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Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)

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The Reincarnate (1971)

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Currently Watching

VIDEODROME David Cronenberg Canada, 1983

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Tem no youtube: Filme canadense de sobrevivência que quase ninguém conhece: "Rituais", de 1977

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Our Feature Presentation: "Videodrome"

Starring James Woods, Deborah Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky, Les Carlson, Jack Creley, Lynne Gorman, Julie Khaner, Reiner Schwarz, David Bolt and Lally Cadeau.

[Had to do at least one movie for spooky season. I went physical with this one and watched the new 4K remaster from the Criterion Collection. It's also available in HD via The Criterion Channel (along with the full extras package from the physical release) until at least the end of November 2023 or you can stream the film in HD on its own on Peacock.]

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Videodrome (1983)

No piece of art - whether it be a book, film, or dance number - could drive a person to commit violent acts unless they were already pre-dispositioned to do so. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if there was a television program so disturbing it could change the way you think? What if this made it so fascinating you couldn't look away? This is the idea David Cronenberg explores in Videodrome. Its fantastical scenario will cover your skin in goosebumps even before the body horror sets in.

President of CIVIC-TV Max Rent (James Woods) stumbles upon 'Videodrome', a television show which depicts the torture and murder of nameless victims. There’s no plot. The production costs must be minimal (though the product is surprisingly convincing). It’s vulgar, distasteful and fascinating. Believing it’s exactly the kind of program his audience will eat up, Max begins searching for the origin of 'Videodrome'.

As you can probably guess, 'Videodrome' is a sinister program and Max's pursuit only leads to bad things. The kind of horror our protagonist is stepping into is what you won’t be able to predict. Often, the film is just plain weird. As its protagonist gets increasingly consumed by 'Videodrome', he (and you) lose track of whether what he sees is true, or a hallucination. The further in we get, the more “reality” seems fake. There’s just no explaining what happens unless the grotesque visions are genuine and if that’s the case, we’ve just opened up a new kind of horror you’ve never seen before (except perhaps in other Cronenberg films).

The program is disturbing, the effect they have on Max’s psyche is too but most frightening of all is how other people react to 'Videodrome'. Nicki Brand (Debbie Harry) has an extreme reaction but you get the feeling Max’s initial hunch that audiences would gobble up the wanton display of violence is spot-on. That’s a scary thought in itself and when combined with the madness it seems to unleash, it’s not necessarily that you'll need to keep a light on when going to bed, but you will toss and turn mentally wondering “what if?”

This is an extremely stylish film. There’s no way you can forget (or un-see?) it. The special effects by Rick Baker are impressive for the <$6 million budget. Even if you can tell it’s latex and puppetry, the concepts will have you curling up in a ball and checking yourself for unwanted mutations. It’s perverted and gory - a nightmare made flesh. While watching, you’ll have no idea where it’s headed. The film is made in a way that it could end at any point and would leave you with chills.

Writer/director David Cronenberg entices the audience with all of these ideas about what the media means to those who watch it, how television (or any screen) distorts reality, what reality is and more. They make you want to watch Videodrome again so you can further analyze it. Wait. Isn’t that what Max was doing? Isn’t this what got him into this mess in the first place? Good thing Videodrome is all makeup and actors. Good thing it's not real. (On Blu-ray, July 3, 2020)

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James Woods and Debbie Harry in Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)

Cast: James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits, Peter Dvorsky, Leslie Carlson, Jack Creley, Lynne Gorman, Julie Khaner, Reiner Schwarz, David Bolt, Rena King. Screenplay: David Cronenberg. Cinematography: Mark Irwin. Art direction: Carol Spear. Film editing: Ronald Sanders. Music: Howard Shore. 

The menacing technology in Videodrome -- cathode ray tube TV sets, video cassettes (Betamax!), broadcast television -- looks antique and even quaint 40 years later. We worry today about the internet, smart phones, social media. But the root fear remains the same: extreme self-absorption, alienation, anomie. In that respect, David Cronenberg's fable has dated not at all. Partly that's because as a specialist in "body horror," Cronenberg, with the significant help of makeup artist Rick Baker, is able to translate psychological, even spiritual concerns into physical ones. The grotesque invasions of the body in Videodrome are treated as invasions of the soul. If I have reservations about the movie, it's that it too quickly pins the blame on television instead of exploring the root causes of the hunger for violence and violent sex that the medium exploits. It's like deploring consumerism while ignoring capitalism's encouragement of it. But that's another film entirely, or rather a whole bunch of films. 

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VIDEODROME

★★★★½

Year: 1983 Directed by: David Cronenberg Starring: James Woods, Sonja Smiths, Debbie Harry, Peter Dvorsky, Leslie Carlson, Jack Creley and Lynne Gorman Genre: Horror / Sci-fi / Mystery Duration: 88 mins (1h 28 min) Production: Guardian Trust Company / Filmplan International / Famous Players Limited

Making films about the future is no easy task, there are countless futuristic films out there, and most of them rely on the same plot. Nevertheless, this sci-fi horror 1983 film is kind of a look into what we are living nowadays.

