Bonus features: theatrical trailer film highlights talent bios production notes and web links. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/02/2003 Starring: Michael Murphy Richard Brooks Run time: 109 minutes Rating... more »: R Director: Wes Craven« less
James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX Reviewed on 6/25/2009...
Wow, I was really hoping to love this one. But it's a rather boring affair. Don't get me wrong some things in it are cool, but then it just drags on and on.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Truely one of Wes Craven's best films!
08/11/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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!"
Finger licking good
Tim | Cambria Heights, NY United States | 07/28/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Shocker says "finger licking good" after he bites off the fingers of a security gurard. Now thats comedy!!!The Shocker gets the power to move his soul into different people's bodies. It becomes humorous when he goes into the bodies of a female doctor, and the body of a 10 year old girl. He also gets the power to tellepot through electric wires.This movie is good old-fashioned bloody horror, without the million dollar special effects that you see in movies nowadays."
An underrated classic!
Jack Hoffman | Cal-ai-forn-ai-aye | 01/14/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Wes Craven's renown for many of his classic horror films, but Shocker is one of his better movies, despite getting little accord from most critics. It's got great thrills throughout, especially considering that the psychotic Horace Pinker (played by then-unknown Mitch Pileggi) can transform his spirit into other people to do his bidding, including at one unnerving point a police officer. This is a horror film for sure, but there are also some elements of dark humor thrown in for good measure. As if Pinker's unhinged persona wasn't a captivating proposition enough, "Shocker" even features cameos by Timothy Leary, Eugene Chadbourne (of underground band Shockabilly, oddly enough) and the godlike John Tesh. I couldn't ask for much more than that. The budget for this film, in retrospect, does appear to have been somewhat low, but it only enhances the experience, giving it a street-level power. It's like comparing a lean 1980s Megadeth album to a one of the more recent, bloated Metallica albums. (Speaking of which, Megadeth offers up a pretty rocking rendition of an Alice Cooper song in the soundtrack; Iggy Pop and Paul Stanley contribute some songs as well.) Those high-production 1990s weren't a very good time for horror films anyway. Although this is an oversimplification, consider "Shocker" to be an indie-ish alternative to the glossy self-consciousness that's marred the horror genre of late. It should also be noted that the 1998 movie "Fallen" lifted more than one plot device from this film, so it's not like this film went unnoticed upon release. I'd definitely recommend that you buy "Shocker," or, if you're unsure, at the very least rent it. You will then know your destiny."
Soak the sponge, and strap him down!
chatchi | Chicago, IL | 10/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Capital Punishment has always been a sensitive subject in the movie industry. Speak in favor of it, you alienate one audience - speak against it, alienate another. Wes Craven's "Shocker" decides (wisely) to walk the fine line between the two viewpoints. Yes, the electric kills our most evil criminals, but it doesn't kill them all!
Horace Pinker (Skinner from "X-Files") is sent to the electric chair, but this serial killer has other plans! Horace uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player (Peter Berg) who turned him in to the police. By traveling through electrical wires, Horace Pinker knows no boundaries - he is THE SHOCKER!
PIVOTAL SCENE: When Pinker and Peter Berg fight *inside* a television set, and jump from channel to channel. Brilliant!
Backed by Megadeth's admirable cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy", this movie succeeds in every way that "The Green Mile" failed."
Electrifyingly good.
chatchi | 05/30/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some people are disappointed with this, but I can't understand why. Alright, so Wes Craven had set out to create a new Freddy, but so what? The film is an excellent joining-together of interesting characters, imaginative special effects and a crackingly good script.A serial killer is stalking the city. After an accident on the rugby pitch a teenaged boy has a dream in which he finds that the maniac is none other than local TV repairman Horace Pinker. When Pinker is put to death on the electric chair, he is able to return to life through anything with electrical systems including the TV and the human body.Gripping, well-paced thriller. Horace Pinker himself is such a different character from Skinner in the X-Files that it's hard to believe it's the same actor. Pinker is certainly one of the better of the thousands of film psychopaths and this film is certainly a cut above most of the uninspiring Freddy sequels. A wonderfully dark and sombre soundtrack is the cherry on the proverbial bakewell."