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Weak Wes Craven film

Shocker is a mediocre effort from Craven that actually wastes good special effects and a good cast(Michael Murphy,Peter Berg,Mitch Pileggi,Cami Cooper,Ted Raimi,and even Dr.Timothy Leary). Shocker is a tale about a Freddy Krueger-like killer named Horace Pinker that kills families and then gets sentenced to death by the electric chair and that dosen't work so his spirit possesses other people. Not a very good film but still fairly watchable.

The highlight of the movie would be when Peter Berg is in the park and he gets chased by a policeman possessed by Pinker and then a little girl gets possessed.


The People Under the Stairs is much,much better and you could tell Craven actually tried when he made that film.

"Any last words?" "Yeah...no more Mr. nice guy."

Innovative Wes Craven horror thriller in which football jock Jonathan Parker (Peter Berg) discovers his own psychic link to barbaric mass murderer Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi), a devil worshiper who enters homes under the cover of his occupation, a TV repairman. When Pinker is captured and executed, things actually take a turn for the worse when it is revealed that he can now move from body to body.Unfairly dismissed by Leonard Maltin as a "misbegotten farrago", this film has a decent sense of humor and an ingenious climax where killer and hero run amok through TV land. The film-makers have fun with their gimmick, delivering a movie that is hip, clever and stylish (even satiric), if a little long.The cast performs well, with special kudos for Pileggi for his intensity and physical presence. Look for cameos by such diverse faces as guitarist Kane Roberts, drug guru Dr. Timothy Leary, and even "Nightmare on Elm Street" heroine Heather Langenkamp as a victim. Craven's children have bit parts, and the director himself appears as a neighbor at the film's conclusion.I enjoyed the hard rock songs, especially Megadeth's cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy".The plot device of a homicidal killer being able to possess human victims at will may not be original, but in a film as solidly entertaining as this one, it's not a major quibble.8/10

Wish you could rate a movie 'below' one star

Anyone whose watched lots and lots of movies, always encounters some bad ones...it's the law of averages. But this movie, Shocker...was not just bad, it was horrible. No, horrible would be too kind. I was hoping it ended about 47 minutes before it actually closed it's final curtain. If you ever buy this movie in any format...remember...you were warned !!!!

There's a one-liner that's priceless

The movie itself blows, but the funny part is when horace is arrested and taunts Peter Berg. Berg responds with some gibberish that i can't make out, but it sounds hilarious. "Ah shushasheshu son of a bitch!"

Truely one of Wes Craven's best films!

I love the movie Shocker and feel it deserved a second chance. Though the serial killer character of Horace Pinker is not Freddy Krueger, he still is just as terrifying and the films is just as good as Craven's A Nightmare of Elm Steet(and definitely better than its sequels). Mitch Pileggi of X-Files gives a wonderfully scary performance as Tv repairman/serial killer Horace Pinker. I think it definitely deseres a look by Craven and just plain Horror fans alike. So in response to Mr. Horton's review above, I would love to get my hands on some Horace Pinker action figures. What a great idea!

Too Long

Wes Craven's shocker may look good, but it isn't! The movie is nearly 2 hours long and is so drawn out that interest will fade in about half an hour. The Gore factor is almost non-existant: unlike Wes' Nightmare on Elmstreet, Shocker cuts away right when the person is being killed and then cuts back when the job is done. Another irritating thing is that every ten minutes someone says "No more mister nice guy" which makes absolutely no sense in the movie considering that Pinker has always been a killer. The only reason why I gave this movie 3 stars is because of Mitch Puligi, because he gives a great performance and speeds the movie up.

Awsome 80's horror flick. Loads of fun & great music score!

Whenever I see a film that's lots of fun but reletivly obscure I feel kind of sad, in a way, as I feel such a film deserves better recognition. That's how I felt when I saw this film. It was Wes Craven's attempt to create a new horror movie franchise as he did with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, with Horrace Pinker, a very Freddy Kruger-esque villian. Since everyone, even people who never watch horror movies, have heard of Freddy Kruger but Horrace Pinker is a much more obscure name, this film failed to catch on. That does make me sad, in a way, but then again if this movie had been a hit like ELM STREET was, they probably would have made a slew of sequels and Pinker would have become every bit as invincible as Freddy. I've always felt a sense of hopelessness when I'm watching a slasher movie series and the undead killer keeps coming back to life. Much as I do love this movie, I appreciate the fact that, from a story telling perspective, this is a stand-alone film.

