody is playing for the same team and is truly being played, as we will soon all be under the control of "Videodrome". This paranoia runs rampant throughout the film as one must one is Cronenberg keeps himself up at night wondering if he is under the control of some mysterious cult that is just waiting for the right moment to use him to further their goals. Poor guy. As it stands, he certainly has me paranoid after watching Videodrome. This film is dripping with paranoia in every shot, especially due to the acting of James Woods. An incredibly natural, everyman type actor (in spite of his clearly negative characterization, he seems relatively normal), his persona really brings a further level of horror to Videodrome. The paranoia he experiences and the violence he is forced to undergo feels so close to us, which makes it all the creepier.

As a whole, Videodrome is a very good body horror film from the master of the subgenre. Gleefully messing with our mind and our concepts of what can and cannot be real in the world and in film, this one showcases all that Cronenberg does well as a director. With significant paranoia, fear, and confusion in every sequence, you simply never know where everyone stands and what is actually occurring, which truly adds to the horror of it all.… Expand
2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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7
Meth-dudeApr 30, 2018
With great acting performances, impressive practical effects, an original and interesting story and a very good ending, Videodrome more than earned it's title as a cult classic.
2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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10
moviescriticnetDec 8, 2015
This is probably David Cronenberg's best movie. Extremely underrated and well ahead of it's time, it could have easily been a book written by William Burroughs or James Ballard.
The thematic of this post-modern masterpiece is once again theThis is probably David Cronenberg's best movie. Extremely underrated and well ahead of it's time, it could have easily been a book written by William Burroughs or James Ballard.
The thematic of this post-modern masterpiece is once again the classic Cronenberg obsession with the ways technology completely transforms the human body and soul (and vice versa). Do not mind the cheesy trailer (80s) and don't miss the opportunity to enter the Cronenberg universe in it's most complete form. Long live the new flesh!… Expand
2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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9
monkeybrainspitFeb 14, 2011
If you fiend for a perfect balance of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Videodrome delivers.

"Civic TV. The one you take to bed with you." are the first words blaring out of the television in Max Renn's apartment - seeming to take the quote almostIf you fiend for a perfect balance of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Videodrome delivers.

"Civic TV. The one you take to bed with you." are the first words blaring out of the television in Max Renn's apartment - seeming to take the quote almost literally. Max runs a TV channel during the day and seems like he doesn't get much of a break from his duties at home.

Max Renn, played by the legendary James Woods, is always on the lookout for new cheap erotic thrills to broadcast on his channel and finds what he is looking for when he is called by an employee to view a transmission for a show called "Videodrome".

Obsessed with trying to get the series on his channel, Max inadvertently reels in his girlfriend Nikki Brand (Deborah Harry) to it's bizarre sado-masochistic wonders and is caught between his want to know more and his fear in its meaning.

Direction: 8/10 (David Cronenberg keeps pace with our emotions and intrigue as he draws us in)
Cinematography: 10/10 (Mark Irwin keeps Videodrome seeping out of our TVs for the duration)
Editing: 8/10 (Roland Sanders delivers once again, as he did with the Fly, intensifying every shot)
Acting: 8/10 (James Woods gets help from great performances by Peter Dvorsky and Sonja Smits)
Dialogue: 9/10 (Most of the time Cronenberg's script just wants to get straight to the point)
Sound: 9/10 (Michael Jay does a great mix-down of all the elements and keeps them in-tact)
Effects: 10/10 (Rick Baker, involved in "American Werewolf...",makes part of a uniquely creative team)
Art Direction: 10/10 (Carol Spier authenticates Videodrome's creepiness with matching sets) Costumes: 10/10 (Delphine White makes it all work with simple 80s fashion and a touch of bad)
Music and/or Score: 10/10 (I'm looking for more of Howard Shore's work after hearing the main theme)

Total Score: 92/100

The cast was well chosen and, surprisingly, suits James Woods perfectly.
It really is an enjoyable experience and doesn't bore you with too much dialogue or cheap scares.
So prepare to get your Fantasy/Sci-Fi fix and let Videodrome into your mind's eye. Long live the flesh!… Expand
2 of 4 users found this helpful22
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8
MattBrady99Oct 31, 2017
"Death to Videodrome! Long live the new flesh!"

