8) Videodrome
Sometimes it feels as though David Cronenberg directs his movies with a hundred different arms protruding from his one body. Not only do his projects seem to contain an abundance of different things happening in every corner of the screen, but they’re all often implemented in a weird, weird way. Videodrome is the epitome of the creepy-crawly cinema of Cronenberg: the sort of movie that’s gross on the surface but still manages to burrow its way into your brain with subtle, unsettling themes at the same time.
James Woods stars as an early 1980’s TV executive who discovers a plotless show called Videodrome that depicts mindless torture sequences. After deciding that he wants the show broadcasted on his network, he begins to uncover the world behind the evil programme – a world that blurs the line between television and reality.
The movie grows increasingly hallucinogenic and grotesque with each frame, eventually reaching a point where Woods is a thousand miles away from the character he was at the beginning of the movie. His charm and wit vanish behind a blank stare, and as Videodrome completes the last lap through a series of manic episodes, we as viewers are left looking very much the same way.
The sticky, gooey mutated flesh that’s evident in the likes of The Fly is on show in full force during Videodrome, which manages to come across as sort of campy yet revolting at the same time. One scene that can still be admired is the throbbing, exhaling television set, which morphs so vividly that at one point the screen appears to gulp up Woods’ own head.
The themes in Videodrome are quintessentially ’80’s on the surface, but all you need to do is take a look around at the world’s current climate to discover how relevant they are today. Several of the special-effects have worn way past their expiry date, but the concepts such as a human stomach opening up to create its very own human video player are still as unsettling and bizarre as ever. Again, like with many Cronenberg movies, you’re left with the film eating away at you; conflicted between wanting to applaud or curse the director for doing this to you yet again.