Ahem. Anyway, the plot: Horrace Pinker is a T.V. repairman by day, serial killer of whole families by night. He also walks with a limp (we find out later in the movie why that is). High school football player Jonathan seems unconnected to all this, until he has a dream where Pinker murders his family, and then finds out that it has really happened, leaving only Jon and his police leutenant foster dad left. Jonathan's dreams lead police to finding out the killer's identity, but that doesn't save Jon's girlfriend Allison, whom Pinker later kills. Finally Pinker is captured and sentanced to death by electric chair...and the film's second act begins. You see, Pinker practices black magic, and after his execution he becomes an evil spirit with the ability to jump into other people's bodies...

I love pretty much everything about this movie. It's got an awsome 80's metal sountrack that you can really bang your head to, some really cool kill scenes and gore (the lip-chewing scene is probably the most shocking thing in the film) the killer is certainly Freddy-like in many ways, yet still different, in that he invades people bodies rather than their dreams. The good characters are also interesting enough and easy to root for. I especially liked the bit where Allison's ghost comes back to warn him that Pinker may be dead but isn't gone. I also like the thing where Pinker practices black magic, thus giving us an explanation as to how he's able to come back after death; Freddy was able to, apparently, just because he wanted to badly enough. I love the film's climax, and one other thing.

(WARNING! MAJOR PLOT SPOILER!)

I like how this film DOESN'T have one of those "Oh my God the killer/evil spirit's STILL ALIVE!" endings. Pinker is vanquished at the end, and since there were never any sequels, we know he's been permenantly laid to rest. If you like horror movies check this one out!

horrid movie

this movie was the worst movie i have ever seen. nothing new and shocking ever happens, and i wanted to see the movie for one reason: to see heather langenkamp (from a nightmare on elm street) because i heard she was in it. sadly, she's only in it for one second playing a dead lady on the floor. this was horrible. i give it a 0/10.

And they said jumping into TVs was uncool!

This was a really good movie, but many people often overlook what my mom and I thought was the best scene of the entire movie: the scene where The Shocker and the "good guy" enter the TV. I'm telling you, that is one of the funniest scenes in a horror movie ever. Some people might be like: horror movies aren't supposed to be funny. Quit whining, cause this one is. When the people on Entertainment Tonight start talking about people complaining about The Shocker and the other guy fighting on different channels and the fight spills onto the ET set, when The Shocker knocks the other guy down then steps in front of the camera and says, "And that's the way it is!" Hilarious! That was so funny! The first time I saw Shocker that was the scene I remembered better than any other. It was like, "Can this be any funnier?" Let's not forget that Wes Craven was known just as well for his comedic genius as for his ingenuity with horror scenes. Give the man a break, cause when it comes down to it, Wes Craven will always be one of THE true horror movie geniuses. In the immortal (in more ways than one) words of The Shocker, "And that's the way it is!"

Bloody Marvelous

Shocker should be viewed for what it is - plain, old-fashioned cheesy horror fun! This is a great DVD to take to a movie night, or to watch with your girlfriend - i reckon she'll be grabbing onto you for most of its duration! The problem is, most people seem to take this movie too seriously. I give it 5 stars for being cheesy, and for making me laugh... BIG TIME!!!

Shocker was a SHOCK!

Shocker was a SHOCK! Being another brainchild of Wes Craven, I understand how well directed and written. The writing was not as good as the directing but none the less. I think the film had a good plot. But the dead people were a little out of place for my taste. It was still a good movie. Died down by the "Nightmare" craze of the late 80's. This was one of the films that couldn't survive the waves. That is a terrible thing. It was spiritedly acted and an interesting supernatural method that hasn't been done at that time. It has been most recently (Fallen, 1997). But that being the case, its up for argument. I feel this is worth seeing for the horror film lover in all of us and I love the films of Wes Craven, so this was an obvious choice.

