Shocker: Horror Film Genre

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Shocker was made in 1989 by Wes Craven in hopes of launching a new franchise. Due to him feeling he wasn't fairly compensated for his Nightmare on Elm Street series under New Line Cinema. After watching Shocker I can understand the reason that no sequel was ever made, Shocker is a good Craven style horror film. But feels... unoriginal, as if feels like it borrows a bit to heavily from Child's Play which was released the year prior. If the similarities were on purpose or purely accidental I don't know, but they're there. Also I feel like Shocker was trying to be a Slasher, but just couldn't cohere into one. Shocker comes up to the line, but stops short and settles on being a possession/ghost story instead. Shocker follows Jonathan Parker (Peter …show more content…

Don Parker (Michael Murphy) a police detective on the trail of serial killer Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi), who's holding the town hostage in a constant state of fear. When Lt. Parker starts getting to close Pinker kills his wife and two foster kids, an event that Jonathan witnesses in a dream. During the dream he see's not only Pinker's face, but also his vehicle which is a big deal since till then no one had any idea who he might be. After informing his father, Jonathan and Lr. Parker go to Pinker's business, but Pinker escapes killing a number of officers in the process. Jonathan is featured on the news about his involvement in finding out Pinker is the killer. Which results in Pinker killing Jonathan's girlfriend Allison Clemens (Camille Cooper). Soon after another dream leads Jonathan to Pinker, and along with his father and other police officers catch Pinker in the act. After nearly escaping again Pinker is captured by Jonathan, and sent to jail where he's sentenced to die by the electric chair. Before being executed Pinker communes with the Devil and is granted his wish to not die... …show more content…

escape? The deal with devil/black magic to cheat death was already done by this point and better by the way by Child's Play. Just Charles Lee Ray aka Chucky, ends up possessing a doll rather being able to body hop. A gimmick that's basically abandons for the last part of the film. All those flaws in mind, I still like it as Shocker has some great visual moments. Mostly involving Allison post murder when she's communicating to Jonathan via his dreams. With the first sequence where she dripping in blood in a white dress being stunning and memorable. Another is when Jonathan see's all of Pinker's victims in another dream state, they have a strange zombie'esc vibe that screams trapped in purgatory till they see justice served vibe. Had Craven included more moments like this, I think Shocker would have stood a better chance of becoming a

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