Sometimes it is good to just sit down with a bowl of popcorn, your favorite drink and a cheesy slasher flick. This particular evening I chose Wes Craven's 1989 horror movie "Shocker." A serial killer is on the loose and the bodies are piling up. Lt. Don Parker, played by Michael Murphy, is in the middle of the investigation when the killer hits too close to home. Finding his wife, son and daughter all slaughtered by the killer, Horace Pinker, Parker's other foster son, Jonathan, also arrives on the scene. Jonathan, played by Peter Berg, has a connection to Pinker through his dreams. There are moments when you feel like Craven is taking a page out of "A Nightmare On Elm Street."
The fun begins to pick up when Pinker, played by Mitch Pileggi, is given the chair. This scene is punctuated by Megadeth's cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy." Pinker appears to have formed a demonic connection with electricity because after his supposed demise, his soul jumps from one person to another depending on whom is closest in proximity. While at the beginning of the film Jonathan was able to see Pinker's attacks beforehand, now he has to use his senses to determine if he is in Pinker's vicinity. He does receive some assistance from his dead girlfriend Allison, portrayed by Cami Cooper, who was also a victim of Pinker's. Jonathan's other friends assist in shutting off the town's power, while Pinker is trapped inside a television set. After all, he can't live without power!
I found it funny that Murphy felt the need to shout a majority of his lines. Also, when the one friend who found the door locked to the power main wanted to leave and the others refused, he somehow found the proper tool in his pocket to pick the lock. The expressions on the little girl's face who was one of the bodies that Pinker jumped into was great. I never expected her to curse, though!
A real saving grace for this movie was the soundtrack. Besides Megadeth leading the way on this Metal soundtrack, Iggy Pop, Bonfire, Saraya and Dangerous Toys added contributions as well. The title track, "Shocker," was performed by The Dudes of Wrath, a supergroup composed of Paul Stanley, Desmond Child, Vivian Campbell, Guy Mann-Dude, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Lee. No matter how many faults you find in these kinds of movies, they still provide enough entertainment to ensure you don't get bored!
