The ’80s was a big decade for horror. Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shiningstarted the decade off in 1980, and it’s now widely regarded as one of the most important horror movies ever made.John Carpenter’sThe Thing(1982), too, has gone down in history as a horror classic. Other notable entries from the genre includeFriday the 13th(1980),Cujo(1983),Halloween 2(1981),A Nightmare on Elm Street(1984), andChild’s Play(1988), among others.
Not all of these horror movies, though, have developed cult followings in the years since their release. Sam Raimi’sThe Evil Dead(1981) is now considered ahorror cult classic, as isChristine(1983), Carpenter’s follow-up toThe Thingabout a killer car. The “cult” status could also be ascribed to releases likeAn American Werewolf in London(1981),They Live(1988), andRe-Animator(1985). Another 1983 release also stands among these titles, developing a passionate following for its gruesome body horror effects.
Videodrome Wows VFX Artists
The David Cronenberg Movie Has Shocking Effects
VFX artists are left shocked after checking out some of the effects inVideodrome. Hitting theaters in 1983 anddirected by David Cronenberg, the horror film follows Max Renn (James Woods), a programmer at a Toronto TV station who falls down a violent rabbit hole after seeking out the producers of a bizarre broadcast. Marking Cronenberg’s follow-up toScanners(1981),Videodromehas developed a cult following in part due to its graphic body horror, most of which is accomplished using practical effects.
In a recent installment of their “VFX Artists React” YouTube series, the VFX artists atCorridor Crewanalyze several effects sequences inVideodrome. Though many of the sequences utilize clever practical effects tricks, one sequence involving a TV screen stretching outwards leaves hosts Niko Pueringer, Wren Weichman, and Jordan Allen impressed for the ways in which it combines practical elements with visual effects. As Niko explains,the film uses projection mapping to achieve the appearance of a static-filled screen morphing. Check out his explanation below:
“It’s real-life projection-mapping, aka have a film of static and then project that film onto like a latex sheet. […] So, yeah, they set up a projection. They film snow, but on film. They’re projecting that film onto a white rubberized sheet and then they’re just pushing a gun prop through that and you get this effect that’s like the static screen stretching.
“Now, notice that it’s not directly in front, because if it was directly in front you wouldn’t be able to see the distortion. It’s slightly to the side so you may see the distortion from the projection light being stretched across the fabric.”
What This Means For Videodrome
The Film’s Reception & Legacy Explained
The mind-bending and often gruesome effects featured inVideodromeare undoubtedly part of the reason why the film developed such a passionate fan following. Though the response to the movie was favorable from critics at the time, this didn’t translate into box office success. Made on a budget of $5.9 million,Videodromeonly grossed $2.1 million worldwide, but it would eventually find its audience on home video, as cult classics so often do.
OnRotten Tomatoes,Videodromehas respectable scores of 83% and 80% from critics and audiences, respectively.
ThoughVideodromemay not have been a success at the time, Cronenberg hasn’t pulled back when it comes to body horror in his movies.The Fly(1986), for example, doubles down on body horror, and similar levels of violence and gore show up in his later movies likeA History of Violence(2005),Eastern Promises(2007), andCrimes of the Future(2022).Videodrome, however, remains one of the standout entries in Cronenberg’s filmography, in part due to the effects praised above.
