june gloom on 25/4/2009 at 09:11

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So I just finished watching Videodrome for the 2nd time (I last watched it a little less than a year ago.) This movie has taught me three things:

1) I have to get my own copy of this now
2) I now know where the Strapping Young Lad song "All Hail the New Flesh" gets its inspiration
3) James Woods was just as fugly in 1983 as he is now

If you haven't seen this movie, it's extremely warped- no suprise given it's a David Cronenberg film. Basically it's about a sleazy Toronto TV exec always looking for the next big thing; he uses his technician to run a pirate satellite dish that one day picks up a signal depicting basically 24/7 live snuff in a strange orange room. Things go downhill from there. It's all a very weird commentary on how mass media desensitizes us. Some of the effects are definitely dated and in the age of DVD the use of videocassettes seems quaint, but the whole message of society slipping into mass media culture still seems to ring true today, especially as TV, film, (especially) the internet, etc. becomes more and more vapid with each passing moment.

Anyway it's a total mindfuck and I love it. I was wondering what other mind-violating, week's-worth-of-nightmares movies TTLG could recommend.

quinch on 25/4/2009 at 11:58

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I saw Videodrome as one half of a double bill with Blood Simple. Those were the days. You might want to check that out if you haven't already.

Watched Mulholland Drive the other week for the first time (why the hell did i miss this first time round?) and it stayed with me for a while like a very strange, vivid dream. Not horror so much, but creepy-weird like most Lynch film/TV except this is his best stuff I reckon. If you care about the two characters then the third reel is pure nightmare stuff.

Hey, lay off Woodsie. He was a hero for all the acne scarred teenagers of the day.

Angel Dust on 25/4/2009 at 13:45

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Obviously pretty much any Lynch film. Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Inland Empire being three that haven't already been mentioned. A lot of Fellini's stuff is very surreal but probably not the kind of thing you are looking for. If you do want to try it then I highly recommend 8 1/2. Polanski also has his share of mindscrew films with Repulsion and The Tennant being particularly good examples. I haven't seen any of his films but Alejandro Jodorowsky name often comes up in these kind of discussions and Don't Look Now (Roeg), Suspiria (Argento) are both excellent horror films with a surreal bent.

Of couse there is the classic Un Chien Andalou which is not really something I would recommend unless you are interested in seeing where it all began!

SubJeff on 25/4/2009 at 15:11

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Videodrome is fantastic. Woods was awesomely cast and the atmosphere just eats you up. The best character is, of course, Prof Oblivion.

If you haven't seen Lost Highway give it a go dethtoll. I have no idea what goes on in that film but the pacing and the characters are lush.

And Jacob's Ladder is freaky, but it makes perfect sense. Snap with eXtistenz (which is ok but not quite there). JL is worth a whirl but the only part that can be really confusing is the M.Culcin but. But if you think about it (not very hard) it makes sense too.

Aja on 25/4/2009 at 17:33

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Lost Highway is a terrible movie. It's like Lynch parodying himself, and it's even boring somehow. Try Mulholland Drive if you've never seen a Lynch film. You won't come away feeling good about yourself, I guarantee it.