Videodrome

A solid wacky ride from the 1980s made by a madman, which plays homage to the VHS. That’s how I’d describe Videodrome in a nutshell. James Woods played his weirdo with so much passion that every time he goggled his eyes on the screen made me fear for my life, and every time some guts were spilled I felt incredible disgust. A solid horror movie in the vein of Carpenter’s The Thing, in comparable quality. (23/07/2019)

With some films, you simply have to be mature enough for them. When I watched Videodrome years ago, I didn't know what to make of it because its sexual aggression provoked me and I rejected it emotionally. In the meantime, I became acquainted with Cronenberg's subsequent work, especially eXistenZ, which excited me and is the logical culmination of Cronenberg's reflections on where society is heading. Returning to Videodrome, I'm giving it 2 additional stars, which is unprecedented for me. The director based the filming primarily on intellectual debates about the negative influence of television on the human psyche. Intellectuals criticized television broadcasting primarily for its lack of democracy, i.e., the fact that television content is only consumed by viewers and they allow themselves to be bothered and manipulated by garbage, when in fact, given the opportunity to choose, they would choose something valuable. If only they knew how things would develop in a few decades and that intellectuals wouldn't be able to help much with it. At the same time, there was a sexual revolution and various forms of fetishism and sexual practices were being discussed from A to Z. And finally, we have Cronenberg's persistent interest in biotechnology and bioethics. Mixed together, this interest created the provocative dark Videodrome. It's a fact that Cronenberg later worked with bigger budgets and his craftsmanship improved, but I still can't resist and I'm giving it 4 stars and an overall impression of 70%. (13/11/2020)

The film is violent and detailed, but also unnecessarily brittle and superficial, applying basic Cronenbergian clichés to its inherently interesting and schematically rich idea. In its time it may have been strongly timeless physical horror thanks to its direct depiction of taboo scenes and their symbolically destructive effects on the human psyche, nowadays, however, it’s a rather outdated presentation of 80’s genre hype with zero effect on the slightly more jaded viewer, whose unreadable plot still doesn't lose its impact, but the untapped potential of the hallucinogenic and severely depressing subject matter is felt more and more noticeably. (15/07/2016)

A very distinctive allegory of the psychological deformation and gradual destruction of a man affected by the sight of the greatest taboo. Videodrome could have been filmed in dozens of different ways. David Cronenberg chose the one that suits him best – bloody, repulsive, physically literal. Whether you accept his directorial language or not, there is one thing that you cannot deny – this film is stimulating, mysterious and maximally unpredictable, though it’s still not as captivating as his best works. (24/05/2003)

The film is interesting also because Deborah Harry appears in one of the main female roles here, perhaps better known as Debbie Harry, the lead singer of the band Blondie. And she looks good with dark hair too. Cronenberg succeeded with the film, it is a beautiful example of the influence media can have on us, how our brain connects with the images that are served to us daily, and we constantly want more and more and more. But we can never get enough. The final loop is proof of that. (22/11/2013)