Videodrome :: Husbands (1970)

Husbands is the unvarnished truth of masculinity in crisis, as deeply flawed and unflattering as it may be. In the absence of judgment and editorialization of its character’s actions, Husbands becomes one of the most wounded and unflinchingly honest deconstructions of the American male in cinema.

Videodrome :: Race With The Devil (1975)

While being a low-budget exploitation film, Race With The Devil transcends its genre trappings and sets itself apart from other drive-in movies of the 1970s. It understands that true horror — the kind that gets under your skin and lingers with you long after the credits roll — doesn’t come from blood and guts, but from the universal fear of the unknown: not knowing who to trust or who is out to get you.

Videodrome :: Thief (1981)

Thief has been hailed as a Marxist neo-noir classic, a cinematic bridge between the gritty realism of the crime-dramas of the 1970s and the hyper-stylized action films of the 1980s. But besides being a genre bedrock, Thief is a nuanced character study that serves as an allegory for the trappings of capitalism.

Videodrome :: David Lynch’s Georgia Coffee Commercials (1993)

Unlike Lynch’s other commercial work, which highlights his aesthetic trademarks while showcasing the brand’s merchandise, the Georgia Coffee campaign is as much an advertisement for the product as it is for Twin Peaks, simultaneously exhibiting the series’ seismic impact on pop culture as well as Lynch’s uncanny ability to straddle the line between the mainstream and the avant-garde.

Videodrome :: Sling Blade (1996)

Like its lead character, Sling Blade walks a fine line between mishandling sentimentality and portraying somber reality. But its characters are never caricatures, transcending tropes with an often excruciating amount of empathy and depth, none more so than Billy Bob Thornton as the tortured Karl Childers.

Videodrome :: Over The Edge (1979)

The violence and bleakness at the end of Over The Edge sets it apart from other like-minded coming-of-age/juvenile delinquent films; it chooses to resolve itself as a cautionary tale for adults instead of a celebration of youth for teenagers.

Videodrome :: True Stories (1986)

Is True Stories a musical, a comedy, a documentary, or another Talking Heads film? In retrospect, it’s all of these things and more. True Stories is an oracular film, predicting the changing landscape of Texas while simultaneously capturing America in all its peculiarities circa the mid-eighties.

Philomath Zine :: Videodrome Edition

New edition of Aquarium Drunkard’s Philomath zine. Shipping out soon to our members of our Patreon community, the Spring 2023 issue is devoted entirely to selections from the monthly Videodrome column, all penned by Chicago native turned Los Angeleno Eric Hehr. Designed and printed by Cereal Box Studio, with artwork by Denis Boudart and editing by Josh Moro, we invite you to thrill to these rollicking and incisive essays about Scorpio Rising, Wild at Heart, Eyes Wide Shut, and much more revelatory film writing.