"No More Mr. Nice Guy!" Wes Craven's Shocker Hits the Airwaves
Description:
Plug in and prepare for a massive power surge! This week, we're dissecting Wes Craven's electrifying, over-the-top 1989 slasher, Shocker, a glorious failure in the attempt to create the next horror icon.
Meet Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi), a vile serial killer who gets sent to the electric chair, but not before making a literal deal with the devil. Instead of dying, Pinker is transformed into a malicious entity of pure electrical energy, capable of possessing anyone he touches and leaping through TV sets to continue his rampage.
Join us as we discuss:
Craven's Chaos: Why this movie is a fascinating, yet messy, hybrid of dream logic, black magic, possession horror, and slasher tropes—all set to an '80s metal soundtrack.
The Techno-Villain: How Horace Pinker weaponized the burgeoning American obsession with television and turned the boob tube into a portal for mayhem.
The Final Battle: Unpacking the hilariously absurd and visually bananas climax where our hero, Jonathan Parker, literally fights Pinker through the airwaves of classic TV shows.
Was Shocker too far ahead of its time, or just too chaotic for its own good? Tune in, but you might want to unplug your devices first!
