New 4K Restoration, Special Guest Scheduled to Appear
David Cronenberg's visually audacious, disorienting, and just plain weird musing on technology, entertainment, and politics. Followed by a live taping of the Weird Studies podcast! Long live the new flesh.
As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon Videodrome, a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit. But after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought. [87 min; horror; English]
This screening will be followed by a live taping of the Weird Studies podcast dedicated to discussing the film. Weird Studies is a popular podcast that focuses on conversations on art and philosophy, ideas that are hard to think, and art that opens rifts into reality.
"The film remains an audacious attempt to place obsessive personal images before a popular audience—a kind of Kenneth Anger version of Star Wars." — Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
"Classic Cronenberg: filled with body horror, philosophy and delicately balancing Canadian inferiority complexes and American media saturation." — Joe Lipsett, Horror Queers
"Films like this rouse powerful reactions to their extreme metaphors and violent imagery; but then, there has never been a film quite like this one." — Brian Eggers, Deep Focus Review
Weird Studies is co-hosted by Phil Ford and J.F. Martel. Phil is an associate professor of musicology at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and is the author of the book Dig: Sound and Music in Hip Culture. J.F. is an author, screenwriter, and film and TV director. His screen work includes French- and English-language documentary series and features focused on culture and the arts.
Any film screened at IU Cinema may contain content that viewers find sensitive or upsetting. Visit our Audience Advisories page to learn more.