I'm not sure what to think

This was a childhood favorite of mine and all the pals in the early years. Shocker is quiet an enigma. I'm not real sure as to what Craven was trying to pull off. Not only was Shocker a strange film, The People Under The Stairs that came out a year or two after was also a strange film.As for 'Shocker' - I can only go as far as to say that there were nays and yays. First and foremost, all the supernatural elements of 'Shocker' may turn a few heads and leave some wanting to turn it off. Some people like the supernatural element going on with this film. Personally, I lean towards the former. If this flick was made into a balls out slasher/serial killer film which only used the main character's psychic ability instead of going to the extremes of allowing the main characters (killer/Hero) to jump inside televisions, using electricity as a source of supernatural power, it would have fared better, and been one of the great ones.Even aside from all this nonsense, 'Shocker' still has it's moments. It has a very dreary and bleak atmosphere that somehow sucks you in. It's almost the same atmosphere emitted from his 1984 venture, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. There's this surrealistic feeling throughout the entire film, and you're not quiet sure what's gonna happen next.There's a few comedic touches in the film that come from nowhere, but they are quiet welcomed in what otherwise is a very depressing feature.In all honesty, 'Shocker' is a laughable attempt by Wes Craven. As I mentioned, the film has its moments, but the sheer absurdity of the circumstances lures one away from giving it a chance. Understandable.Good acting, tho. A good performance by our male lead. Also, a great performance from our deranged psychopath - Who uses television and electricity as a catalyst to possess other people to do his dirty work. There's a slight hint of some occultisms when the killer (right before he's to be executed) has hooked boosting cables to his hands and attached them to a live television set. I guess he was recharging or something. Plus, I have no idea how he obtained boosting cables in jail. Maybe he put them in his lower body cavity? Anyway, if you're in the mood that allows you to throw all sense out the window, it might be an OK time waster. I'd almost go as far as to say that only horror fans would even watch 'Shocker' more than once. Good things, but mostly stupid things...not necessarily bad things, but things that should have been used for another ANOES sequel.

One of Craven's best.

Jonathan Parker (Peter Berg) is been having dreams of a psychopath serial killer Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi). When Jonathan sees his step mother and his family are murder in his dream that turns into reality. Jonathan could also identity him with the help of his step-father (Micheal Murphy), who is a Police Detective. When his father finally caught Pinker. Pinker is sent to prison to the electric chair. But before Pinker dies, He is into the black magic. Pinker has the power to transfer his could into different human bodies for a brief moment at the time. Which Pinker is making more victims faster than ever. Making Jonathan more difficult to destroy Pinker.Written and Directed by Wes Craven (Scream Trilogy, Cursed, Red Eye) made an absolutely entertaining supernatural horror thriller. Craven for better or worse, he re-imagine his "A Nightmare on Elm Street" with a bigger budget and talented cast. Craven has some fresh ideals but also he uses some elements from Jack Sholder's The Hidden. Which The Hidden and Shocker were later borrow to the extremely flawed but watchable "Fallen" and the campy "Jason Goes to Hell:The Final Friday".This film has excellent use of Special Effects, this film was shot on a low budget. Shocker was shot in ten weeks, giving Craven enough time making the film look professional. This film is violent, it has some scares and it contains a memorable gross-out scene, which it was also later used in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol.1. Which it is the infamous lip biting stretching scene.DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an good-Dolby 2.0 Surround Sound. The DVD only has an Original Theatrical Trailer and Production Notes as Extras. The film features an Heavy Metal soundtrack by Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Dangerous Toys and Others. The Heavy Metal soundtrack of the film is good. This horror film is well photographed by Jacques Haitkin (Wishmaster). The film has good performances by Berg, Pileggi and Murphy. The film also stars:Cami Cooper as Jonathan's Girlfriend and Victim of Pinker's, Richard Brooks and Ted Raimi. Peter Berg is now a filmmaker (also actor), he has directed the underrated "Very Bad Things", an enjoyable action adventure "The Rundown" and the true life football drama "Friday Night Lights". This is One of Craven's best and One of the most Underrated horror films of the 80's. Watch for Reporter turned Pinalist John Test in a bit role as a T.V. News Archorman. Look fast for Heather Langerkamp in the opening scene as a victim. (**** ½/*****).

Bad movie that is so bad that it is great

This movie is so dam bad that in turn that makes it so dam great and the plot for this movie is a bloody joke.The acting in this movie is a bit crap and why in the hell would the Horror movie master Wes Craven write and direct this movie.At the start of the movie there is a football game and u can clearly see the shadows of the camera and the sound equipment and the crew and they could of somehow got rid of the shadows.There are some good scenes in this movie like in the end of the movie when the bad guy called Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi) and the good guy called Jonathan Parker (Peter Berg) went into the t.v and they where going around different shows fighting and that scene is a bit funny.And there is a great soundtrack in this movie with heaps and heaps of great heavy metal songs and i recommend that u buy this soundtrack and do not waste your money on buying this movie u should just rent it.Over all if u like crap horror movies that are so bad that they are good or u just want a giggle at how bad this movie is u should watch this movie.And my rating for this movie is 6 out of 10.

