[Nerd’s Pick]

No. Absolutely not. Why would you watch this? Why would you make this?

It comes as no surprise that Nerd was expecting me to deeply despise this movie on a cellular level, and I was vehemently pissed at him for choosing this for movie night knowing damn well we are required to watch whatever movie the Goblin chooses. It is well-known that I cannot stand overtly sexual content OR body horror, of which Videodrome is absolutely bursting at the seams. I did my part and sat on the couch during this entire movie, having to cover my eyes and ears several times while rocking back and forth and humming under my breath. Videodrome is a nearly-unforgivable slight inflicted upon me from a close friend against my will despite constant, desperate protests.

The central storyline of Videodrome is a smart, unique, and thought-provoking plot that Cronenberg has shamelessly mutilated and deformed with constant crude and obscene characters, visuals, and events. What could have been an unforgettable sci-fi conspiracy story was instead a gross, depraved, and far-too-sexual journey of a horrible little man into something somehow even worse than himself. Starting off with Max’s salacious taste in snuff films that he eagerly wants to push on his network to be edgy and different, then moving through a vile relationship between Max, Blondie, and the Videodrome, Max’s body begins to mutate and resemble the grotesque monster he is. He penetrates himself with a gun. He has sex with a TV. He whips a lady who turned into a box. All of these foul scenes and more are sprinkled throughout the story seemingly just to add shock value and controversy, perverting it and corrupting it. One might argue that this was the artistic vision, the point of the movie, but I simply do not care. Much like the snuff films Max becomes obsessed with, making this movie should be considered a crime.

Rating: 🗑️ CHUCK IT IN THE BIN!!!!!!!

My former roommates and I (known affectionately as Goblin House) had a regular movie night where we all got together to watch a movie one of us picked out. Many of these reviews came from a Goblin Movie Night, so they’ll be tagged with the nickname of the Goblin who picked the movie.