Out of all of his films, Wes Craven’s Shocker is unlike the others. It almost feels like a soft reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street. This was the second Craven film I was introduced to, and it quickly became my favorite. But it’s not without its flaws. By the time Shocker came out, New Line Cinema had released their fourth Nightmare film and was in the process of pumping out the fifth. It was clear that Nightmare had descended from a straight-up horror film with moments of comedy to full-on horror comedy. Was Shocker a middle finger to New Line? Was this Craven saying, “I can do that too, but better”?
Shocker vs. A Nightmare on Elm Street: A Subtle Reboot?
Shocker follows Jonathan Parker (Peter Berg), a college football player deeply in love with his girlfriend, Alison Clemens (Camille Cooper). Their small town is plagued by a faceless serial killer who has, so far, annihilated seven families. Jonathan has a nightmare of his foster mom and siblings being slaughtered and quickly rushes over to their house…only to find it was more than just a nightmare. Horace Pinker (Mitch Pileggi) is eventually fingered as the killer and is put to death by the electric chair. But when Horace’s death goes awry, Jonathan quickly finds out that his life is still in grave danger.
Written and directed by Wes Craven, Shocker is a heavy metal horror-comedy that delights as much as it makes you question. Craven’s creation of Horace Pinker feels much like a pseudo-Krueger. His quips and one-liners are enough to leave a grin on your face as you grimace at the underlying brutality of his actions. In both life and death, Pinker is far more terrifying than Freddy. His love of a singular blade cuts deep in each victim, and his anger only grows once he comes after Jonathan and Alison. Bloodier and bloodier, Pinker continually finds ways to one-up his previous kills. As someone who mainly knows Mitch Pileggi from The X-Files, his performance as Horace Pinker is beyond astounding. He lays into the cheese and quips with brilliant ease.
Peter Berg, on the other hand. Woof. The pre-rage bait Berg flops on-screen harder than the Deepwater Horizon. Mitch Pileggi may chew the scenery every chance he gets, but Berg gums it. His performance could be best described as someone who constantly has peanut butter in his mouth while an electronic butt plug malfunctions inside of him.
Pacing Problems: A Tale of Three Films in One
Shocker has a real pacing issue and ultimately feels like three short films in one. That is probably weird to hear after someone says it’s one of their favorite Wes Craven movies. The first third of the film goes fast and hard. By the time Pinker is arrested and executed, the film halts in its tracks. The tenish-minute park scene could be labeled a worse They Live alley fight scene. It’s flat, slow, and feels like an afterthought. All it’s useful for is setting up and paying off a MacGuffin for how to kill Pinker for good. Shocker’s nearly two-hour runtime would have been unaffected by a shorter park scene. Post-park scene, the film picks back up and turns into a fascinating cat-and-mouse chase.
It’s impossible to talk about Shocker without mentioning the incredible soundtrack. Of course, there is Iggy Pop and Bonfire, but this film was my first introduction to “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, and it’s hard not to be moved when Megadeath’s cover cranks into the film at an 11. What really sells this film’s soundtrack is the bookending of “Shocker” and “Shocker (reprise)”. Hearing Paul Stanley hit the high line, “We will have the power,” with his astounding voice, will never not give me chills. The soundtrack for Shocker is by far one of Wes Craven’s greatest soundtracks for his entire body of work.
Scream Factory’s Blu-ray Brings Shocker Back to Life
Shocker is an unfortunate blind spot for many horror fans. Its mixed response from critics (and the box office) helped the film quickly slip into film history obscurity. Thankfully, as they usually do, Scream Factory re-ignited the love for Shocker with their gorgeous Blu-ray in 2015 (and this was the first Scream release that I purchased!). The pacing might throw off some viewers, but as long as you stick with it, you’ll be greeted with a FANTASTIC third act. Shocker kills almost three decades later and it’s damn time it gets the love it truly deserves.
