Media manipulation and mind control are the subjects of shock-master David Cronenberg's bizarre satirical fantasy, and his treatment of the well-worn topic is unorthodox, to say the least. James Woods (in a typically intense performance) stars as a cable TV pornographer who stumbles upon the mysterious transmission of a hardcore S&M program, exposure to which can cause wild hallucinations and horrifying physical mutations. So begins his evolution into 'the new flesh', a creature that can be programmed much like any videocassette recorder, but with far more disgusting visceral detail. Probably the only person to whom any of this makes sense is Cronenberg himself, who shies away from a tidy resolution by letting the plot degenerate into an exhibition of messy special effects. Whatever topical message the film might have had is beside the point: the only real reason to recommend it is for the gratuitous thrill of watching bodies erupt into putrescence.
Review of Videodrome
