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Peter Berg, Michael Murphy, Mitch Pileggi, Cami Cooper, Heather Langenkamp ... see more see more... , Richard Brooks (VI) , Theodore Raimi , John Tesh , Bingham Ray , Ray Bickel , Eugene Chadbourne , Jessica Craven , Jonathan Craven , Marvin Elkins , Vincent Guastaferro , Sue Ann Harris , Stephen Held , Jack Hoar , Stephen R. Hudis , Holly Kaplan , Linda Kaye , Christopher Kriesa , Dr. Timothy Leary , Ernie Lively , Keith Anthony Lubow-Bellamy , Virginia Morris , Janne K. Peters , Sam Scarber , Wes Craven , Richard Price , Kane Roberts , Bruce Wagner , Lindsay Parker , Gary Michael Davies , Richard J. Gasparian , Richardo Gutierrez , Joyce Guy , Christopher Keyes , Marji Martin , Michael Matthews , John B. Mueller , Joseph Roy O'Flynn , Emily Samuel , Mark Slama , Bobby Lee Swain , Dendrie Allyn Taylor , Peter Tilden , Karl Vincent , Gary M. Zuckerbrod

Wes Craven's Shocker takes media manipulation to a new level in this story of an evil force emitted from television sets that has the power to kill. The film centers on high school athlete Jonathan Pa... read more read more...rker (Peter Berg). His estranged father is homicide detective Don Parker (Michael Murphy), who has been working on capturing an elusive serial killer plaguing the town. One night, during a particularly vivid nightmare, Jonathan dreams that while Parker is away on an assignment, his family is murdered by the serial killer. In the dream, Jonathan can identify the killer -- local television repairman Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi). Amazingly, it turns out that Jonathan's nightmare was reality. Using Jonathan's dream as evidence, Pinker is brought to trail, found guilty, and sentenced to death in the electric chair. Before his execution, Pinker makes a pact with the devil so when he is electrocuted, the electricity from the chair will give his spirit powers of evil. At first, Pinker's murderous spirit travels in and out of people's bodies, prompting the host to commit murder. But when it seems more effective to communicate with people by television signals, the spirit is willing and soon people suddenly become possessed by Pinker's spirit through TV screens and engage in murderous atrocities. All this is done by Pinker to exact retribution upon Jonathan, who was responsible for sending him to his death. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

33% liked it

11,342 ratings

Critics

8% liked it

12 critics

R, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: Wes Craven

Release Date: October 27, 1989

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DVD Release Date: March 16, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (473)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 22, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Wes Craven uses the Nightmare On Elm Street formula, and obtains average results. Shocker is not the best horror film, but it's definitely not the worst either. This film does have some high points. Mitch Pileggi gives a very good performance as Horace Pinker, and he's very amus... read moreing to watch on screen. Shocker is a film that shouldn't be taken too seriously, as the mode on screen feels quite silly at times, but it's what makes it fun in the first place. Not Wes Craven's best film, but definitely not his worst, Shocker is a very good film to watch if you want to waste a good two hours. Just don't go expecting excellent. An underrated film for sure, Shocker does have a lot to offer the viewer and despite all it's flaws, it's simply a silly horror film with ideas left over from the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. Another thing that makes this film good is the rocking heavy metal soundtrack, Shocker the film may be average but the soundtrack is great.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Shocker?, you?re not wrong, this is awful!
  • matertenebraum
    April 6, 2008
    matertenebraum
    "Shocker" takes a lot of heat for the similarities it shares with another Wes Craven film, a true horror classic, "A Nightmare On Elm Street." While "Shocker" is not a horror classic, it doesn't deserve the backlash it has received. In actuality, "Shocker" is one of the better ho... read morerror flicks of the late 80s and early 90s. Starring Mitch Pileggi as Horace Pinker and Peter Berg as Jonathan Parker, "Shocker" is a solid slasher story with plenty of gore.

