Videodrome (1983) : A Review

I have come across this movie many a times in the past, but I always for some reason have given it a miss. But after seeing so many blogs placing this movie in their best-of-horror list (for the Halloween season), I decided to give it a try.

The movie starts with Max Renn - the president of a controversial TV channel "Channel 83" that airs shows on porn and violence - coming across a transmission of a violent snuff-video called Videodrome. The video captures Max's attention for its grotesque and realistic nature and he shows interest in purchasing it for his channel. This leads him to Prof. Brian Oblivion who believes that television has the power to alter the reality of its viewers. O'blivion's recordings make Max realize that Videodrome is not an act but rather a real torture video which induces a tumor in the brain of those who watch it and eventually causes hallucinations. He himself starts hallucinating about his abdomen splitting open, the TV getting alive and inviting him, etc. From then starts a surreal journey of Max trying to uncover the mystery of Videodrome.

Writer/Director David Cronenberg very effectively conveys the idea of the television's extreme power to manipulate the thoughts of the viewers. And people finding even real violence to be entertaining, shows how adversely the medium is affecting the audience. James Woods is natural to the core and comes up with a faultless performance. Only other movie in which he has done so well is "Once upon a time in America". The make up and special effects are excellently done, especially in the scenes where Max's abdomen splits open and where the gun merges his hand.

Do not expect a hard core horror, which it is not. Rather, expect a thought provoking, surrealistic sci-fi that would leave you thinking long after the movie ends.

The movie has quite a few quotable quotes which explain the philosophy behind Videodrome.

"Telivision screen is the retina of the mind's eye and it is a part of the physical structure of the brain. Therefore whatever appears on the television screen emerges as a raw experience for those who are watching. Therefore television is reality and reality is less than television."

"The visions cause the tumor and not the reverse. The visions coalesce and become flesh. The tumor removed was called Videodrome."

IMDB Page
Trailer

Rated