critics consensus

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

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Videodrome Photos

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Movie Info

As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn (James Woods) 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 (Deborah Harry) 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.

Rating:

R
Genre:

horror
Original Language:

English
Director:

David Cronenberg
Producer:

Claude Héroux
Writer:

David Cronenberg
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 19, 2016
Runtime:

1h 30m
Production Co:

Universal Pictures
Sound Mix:

Mono, Stereo
Aspect Ratio:

Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

James Woods
Max Renn

Deborah Harry
Nicki Brand

Sonja Smits
Bianca O'Blivion

Peter Dvorsky
Harlan

Les Carlson
Barry Convex

Jack Creley
Brian O'Blivion

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Critic Reviews for Videodrome

All Critics (51) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (11)

Simultaneously stupefying and boring, Videodrome is too extreme a blunder to survive exposure to a justifiably disillusioned horror-movie public.

August 4, 2015 | Full Review…

Gary Arnold
Washington Post
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.

June 6, 2007 | Full Review…

Variety Staff
Variety
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.

June 6, 2007 | Full Review…

Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
There are distinct signs of strain in the plot convolutions, not least in the spectator's loss of faith over indiscriminate and cheating use of hallucination; what certainly survives is Cronenberg's wholesale disgust with the world in general.

January 26, 2006 | Full Review…

Chris Peachment
Time Out
Though Videodrome finally grows grotesque and a little confused, it begins very well and sustains its cleverness for a long while.

August 30, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/5

Janet Maslin
New York Times
On a line starting with quality and ending with incompetence.

April 17, 2001 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Michael Thomson
BBC.com
...a decidedly oddball premise that's employed to initially intriguing yet ultimately interminable effect...

December 18, 2020 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Everything in 'Videodrome' calls for the viewer seduced by the film's proposal to irretrievably surrender to its overwhelming visual personality. [Full Review in Spanish]

April 24, 2020 | Full Review…

Sergio Benítez
Espinof
"Videodrome" is a radical look at the deep-web, YouTube, screen addiction and the increasingly violent state of movies at a time when such subjects weren't up for cultural debate.

June 11, 2019 | Full Review…

Asher Luberto
culturevulture.net
Videodrome shows us a world of our making should we continue a dangerous relationship with media, its various mediums, the images it puts into our brains.

May 6, 2019 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

C.H. Newell
Father Son Holy Gore
It's hard to overstate how premonitory David Cronenberg's masterpiece turned out to be.

March 4, 2019 | Full Review…

Sean Fennessey
The Ringer
...envisions a coming world of authoritarian entertainment.

January 30, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm

View All Critic Reviews (51)

Audience Reviews for Videodrome

Jun 26, 2016

I love the practical FX, I still don't know how David Cronenberg made it but I have to say, good acting, best animation sequences.

Film C Super Reviewer
Jun 03, 2016

"I don't get it..." "Don't worry about it." "So it's been a hallucination since the beginning?" "Don't worry about it." "I'm totally lost, can you explain it?" "Don't worry about it."

Gimly M Super Reviewer
Jan 15, 2015

Consider Videodrome to be the first cut of Existenz. A lot of the same themes are here and Cronenberg had more money and chops to do something better with that film. We have a lot here however that is memorable. I do realize that Cronenberg loves the gore but I do have to admit that a lot of it is unnecessary for telling this tale.

John B Super Reviewer
Jun 26, 2013

A truly fascinatingly disturbing film. The idea of how humanity is so dependent on technology, its not just a necessity, its becoming part of us. Featuring some unsettling topics, such as hardcore snuff films and brain tumors, Videodrome will not be the most pleasant ride for anyone. As well as and superb effects, Videodrome is topped with a strong performance from James Woods, who I felt wasn't the most sympathetic character or someone you could connect with, but it was one performance that stood out regardless. David Cronenberg's Videodrome has a chilling message, which is rather relevant for today, on how technology is becoming more advanced, which then leads to the demand in explicit/graphic entertainment rise. This may not entertain everyone, however, its power and messages should be looked at in detail.

Samuel R Super Reviewer