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Oct 17, 2017jimg2000 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Saw this movie in a “Cult Movies” list from The Seattle Public library: https://sccl.bibliocommons.com/list/share/75166733_chricelle/217290416_cult_movies_-_part_1 and attracted by Cronenberg’s many other works that I enjoyed (Naked Lunch, Crash, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, Maps to the Stars …etc.) Watched the entire film and a few scenes twice. Also read the “Production Notes” in special features as well. But still find the sci-fi concepts confusing or unrealistic, “horror” scenes just weird (see note) and the retina helmet, which could alter human mind and body, low tech (more advanced version of Oculus VR/ Google Glass.) Must be groundbreaking and scary in 1982 when the film was released (in perspective, IBM Personal Computer launched the Personal Compute in 1981) but average in all aspects today. Note (quote from “Production Notes”): Because Cronenberg is perhaps best known for the exploding heads in "Scanners," any mention of "altering" in his movies conjures up images of very bizarre occurrences. Videodrome lives up to expectations, but Cronenberg is quick to point out that, no matter how critical special effects are to the movie, they are absolutely not what it is about. In fact, he says, "I deliberately de-emphasized those elements. It's got a very seedy look to it, not high-tech at all. It's not an action picture, like 'Scanners.' Like 'The Brood,' it's a character study in the horror genre, although it does take a couple of extreme turns."