One of the most fun mind-fucker movies out there. Dated, yes, but this only helps the film. So many ways to enjoy this classic: as pulp, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and as rich text, there is much to ponder. What to make of Prof. Brian O’Blivion’s prophecies in light of Fox News and Al Jazeera? What to make of the “Videodrome” signal in light of direct TV porn? And. . .what to make of the last 30 minutes of this film?!? I’ve seen this movie 3 or 4 times — I used to get annoyed by the end. Now I realize. . .what if it did all come together? Would that really be any better? Would the movie be better off if you could tie a nice little narrative bow on it and know what parts of the film are hallucination and what parts are “real?” Cronenberg is wiser just to drop the cow as he does without slowing the action down. The result is a “heavy” film that is fun to watch. . .over and over. . .just like “Videodrome” itself. It is Cronenberg’s unique gift to somehow present his odd, obsessed, horrible, surreal themes in a way that is so entertaining and coy. This is as much a comedy as it is a horror film. Also — Criterion has outdone itself here. The packaging is soooo fucking cool (the double DVD looks like an old BetaMax tape,) the menu screens look like bad video, and while I haven’t listened to the commentary I have watched some of the raw video footage that makes its way into the film: Samurai Dreams and the actual “Videodrome” torture sequences. Watching that on grainy video. . . .that was a little creepy.