DVD Review - Videodrome

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Site created 12/15/97.

review added: 1/25/99

Videodrome
1982 (1998) - Universal Home Video

review by Todd Doogan, special to The Digital Bits

Film Rating: B-
I'm a sucker for the complex world of David Cronenberg. You'd think the guy was a sexual pervert by the things he puts on screen. Surprisingly, next to The Fly, this is his most mainstream movie. That's saying a lot, considering the stomach "vagina/VHS slot" that appears in this film.

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras): B-/B-/C
Videodrome looks great on DVD, no complaints here. The sound is fine, although not as jacked up as I would have hoped (it's 2 channel mono). The standard Universal extras here are nice. Still, I would have liked a commentary track, or a making of documentary. And what about all those deleted scenes, that we fans of Cronenberg know about?

Overall Rating: B-
Of the three Cronenberg DVDs currently out, this one is my favorite. I can't wait for 20th Century Fox to start bum-rushing the stores with their library, as my other faves are theirs: Naked Lunch, The Fly and Madame Butterfly.

Specs and Features

89 mins, NR, letterboxed widescreen (1.85:1), single-sided, singled-layered, Amaray keep case packaging, production notes, cast and crew bios, theatrical trailer, film-themed menus, scene access (16 chapters), languages: English & French (DD 2.0 mono), subtitles: English, French & Spanish, Close Captioned

Bottom line

A creepy movie, about the new world of VHS, now available on DVD. It sounds dated, but it's not. The disc looks great, and I'm happy to own it.

Todd Doogan
todddoogan@thedigitalbits.com