Max Renn is the president of a trashy TV channel in Toronto and is in desperate need for a new program to attract viewers, as his programming consists of soft porn and violence.

While searching in a clandestine office that intercepts unauthorized broadcasting from around the globe, he comes across a bizarre tv show called “Videodrome”, dedicated exclusively to very graphic torture, which he finds very appealing. He tries to contact the director of the program but in the way, countless people, including his girlfriend, warn him to not go into that deep hole as there’s a rumor saying that everything that’s broadcast is real and it’s a program to fulfill the kinks of very important and powerful people. Max is determined to find out the truth but even with the warnings he’s surprised when he finds out what’s actually happening.

Directed by the one and only David Cronenberg, this is the first film to an unofficial trilogy, following “eXistenZ” (1999) and then “Crimes of the Future” (2022). All of them tell the story of how fast technology grows and what could happen if it were to replace mankind. This is fundamentally the essence of Cronenberg’s philosophy, he explores the mutation of self and human mind, as well as the language and worldviews. Its exploration of media's power to distort reality and its prescient commentary on the merging of man and machine resonate even more strongly in today's digital age. The film's influence can be seen in many subsequent works that deal with similar themes of media consumption and technology's impact on human identity.

He presents a narrative that is both a disturbing psychological thriller and a profound commentary on society's obsession with television and emerging technologies. He’s considered one of the most innovative figures of independent cinema of the 20th century and is also the “founder” of so-called biological horror.

This film is renowned for its groundbreaking special effects, which vividly bring Cronenberg's vision to life. The film's most iconic sequences—such as Max's merging with a pulsating TV screen and the emergence of a gun from his torso—are masterfully executed, combining practical effects and surreal imagery to create scenes that are as viscerally unsettling as they are visually captivating. These effects not only serve to shock but also to underscore the film's themes of bodily and psychological transformation.

As for the performances, James Woods delivers a riveting performance as Max Renn, capturing the character's descent from cynical curiosity into a nightmarish ordeal. Woods embodies Max's journey with an intensity that keeps the audience engaged, even as the narrative becomes increasingly surreal and disturbing. Debbie Harry, in a significant departure from her role as the lead singer of Blondie, portrays Nicki Brand, a radio host with a taste for the macabre. Her enigmatic presence adds another layer of intrigue and danger to the story, and her chemistry with Woods deepens the film’s exploration of desire and self-destruction.

"Videodrome" is a disturbing, thought-provoking masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling and visual effects. Its exploration of the darker side of technological advancement and media influence remains as relevant today as it was at the time of its release. With its chilling atmosphere, striking visuals, and compelling performances, is a must-see for fans of horror and science fiction, as well as anyone interested in the profound questions it raises about technology, media, and the nature of reality.

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Rituals

Peter Carter’s RITUALS (1977, Shudder, Amazon Prime), aka THE CREEPER, is trying hard to be Eugene O’Neill’s DELIVERANCE. It’s certainly got his tin ear for dialogue, but O’Neill brought the past up as a tactic where people might logically do so. Here, it comes out whenever writer Ian Sutherland feels like it — “I’m not following your plan to save our lives because you deserted your father.” — that sort of thing. A quintet of doctors is dropped off in the Canadian wilderness, where a wild man with a mad on against the medical profession torments and kills them. Hal Holbrook and the Canadian actors cast as his colleagues try hard, but there’s not much they can do with material that has them shouting recriminations at each other while they’re trying to escape the madman. There are a few interesting things about the film. Some of the deaths are only caused indirectly by the killer, and Holbrook accumulates a higher body count than the mostly unseen monster (played by the assistant director). One doctor’s injury renders him delirious, and his rantings about how to train a chimpanzee to salute are a surprising ostinato accompanying the other doctors’ attempts to get to safety. At one point, the survivors hit a stretch of land devastated by a forest fire. The rocky landscape seems like something out of Beckett. It’s visually powerful, as is the physical degradation of the doctors. It’s also interesting that one of the doctors is gay, and everybody knows it going in. And a bit of trivia: a small role is played by Jack Creley, an out Canadian actor who also was the voice of Thor in Marvel’s first superhero cartoons. Does that make Thor gay? That certainly would explain his Breck Girl golden tresses.

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Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983)

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The Reincarnate (1971) - VHS Cover

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Videodrome (1983)

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The Unforeseen

The Unforeseen was a anthology mystery series which aired from 1958 to 1960 and was seen in the UK on Granada television. Each episode was a short play covering the inexplicable, the supernatural, the occult or science fiction. Each episode had it’s own writer, director, and actors. It ran for two seasons (58 episodes). Across its run the likes of Barry Morse, Gillie Fenwick, Ivor Barry, George…

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