A Great Start To What SHOULD Have Been A Long-Running Series

With Horace Pinker, "Shocker" aims to create a new horror icon on par with Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees. It doesn't succeed the first time around, but with time it could have come close. Pinker is a menacing and original villain, visually distinctive as is necessary when you're going for the icon-level, and one of the most purely nasty villains in his vein. So when I say Shocker's lead didn't reach the level of a Freddy or a Jason that's not a put-down. It's a high mountain to climb to attain that kind of tremendous status, and this movie was off to a good start but sadly never got the chance to follow up on its potential with sequels that might have been even better. Maybe it's not too late. Apparantly "Sleepaway Camp", "Happy Birthday To Me" and a couple of other horror movies from a long way back are slated to be continued with new sequels (not remakes) after all this time, so who knows? Not every horror movie needs a sequel (a few, like "Dagon", "In The Mouth Of Madness" and "Mute Witness" come to mind that I think are best served Without one) and some that do call for a sequel only need one or two, but I think the field is best served when it has a few ongoing series where you can count on a new installment at least every two or three years on average. They don't have to run forever (except F13; that can go to Chapter Twenty and beyond as far as I'm concerned), but phase new ones in as others wrap out. In the 80s/early 90s, F13, Nightmare On Elm Street, Hellraiser, Halloween and a few others all came at a good clip, Most of the time delivering a chapter that was very good if not ouright outstanding. I would have liked for Shocker to have had a few more turns.

As for the single entry we got, the early minutes show the apprehension of the brutal, very sadistic Pinker while still in his human, non-supernatural form, and follows through with the trial and execution, at which point the character returns from the dead, having utilized some kind of dark magic that's transmuted him into some kind of cross between a ghost and an electrical entity travelling through the wires. And thus his rampage is continued and upped considerably. There's nothing likable about Horace, but he is a fearsome onscreen prescence and a good villain; well-played by Mitch Pileggi. The incredibly cute Cami Cooper, as the main female in the movie and the girlfriend of the character who becomes Pinker's primary adversary, is also very memorable, and without question hits the nail right on the head in the 'Visually Impressive' department. Very good but not really close to the best of its kind (hence part of the reason there should have been sequels - they could have picked up some of the potential that slipped through the cracks), I'm unsure whether to give this a strong three stars or a tentative four. I realize a lot of reviewers seem to think a three is a low rating, but I consider it pretty high; I prefer to leave the four-stars and five-stars for the really excellent/outstanding and for those that are among the best ever (now director Wes Craven's previous creation of a horror icon, the first Elm Street, got five stars and it would have been unthinkable to give it anything else). I guess I'll go with a really strong three and hope that doesn't make people think I'm cutting it short; on my scale a low three is still usually pretty good and "Shocker"'s a high 3-Star, about a seven, maybe 7.5, out of ten. Recommended.

not the right soundtrack

cd was not what I thought it was.CD was an instrumental cd..I want the real sountrack..with the songs from alice cooper,and dudes of wrath..ect...can anyone help me?

Watt a Live Wire!

Horace Pinker, local television repairman and novice Satanist, fills his spare time with butchering families. Poor Horace has a problem. A young boy name Jonathan Parker(strange coincidence this is SO closely related to the Dracula character Jonathan Harker?) can see where and what he is doing in his dreams. Parker leads the police, led by his step-father, played ably by character actor Michael Murphy, to the scene of a crime. Horace is incarcerated and stands for execution by the electric chair. Well, needless to say, Horace beats this rap in electrifying fashion. I could go on - but might give too much away or just confuse myself even more. Shocker is one of those horror movies that has the power to engage the viewer enough to keep him interested even though there is no earthly way he knows WHAT is possibly going on. We have people shifting bodies, traveling through television currents, landing on reruns of Leave it to Beaver even, dead walking around giving out lucky charms, and many other implausible things.
Director Wes Craven does way too much here, and it might be his attempt at making a bad story seem credible, by polluting it with so many other bizarre plot devices. The acting is pretty decent for this type of film. Peter Berg plays Parker adequately as does Michael Pileggi as the grouchy serial killer with a limp. Despite its ridiculous storyline and silly ending, Craven, through his use of creating moody, eerie scenes with well-timed pacing, makes a movie that will at the very least hold your attention.
Craven doesn't take it too seriously either having Pinker utter one-liners throughout. There are also some genuine thrills and a couple good scares.

