Forbidden Fruit Flashbacks: as Seen on TV! Marcum Nance College

“Long live the new flesh” are the final words of the protagonist in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, Max Renn (Cronenberg 1983). The idea of “the new flesh,” is that through consumption of the next evolution of television, Videodrome, the viewer experiences TV physically. From the first time the viewer watches a program with the mind-altering signal, they begin to change carnally. Much like the users of Chew-Z in The Three Stigmata of Eldritch Palmer, upon consumption the user will never be the same again; they also experience periodic hallucinations. The film argues that some people tend to explore the dark parts of the human condition. To a ruling class, these people are dangerous. Religion and heads of state have often tried to squelch the depraved minds of the masses. Several of the characters in Videodrome had preoccupations far removed from what would be considered normal. These desires warped their minds, and led to their deaths. Niki Brand wanted to explore the sexual sadism illustrated by the Marquis de Sade in Justine and the 120 Days of Sodom; thus, furthering her career in the public eye. Max Renn wanted to show the world something edgier than people could get on other television networks, and keep people watching. On...