Videodrome (1983)

Videodrome (1983) — a lean, hallucinatory fuse of horror, sci‑fi and thriller — follows sleazy cable‑TV executive Max Renn as he chases ever more extreme programming and stumbles onto a pirate broadcast called “Videodrome.” What begins as a hunt for sensational content turns into a nightmarish unraveling: the show’s brutal, sexualized images appear to alter viewers’ brains and perception, dragging Max into a paranoid conspiracy that blurs the line between television and reality. The film is a slow‑burn descent into body and mind horror. Expect distorted, grainy television imagery, creeping paranoia, and grotesque practical effects as Max’s world and his body increasingly betray him. Characters like Nicki (his masochistic girlfriend), the media prophet Brian O’Blivion, and the underground technicians who supply rare footage all feed into a mounting sense that broadcast media can literally remap human experience. Watching Videodrome is an intense sensory experience: disquieting visuals, moments of graphic violence and sexual content, surreal, dreamlike sequences, and an escalating, claustrophobic atmosphere. The story works as both visceral shock and a dark satire about media consumption — it asks whether television creates our reality or merely reveals it, and how easily viewers can be manipulated. If you see this movie be prepared for unsettling, provocative material and moments of explicit body horror. It’s disturbing and thought‑provoking rather than comforting — a challenging, hallucinatory cautionary tale about technology, desire and control. Content warning: explicit sexual content, graphic violence and body‑horror imagery.

Actors: James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits

Director: David Cronenberg

Runtime: 87 min

Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

6.6 /10 58 /100 7.2 /10 6.5 /10