Videodrome (1983) 4K Ultra HD Review

4 stars for this excellent restoration of a horror cult classic.

Videodrome was originally released in 1983 and is written and directed by the master himself, David Cronenberg (Naked Lunch, eXistenZ, The Fly). It has enjoyed a 4K restoration of both the Director’s Cut and the US Theatrical Cut, courtesy of Arrow Video.

It is a daring and perhaps cautionary tale of sexual and technological excess in the early 1980s and quite magnificently still feels pretty relevant today, in our world of TV screens and channels without limits.

“I don’t know. It’s not tacky enough to turn me on. Too much class is bad for sex.”

It tells the story of Max Renn (James Woods – Casino, Once Upon a Time in America), a sleazy cable channel owner who specialises in showing sensationalist material. One day while trawling the airwaves using a pirate satellite dish, his trusty sidekick Harlan (Peter Dvorsky – Twins, The Dead Zone) makes a discovery, a programme which shows staged “snuff TV”. Convinced this is the future of television, he orders him to pirate it ready for the channel, believing it to be broadcast from Malaysia.

While on a talk show defending his brand of TV he meets Nicki Brand (Deborah Harry – Cop Land, Hairspray), a psychiatrist and radio presenter and Brian O’Blivion (Jack Creley – The Magic Show) a pop culture analyst.

He takes a shine to Nicki and they soon become an item. She is fascinated with Videodrome and when they find out that it is actually made in Pittsburgh she can’t wait to rush off and audition. When she fails to return, Max begins to investigate Videodrome with the help of Brian O’Blivion and begins his slow descent into hallucinations and madness.

“I think we live in overstimulated times. We crave stimulation for it’s own sake. We gorge on it.”

This is an excellent conversion, the picture has been cleaned up beautifully with just the right amount of graining left to make sure it still feels like an eighties film. There is an astonishing amount of violence, gore and surrealism, which can now all be very clearly seen!

This release includes an illustrated 60-page collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Justin Humphreys, Brad Stevens and Tim Lucas, extracts from Cronenberg on Cronenberg, and a brand new roundtable retrospective with critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Cerise Howard, Josh Nelson and Emma Westwood.

With lots of special features, this is an excellent package for fans of David Cronenberg and a good starting point for those new to the genre, highly recommended.

“Max, Videodrome is something for you to leave alone. It is definitely not for public consumption.”

Videodrome is available to buy on On Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray  and Limited Edition Original Artwork 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from 24th October 2022

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restorations from the original camera negative by Arrow Films of both the full-length director’s cut and the US theatrical cut, approved by director David Cronenberg
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless mono soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by Tim Lucas, the on-set correspondent for Cinefantastique Magazine and author of Videodrome: Studies in the Horror Film
• David Cronenberg and the Cinema of the Extreme, a documentary featuring interviews with Cronenberg, George A. Romero and Alex Cox on Cronenberg’s cinema, censorship and the horror genre
• Forging the New Flesh, a documentary by filmmaker Michael Lennick on Videodrome’s video and prosthetic make up effects
• Fear on Film, a round table discussion from 1982 with Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis and Mick Garris
• The complete, uncensored Samurai Dreams footage with commentary by Michael Lennick
• Helmet-Cam Test and Why Betamax?, two featurettes by Michael Lennick on the film’s effects
• The Making of David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, a 1982 featurette by Mick Garris, with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Cronenberg, James Woods, Deborah Harry and Rick Baker
• Videoblivion, an interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin
• Pierre David on… Videodrome, an interview with executive producer Pierre David
• AKA Jack Martin, an interview with Dennis Etchison, author of novelisations of Videodrome and The Fog, discussing Videodrome and his observations of Cronenberg’s script
• Camera, Cronenberg’s short film starring Videodrome’s Les Carlson
• Pirated Signals: The Lost Broadcast, deleted and alternate scenes from the TV version
• Original trailers
• Image gallery
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Illustrated 60-page collector’s booklet featuring writing on the film by Justin Humphreys, Brad Stevens and Tim Lucas, extracts from Cronenberg on Cronenberg, and a brand new roundtable retrospective with critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Cerise Howard, Josh Nelson and Emma Westwood
• Foldout double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
• Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards