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“Videodrome” can be considered David Cronenberg’s debut studio film, as it was the first to have the backing of a major production company. He was betting big on it, even turning down an offer to direct “Return of the Jedi” to make “Videodrome” instead (per Entertainment Weekly). While the gamble wouldn’t pay off — the film underperformed at the box office — it was a creative success by most measures, particularly in retrospect. It currently ranks at 79 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Body horror at its most horrific, Woods plays a Toronto-based UHF TV head who becomes obsessed with “Videodrome,”
a voyeuristic broadcast seemingly originating in Malaysia. Staring endlessly at grainy, plotless footage that seems to show people being tortured and murdered, he and fellow viewer Nicki (Deborah Harry, of Blondie fame) follow the broadcast down a rabbit hole of politics, piracy, hallucination and dependency.
As for Woods, it was one of the first movies in which he was top-billed, and it announced his willingness to do more challenging, avant garde roles. Every actor hopes they have at least one bona fide cult classic under their belt, and Woods has that with “Videodrome.”
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