--- title: "Videodrome: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/videodrome/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/videodrome" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Videodrome (1983): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 12 reviews: 12 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. ## RogerEbert.com — Walter Chaw Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 2 February 2023. The critic calls the film a masterpiece and a prophetic sociological provocation that has lost none of its power. He singles out its prescient exploration of how unregulated media and technology mutate human perception and behavior. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/features/a-vision-of-the-future-on-david-cronenbergs-videodrome) ## Empire — Adam Smith Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2015. The critic highlights Videodrome as a landmark of body horror that Cronenberg invented and made his own, with its unique fleshy surrealism, hallucinations, and mutations stemming from a sinister TV signal. It notes the film's perfect timing with 1980s anxieties around television, video, and censorship, calling Cronenberg the single most important director working in horror. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/videodrome-review/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2004. Highlights the film's prescience in imagining virtual reality and the merging of technology with the body, calling it more relevant than ever. Singles out Cronenberg's unique integration of the creepy and cerebral, with James Woods' performance and the dense mysteries as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/videodrome-1798199936) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2017. Cronenberg’s erotically-charged social satire is a cautionary tale for the internet age that feels more relevant than ever. It explores humanity’s masochistic tendencies toward technology and media through visceral body horror and prescient themes of screens, violence and dehumanisation. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/videodrome-david-cronenberg-technology) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 4/5. One of Cronenberg’s most personal, complex and disturbing films exploring technology fusing with the human body, voyeurism and the links between sex and violence. The startling imagery and James Woods’s fierce performance make for a deeply unsettling experience despite a plot that unravels. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-96o8ca/videodrome/) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2023. Praises the film's forward-looking intelligence and prescient exploration of technology, media, sex, violence, and the body despite some narrative incoherence. Singles out the Criterion 4K restoration for its superior image quality that brings the visceral effects and themes to life anew. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/videodrome-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-david-cronenberg/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2000. The critic notes Cronenberg's interest in technology and physiology merging into new eroticism. While some visual effects are eccentric rather than scary and literal, the film stands out for its originality and wit compared to similar works. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,398719,00.html) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 February 1983. The critic finds the film clever and inventive in its satirical take on media exploitation, with strong special effects and a futuristic feel. She notes that it eventually grows grotesque and a little confused, though it sustains its cleverness for a long while. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/04/movies/videodrome-lurid-fantasies-of-the-tube.html) ## The Skinny — Alan Bett Rating ★★★★★. 16 December 2011. The critic calls it an unsettling masterwork that delivers horrific mind mutilation beyond body horror, tackling TV's influence in a way relevant to the digital age. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/videodrome) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating A. 20 October 2015. The critic praises Videodrome as the most Cronenbergian of Cronenberg's films, highlighting its perfect encapsulation of themes like body vs. mind and the seductive power of technology. It balances body horror with chilly cerebrality in a prescient yet period-specific way, calling it terrific. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/retrospective-the-films-of-david-cronenberg-20151020/3/) ## Collider — Marco Vito Oddo Rating A-. 4 February 2023. The critic praises its visionary exploration of how media shapes perception and reality, noting its continued relevance decades later. It also highlights the enduring power of its practical body horror effects. [Read the review](https://collider.com/videodrome-movie-review/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2012. The critic praises Videodrome as Cronenberg's richest and most audacious film, highlighting its exploration of violent imagery's effects and memorable practical effects. It notes the film's enduring relevance and James Woods' strong performance. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/looking-back-at-david-cronenbergs-videodrome/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/videodrome.md