Shocker

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Shocker

R,

1989,

1h 51m,

Horror

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Watchlist

Watchlist

30%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

31%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

27 Reviews

31%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After being captured for a series of gruesome murders, Horace Pinker, a television repairman, faces execution by the electric chair -- but a deal with the devil allows him to come back as electricity. Once he changes into his new form, Pinker goes after the detective that brought him down, Lt. Don Parker, as well as Parker's adopted son, Jonathan. However, Jonathan's mysterious connection to Pinker through dreams might help track the killer's moves.

Critics Consensus

With an intriguing enough premise and horror legend Wes Craven on writer-director duty, the real Shocker here is just how lame the end results turned out to be.

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

Sep 5, 2023

Ever since he directed the first “Nightmare on Elm Street” in 1984, abandoning the sequels to others, Craven may be haunted by the fact that he made what many regard as the single scariest genre horror movie of the decade.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Mar 26, 2009

the camp aspects simply give way to the ridiculous while failing to establish any rules to govern the mayhem. The result is plenty of unintentional laughs.

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Feb 22, 2007

C

A revisitation of the director's favorite themes (alternate realities, parent-child dynamics, lunatics spouting one-liners) that pitifully attempts to replicate A Nightmare on Elm Street.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 7, 2025

1/4

One of Wes Craven’s worst, Shocker finds his attempt to create another enduring villain like A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger falling woefully flat.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Jul 11, 2022

In Shocker, whats expensive turns out cheap. [Full review in Spanish]

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Emma Wolfe

SpookyAstronauts

Jun 2, 2021

5/10

A really wacky ride.

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Ron S

Mar 20, 2019

Love this movie! Good clean muderous fun. It's not like anything done before at the time and i found myself horrified one minute and laughing the next.

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George R

Aug 12, 2018

Wes Craven wins again. The creativity in this movie does not disappoint. Any true metal fan should watch this for the sound track alone kudos to Desmond Child for putting that together.

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Rey M

Nov 29, 2017

Solid take on a criminal on death row and the aftermath of something that could go wrong when you try and execute someone. This film has scary parts and some very bad '80s gags as well.

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Wes Craven

Director

Michael Murphy

Lt. Don Parker

Peter Berg

Jonathan Parker

Camille Cooper

Alison

Mitch Pileggi

Horace Pinker

Richard Brooks

Rhino

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Synopsis

After being captured for a series of gruesome murders, Horace Pinker, a television repairman, faces execution by the electric chair -- but a deal with the devil allows him to come back as electricity. Once he changes into his new form, Pinker goes after the detective that brought him down, Lt. Don Parker, as well as Parker's adopted son, Jonathan. However, Jonathan's mysterious connection to Pinker through dreams might help track the killer's moves.

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Marianne Maddalena, Barin Kumar
Screenwriter: Wes Craven
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Carolco Pictures Inc., Alive Films
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 27, 1989, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.5M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround

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