Search - William Goldstein, Michael Bruce :: Shocker (1989 Film)

Oh, I'm shocked alright...

M. Ryan Fairbanks | Cleveland, Ohio | 10/06/2009

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I'm shocked that this tripe didn't derail Wes Craven's career forever! I'm also shocked that I sat through the entire thing without turning it off. Yet another movie in the slasher format that basically boils down to a special effects overload fit for a complete imbecile.



We meet our main character who keeps having vivid nightmares about a local serial killer (why?). The dreams are so detailed in fact, he is able to lead the police to the exact location of the killer, Horace Pinker (how?). However following Pinker's execution, we find he is able to transfer his soul to other people's bodies (how?). After using various bodies to continue his grisly work, it seems that Pinker is then able to travel through circuitry via electricity (how?). It seems to the only way Pinker can be stopped is with a necklace given to our main hero by his girlfriend (why?).



It's difficult to figure out what exactly they were going for with Shocker. It's far too goofy to be considered a legitimate horror or comedy movie, and it just doesn't gel as a horror/comedy hybrid. The acting is monumentally bad, especially the killer himself with one-liner's that make some of Freddy Krueger's seem genius in comparison. (One of my favorites: "Lets take a ride in my VOLTSwagon!"). I suppose if anything you oould give this a watch just for some laughs, but I wouldn't advise it.



What I find especially hilarious is Amazon's review for Shocker, describing it as a commentary on mass media! Seriously, if you were able to draw meaning from Shocker, you're probably the same person seeing messages in your bowl of alphabet soup. See a psychiatrist. In reality this is some of Wes Craven's absolute worst, if not THE worst movie he's ever made. Definetly take a look at his next, and far superior movie The People Under The Stairs."