    Pinker is a mass murder who murders high school athlete Jonathan Parker's family, and then Parker's girlfriend. After being brought to justice, Pinker is sentenced to death by electrocution, but that is only the beginning. Pinker studied black magic, and he turns himself into electricity during his date with the chair. He is able to transfer his soul into other bodies, effectively moving around the city, adding to his impressive body count. No one is safe, and Parker cannot trust anyone except for some gridiron teammates. Parker searches for Pinker to kill him once and for all, which leads to an awesome battle that takes the two through every television channel on the dial.

    The film is as gory as any of the "Nightmare" films and is much better than the "Friday the 13th" series. "Shocker" was supposed to be the first in a series of films, a series that was supposed to become the next great horror franchise, but the concept apparently felt flat before Craven's vision could be realized. Nonetheless, "Shocker" was a very good horror film. It delivered a ton of thrills and spilled a lot of blood. I seriously recommend this film for every horror fan
  • deano
    November 21, 2006
    deano
    This thrilling horror film has the dream / reality / possession gimmick was done to death in director Wes Craven's own "A Nightmare on Elm Street".
  • sjcole4
    July 4, 2011
    sjcole4
    Kinda fun up until the awful final act.
  • Lemure
    November 23, 2009
    Lemure
    Fuck yes! Craven takes the camerawork of Carpenter, the relentless villainy that Cameron perfected, the writing strength of Argento, and some of his own flair to produce his best work. Sure the (first two) Scream films may be cleverer, yet for sheer inventiveness this film wins. ... read moreFreddy Kreuger may be a more memorable bad guy but he was always too "playful", Pinker would eat him for breakfast. Lets face it, any film that has a posessed five year old hunting people in a JCB has got to be good.
  • cacutshaw
    October 4, 2007
    cacutshaw
    Much to my eternal shame, I really dug this film in my teens because of it's rockin' soundtrack (it had Alice Cooper on it!) and it's wacky comedy. Watching it now, it looks like it was put together by a goofy teen even nerdier then myself at the time...oh wait it's even worse! ... read more It's that fuckin' Wes "I suck ass" Craven. Bleeech.
  • DrLappos
    May 27, 2007
    DrLappos
    Absolutely brilliant....Loved it for sheer originality.
  • juliantoepfer
    December 31, 2011
    juliantoepfer
    It is amazing to me that Wes Craven has even a fraction of respectability among the horror community. He hasn't released a passable film since the early 80's, and even those were C+ at best. He has done nothing in his career but further the notion of 'more sex + more gore + beaut... read moreiful pimple-free 34 year old actors playing high-schoolers = scarier!!' and intermingle out of place and blatantly unfunny humor into horror films which detracts from their value. Every notion of the Wes Craven school of horror has set the genre back 25 years.

    That said, this is his worst and most steaming abortion of even his nauseating at best career. There isn't one redeeming thing to say. It is awful. If I could rate it -10 stars, I would. Truth be told, I've blocked most of it out so I can't even really remember many of the details. Suffice to say, it was fucking terrible, and I truly hope that nobody else wastes a second of their life on it.
  • HeroPK
    April 25, 2011
    HeroPK
    Its been a long time, but shocker was great when I was 12. Who knows because everythin is cool at that age.

View All Shocker Reviews

Critic Reviews

Nick Schager
February 22, 2007
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

A revisitation of the director's favorite themes (alternate realities, parent-child dynamics, lunatics spouting one-liners) that pitifully attempts to replicate A Nightmare on Elm Street. Full Review

Luke Y. Thompson
February 13, 2005
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times

Proof positive that Wes Craven is not, in fact, any kind of master of horror

Ken Hanke
August 13, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Lower rung Craven

Pablo Villaca
March 9, 2003
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Um dos piores filmes da carreira de Wes Craven - e perceba que estamos falando do responsável pelo terrível Um Vampiro no Brooklyn...

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Stephen Holden
May 20, 2003
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Richard Harrington
January 1, 2000
Richard Harrington, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
October 9, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
August 16, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Bill Chambers
July 15, 2005
Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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  • In what early Wes Craven movie has the song "Shocker" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Megadeth been used?  Answer »
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