The Worst Wes Craven Flick

This movie started out okay. I actually enjoyed the first 45 minutes or so. Seemed like a pretty decent slasher flick. I even liked how the main character interacted with the killer through his dreams and had to be woke up before he got killed. Very reminiscent of Nightmare on Elm St. But after they caught the killer and executed him by the electric chair and he became an electro ghost killer (for lack of a better phrase) the movie just got flushed down the toilet. I think I dropped a whole star after the scene in the tv. It doesn't get much more horrible than that. I don't mind cheese in horror flicks. Its common. But I literally felt embarassed in front of the other people watching this with me cuz I rented it. I bet Craven doesn't put this one on his resume. 2 stars for the first 45 minutes that were okay.

Not Shocking

When you think of the greatest villians in cinema the name Horace Pinker will not pop up. Who is he? In this film, he is a sadistic mass murder who kills entire families. He is cold and heartless, a pure joy to watch. Cops cannnot figure out how he gets in and out without a trace. This is the sound of an excellent film but things turn sour fast. Jonathan dreams of Pinker killing his foster mother and the kids she is caring for. Wait, is this Nightmare on Elm Street? John tells his father, a cop, and they go after Pinker. Really? The cops couldnt figure this one out for themselves? The same van outside every murder? The movie really does not explain things very well. Like how he did get in there homes without being noticed. They finally capture Pinker after he kills John's girlfriend and he gets fried in the chair. Before he is fried, he preaches to tv and gets super powers. You'd think Pinker would go thru various electric devices to get to John but instead he travels from body to body. Sure, the little girl was predictable but fun. Like I said, it doesnt follow a plot and its way to close to Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street. The end where he dreams and fights Pinker thru various tv shows and its fine but couldnt save this film. The part were Pinker is a couch is Freddy esque but cool. John uses the pause button on Pinker and just talks and wastes time. I dont have a button on my remote that makes me jump up and down on my bed. Then the movie ends and everyone should be happy.

Overall, it appears that Craven tried to recreate A Nightmare On Elm Street with this film. It had a good story but the film doesnt follow the plot well and there is alot of missed chances. Pileggi is a tour de force with Pinker and is the only thing that can save this film. Its a good thing they did not try to make a sequel to this.

Unintentional Comedic Gold

I've never actually felt the need to write a review in all my years surfing IMDb, but I felt there really wasn't any review for this movie that gives it the justice it deserves.If you're a fan of insanely illogical and hilarious B-movies, this my friend's is for you. Fans of 80s crap-laugh-fests like "Night of the Creeps", "Blood Diner" and "Troll 2" will truly love this movie.Where to begin with all of the unintentional humor in this film? Let's start with the fact that none of the plot makes any coherent sense, whatsoever. Let's just run down some of the things that will leave you scratching your head in confusion and laughter.1. Why is Peter Berg a Psychic? Did that serve any purpose in the actual plot itself? 2. How exactly does this serial killer manage to massacre over THIRTY families in what appears to be a very small town. Seriously, how the hell do you get away with murdering 30 families in the same town? And why would anyone ever stay in that town? 3. The police in this movie are probably the dumbest I've ever seen in a movie. Upon finding the killer in a house in the beginning of the film, all 8 or so cops storm up the stairs chasing the man as he escapes from the roof. Seriously, no one thought to maybe keep one guy outside the building, ya know, IN CASE HE TRIES TO ESCAPE? Also, why aren't the police following Peter Berg's character this entire movie? Literally everyone he comes into contact with gets murdered by the killer, and these cops don't have time to even check up on the kid once after his entire family and girlfriend have been slaughtered? Worst (or best) of all is the scene in with Peter Berg's character is chasing the killer's soul which is jumping from body to body through a park. Despite the fact that bullet after bullet after bullet is shot, and several dead bodies lay in the middle of a public park, the police are nowhere to be found. (This scene is especially hilarious when Berg begins violently shaking an 8 year old girl who's body the soul has jumped into) 4. How the hell does Mitch Pileggi's character attain his "shocking" powers? The only attempt at an explanation given is just a vague comment that he liked to practice black magic. We're given maybe 20 seconds explanation of this, and then it's never mentioned again.You get where I'm going with this? Me and my buddy were in stitches this entire movie, whether it be the stereotypically laughable 80s "metal" soundtrack, or the small things like why and how the entire football team has matching black trench coats with their schools initials on them (what school issues black trench coats? The comedy here practically writes itself).If you're a lover of bad movies, as in "so bad you cry with laughter", then check this out, IMMEDIATELY. Almost on par with Troll 2 as the worst and funniest movie ever.