David Cronenberg is an unpredictable force that even after watching most of his films, you still don't get use to the usual trademarks. In "Videodrome", he focus on what viewers enjoy the most"Death to Videodrome! Long live the new flesh!"

David Cronenberg is an unpredictable force that even after watching most of his films, you still don't get use to the usual trademarks. In "Videodrome", he focus on what viewers enjoy the most in entertainment. Sex in romance, violence in horror, and the mystery that drives the plot forward. He sometimes knows us too well, it's scary.

Even after it's over the movie leaves you questioning and having this dark impression on you. Everything is f**ked up and you can't help to look on. TV messes up the mind, but movies can make you maniacs.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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0
FortifierJan 25, 2017
What the hell is this crap?!

I get it; the film is portraying a strong and important message of the dangers and perversions of mass media as well as the corrupt perversions of humanity, but you really don't need to show explicit hardcoreWhat the hell is this crap?!

I get it; the film is portraying a strong and important message of the dangers and perversions of mass media as well as the corrupt perversions of humanity, but you really don't need to show explicit hardcore pornography and straight-up torture half the time just to get the point across!

What sickens me even more is that people actually find this film enjoyable! What is wrong with you people?!… Expand
1 of 10 users found this helpful19
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10
AdamA.Sep 26, 2007
One of the coolest movies ever. Classic Cronenberg. Creepy and original. I compare it to Halloween...this movie keeps your eyes wide open the whole way through.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
BlancoA.Oct 28, 2005
Death to Videodrome! Long live the new flesh! (Great freakin' movie).
0 of 1 users found this helpful
3
gracjanskiFeb 12, 2021
very weird movie, so dont use your logic, because the story doesnt make much sense and is even ridiculous. Only the beginning was a bit interesting. The gore and visual effects are outdated.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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1
BroyaxJun 6, 2018
C'est la période Kro par pack de 6 de David Kronenberg, affectueusement surnommé le Kronenbourg du cinéma de série B parce qu'il en faisait des tonnes à l'époque et qu'il s'est (heureusement) quelque assagi par la suite. Bref, il en faisaitC'est la période Kro par pack de 6 de David Kronenberg, affectueusement surnommé le Kronenbourg du cinéma de série B parce qu'il en faisait des tonnes à l'époque et qu'il s'est (heureusement) quelque assagi par la suite. Bref, il en faisait Kro.

Cela dit, Videokrome, Videodrome pardon est à même de flatter les fanas de gore et d'effets bien crades de ce cinéma de genre entre le fantastique et le bizarre, le glauque et le surréalisme avec un James Woods déjà très convaincant à ses débuts. Ce qui est sûr, c'est que David n'aime pas la télé et encore moins les magnétoscopes. A moins qu'il n'ait pas compris le mode d'emploi : David, les cassettes, on ne les met pas dans le bide et la tête, on ne la met pas dans la télé.

Mais je crois qu'il n'a toujours pas réussi -à cette époque du moins- à se sortir la tête du fond du cul, d'où ce salmigondis peu ragoûtant en guise de film, incohérent, complètement taré et de bien mauvais goût. Ce bordel ambulant est du reste assez court, ce qui constitue une qualité certaine. Mais même après plusieurs bières, je n'ai pas trouvé ça drôle, y compris au 5ème degré.… Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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7
imthenoobFeb 19, 2020
The so-so story is bailed out by solid acting from the cast and amazing special effects that remain top-notch to this day. Videodrome certainly isn't for everyone but it is an oddly underrated movie here on Metacritic.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
MirrormantizJun 6, 2022
One of the greatest horrorfilms ever, story is still ahead of it's time. Be preparedfor deep stuff with subliminal messages and truth about human behaviour than just a movie to watch.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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