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Videodrome

Play trailer Poster for Videodrome R 1983 1h 30m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
83% Tomatometer 59 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.

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Videodrome

Videodrome

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Critics Consensus

Visually audacious, disorienting, and just plain weird, Videodrome's musings on technology, entertainment, and politics still feel fresh today.

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Critics Reviews

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Gary Arnold Washington Post 08/04/2015
Simultaneously stupefying and boring, Videodrome is too extreme a blunder to survive exposure to a justifiably disillusioned horror-movie public. Go to Full Review
Variety Staff Variety 06/06/2007
Film is dotted with video jargon and ideology which proves more fascinating than distancing. And Cronenberg amplifies the freaky situation with a series of stunning visual effects. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 06/06/2007
Never coherent and frequently pretentious, the film remains an audacious attempt to place obsessive personal images before a popular audience -- a kind of Kenneth Anger version of Star Wars. Go to Full Review
Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel Oct 28
4.5/5
We may not consume media by sticking a thing in a slot anymore, but in many ways, Videodrome is more relevant than ever. Especially in the idea of screens being more real to us than reality, and the way that devices mutate our humanity. Go to Full Review
Joshua Stevens Loud and Clear Reviews Jun 12
Videodrome should be considered one of the auteur’s most idiosyncratic works, but it elevates itself into “classic” territory because of its timeless, pessimistic message about the consequences of addiction. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 05/12/2025
3/5
…contains themes of male alienation and societal disconnection that Cronenberg explored far more fully in The Fly and Dead Ringers, but it’s still worth a look today as a key film in Cronenberg’s development from an indie provocateur to a studio maverick… Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Brent 06/23/2022 A Cronenberg Masterpiece See more Shawn R @satiable 3d The all time best work from Cronenberg.. long live the new flesh. See more thiago S @Thiagostone Mar 19 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Jerod S @jeroduptown Feb 17 Videodrome's premise is that video (VHS, to be exact) is going to be the new way to control minds. It's weird as heck and doesn't really work. See more Nick T. @Waveycave Dec 26 In spite of James Wood; a great movie. See more Ryan P @RT25602761 Nov 16 Videodrome is a horror/Sci-fi movie first screened in 1983 and was directed by David Cronenberg. Now if the name "Cronenberg" rings any bells, you’ll remember it’s a term often used for body-like types of horror. The term originates from this film and was impactful enough to make the name "Cronenberg" a term for human body horror. But let’s put aside Cronenberg’s impact on the entertainment industry for a moment and observe more in depth of the film that bought itself its own term. The beginning of the film happens to be slightly disturbing, as its main character is centered around the adult entertainment industry in the 1980s. As the plot continues to unfold, it slowly and dramatically transitions away from a story we were expecting to a new and horrifying one. It’s not just a film with visual horrors behind the screens but one with a mystery to unfold that made watching the movie interesting as a whole. However, it drops off somewhere in the middle and towards the high point of the film. The plot was still rich but it was surprisingly boring around that particular time period. Of course, it could be the lack of horror visuals in the middle but it was mostly the execution of the plot or events that led up to the conclusion. In addition, it also gets complex without much of an explanation, which gives a different impression of the film rather than being horrified. Some of the people I reviewed it with at the time, mentioned they were frustrated/confused from their interpretations of the film. In terms of recommendations, Videodrome is a must-watch for any horror genre enthusiast. While the film is not completely perfect, they can brush it aside for the film's specialties in its visual effects. If it does intend to be in your watch list, it’s best to have an open mind to the film and have your own interpretations. It’ll not only make the movie less complex but you can reflect on it with a newer perspective today than what most critics saw back then, such as our attachments to digital screens. Horrifying, right? See more Read all reviews
Videodrome

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Movie Info

Synopsis As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.
Director
David Cronenberg
Producer
Claude Héroux
Screenwriter
David Cronenberg
Distributor
Criterion Collection, Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 28, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Mono, Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)