Shocker (1989)

Shocker: Directed by Wes Craven. With Mitch Pileggi, John Tesh, Heather Langenkamp, Peter Berg. After being sent to the electric chair, a serial killer uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player who turned him in to the police.

“A young man (Peter Berg) dreams of a killer (Mitch Pileggi)… and the dream is all too real, with his mother and sister left dead in the morning. But that is just the beginning. Once captured and executed, the story is not over but only starts anew!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWe start with a shape-shifting story inspired by u0026quot;The Thingu0026quot; and Jack Sholderu0026#39;s u0026quot;The Hiddenu0026quot;. Craven even borrowed a shot from u0026quot;Midnight Runu0026quot; of all places. Then add in executive producer Shep Gordon (Alice Cooperu0026#39;s agent), which caused the use of Cooperu0026#39;s u0026quot;No More Mr. Nice Guyu0026quot;, a song that became the filmu0026#39;s tagline. Even Cooperu0026#39;s guitarist has a cameo as a construction worker.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePeter Berg makes a strong lead, acting as the poor manu0026#39;s Christian Slater. This was one of his earliest roles, having started in the business as a production assistant. Today (2015), he has become a wildly successful actor, director and producer, most notably on u0026quot;Friday Night Lightsu0026quot;. Mitch Pileggi is also excellent, though a bit campy, and it is nice to see him in a tougher, darker role than FBI Director Skinner.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMike Mayo says, u0026quot;Wes Craven creates a fierce satire on television and the way the medium distorts our view of reality.u0026quot; Not sure I agree. If this is a u0026quot;fierce satireu0026quot; of anything, it is hidden well. I did not see a critique of television or the media in here at all, and Craven does not make a point of saying this was intended.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMayo continues, saying, u0026quot;the film is just another derivative exercise in obvious special effects, borrowing liberally from Cravenu0026#39;s own worku0026quot;, including the fact Pinker u0026quot;becomes a channel-surfing Freddy Krueger who returns to attack his enemies.u0026quot; This is absolutely true… Craven himself, in his audio commentary, notes just how similar u0026quot;Shockeru0026quot; and u0026quot;Elm Streetu0026quot; are in theme.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBoth Timothy Leary and Ted Raimi show up, so thatu0026#39;s a plus. Even Wes Cravenu0026#39;s daughter has a slight cameo. Worth singling out is stuntman Dane Farwell (who worked with Craven since u0026quot;Serpent and the Rainbowu0026quot;), who takes a few beatings, including running head first into a pole at full speed. Farwell doubled for Bill Paxton in u0026quot;Rainbowu0026quot;, and had previously doubled him in u0026quot;Spaceballsu0026quot;. Indeed, Peter Berg and Bill Paxton are physically similar in some ways.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe special effects had to be done in the last two weeks of post-production, which ate up much of the profits, after the original effects plan fell through. This last minute rush may explain any shortcomings. Craven himself says he can still see outlines that should not be visible. We also have an MPAA-required 13 cuts, which cut down on some of the darker moments (including the electrocution itself.)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you happen to be one of those who contemplate movies too deeply, you can look for the intentional use of water in the film as a Freudian symbol, saying (among other things) that there is more hidden beyond the surface. Or the u0026quot;father issuesu0026quot; Craven tried to present in regards to the poor relationship he had with his own father. Or, on the lighter side, you can ponder the legacy of John Tesh — only a local TV reporter at the time (1989), but quickly catapulted to national stardom… was it this film?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWes Craven fans will need to see this one, but may want to keep their expectations a little lower. Some parts, such as the possessed girl, are entertaining. But budget issues, special effect limitations, and a cheesy sense of humor make this much more a cult film than one of Cravenu0026#39;s best. (For those who like a little horror cheese with their beer, this may actually be a great pick.)”