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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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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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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David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Jul 6, 2019 2.5/4

It's interesting to note that Shocker boasts an opening stretch that hardly hints at the off-the-wall craziness that's to come...

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Heather Wixson Daily Dead Jan 6, 2016 3/5

Like a frenzied fever dream fueled by the power of righteous heavy metal, Wes Craven's Shocker is certainly one of his more oddball cult classics, an amalgam of his most ambitious ideas & a viciously wild visual style.

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John Beifuss Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) Nov 6, 2015 2.5/4

The notion that television regularly delivers violence into America's living rooms is literalized in this thoroughly wick-wick-wack but distinctive satire-chiller.

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Austin Trunick Under the Radar Sep 11, 2015 6/10

Shocker is more over-the-top goofy than scary, but it's a good deal of fun and the special effects hold up pretty well after a quarter century.

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Dustin Putman TheBluFile.com Sep 8, 2015 2/4

If "Shocker" careens off its rails, however, Craven's puppet-master command behind the scenes remains in evidence; his direction is never in doubt, even when shreds of his script are.

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Jeff Beck The Blu Spot Sep 7, 2015 2/5

Shocker represents a low point (perhaps the lowest point) in the career of horror master Wes Craven. With lazy and uninspired writing, in addition to a mishmash of ridiculous plot points, this is a film that is best (and easily) forgotten.

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Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Oct 21, 2013

Wes Craven creates Freddy Krueger. Again.

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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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Mark Kermode Time Out Jun 24, 2006

Problems arise from an uncharacteristically loose structure, which frequently brings the movie to the brink of narrative collapse; Craven's visual flair and enthusiastic pacing nevertheless deliver ample (if sometimes frustrating) rewards.

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Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Oct 9, 2005 1/5

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Aug 16, 2005 3/5

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Bill Chambers Film Freak Central Jul 15, 2005 2/5

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Greg Maki Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) Mar 25, 2005 2/5

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Luke Y. Thompson New Times Feb 13, 2005 0/5

Proof positive that Wes Craven is not, in fact, any kind of master of horror

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Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion Feb 24, 2004 1/5

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