15 Most Disturbing Sci-Fi Movies

Eroticized torture, psychic molestation, body horror. That’s right, it’s everyone’s favourite perv David Cronenburg. Videodrome isn’t a film that gets loads of contemporary commentary, but it’s never been more relevant than it is today. An allegory of technological paranoia, Videodrome merges sexuality, the growing prevalence of tech in the home and the human body, to weave a tale of a species horrifically evolving to merge body, mind and sex with plastic, television signals and electric dreams.

The practical effects are glorious, James Woods is perfect as the seedy peddler of smut and the story is bizarre enough to keep you glued to the screen. Just try not to merge into the screen.

Videodrome was released in 1983 and our relationship with tech has deepened by many degrees since then. We wear it, we love it, we’re inseparable from it. It’s mundane, it’s sexual, it’s funny, it’s sublime, it’s how you’re reading this. It’s always with you.

Videodrome warned that Betamax would destroy the world with fetishy erotica. That’s probably why everyone stopped buying Betamax. But the internet has infinitely more power than Betamax ever had. The themes of video drome have never been more current, even if the presentation is somewhat dated and bizarre.

If you’re going to watch Videodrome, watch it on video. Ideally Betamax.