Videodrome

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Videodrome

R

1983

1h 30m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

60 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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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

May 31

3/4

The movie’s most fascinating element is the uncanny way in which it has predicted the 21st century cycle in infotainment.

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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.

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Joshua Stevens

Loud and Clear Reviews

06/12/2025

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.

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Brent

06/23/2022

A Cronenberg Masterpiece

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B P

@Bradster69 1d

Definitely Recommend It

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Jasmine W

@jasniquejewels 3d

"kill videodrome, long live the new flesh." this david cronenberg film is the direct vision of a world where humanity becomes obsessed with a stimulation tv program. I love the touch of body horror in this as well. this is one of those films that leaves you thinking what did I just watch. this was a creative yet twisted film and I loved it. debbie harry is a goddess.

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Shawn R

@satiable May 21

The all time best work from Cronenberg.. long live the new flesh.

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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

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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.

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David Cronenberg

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Max Renn

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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)

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