Pulse (1988)

hyped garbage

Fresh and Exciting

As Good As It Gets

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

One of the problems that cinema of the 1990s and 1980s is that filmmakers and audiences never really knew what they had on their hands. The Exorcist III by William Peter Blatty, for instance, was probably one of the greatest thrillers ever made and yet audiences and Hollywood executives at the time just didn't know what they had. Pulse is another example of a film that came just too early to be appreciated. It's a solid concept and a solid thriller that probably would be a bigger hit today than in the 1980s when there were no cell phones or computer controlled cars because the idea is so much scarier and more real these days. So on the one hand, Pulse suffers from being too early. But on the other hand, it's also not exactly good. When you talk about all the underrated horror gems of the 80s and 90s (Exorcist III, Pumpkinhead, In the Mouth of Madness, The Resurrected, Prince of Darkness, or Event Horizon) Pulse will never make that list because it's just too flawed. Pulse suffers from "Writer/Director disease", where there isn't enough eyes on a single scene or concept to really understand how it works. The idea of making the main character a little kid instead of the step mom (who steals the show) seems like something someone else should've mentioned during pre-production. Certain scenes feel out of place in the film and you can tell that a large part of the movie was left on the cutting room floor. I'm not saying the movie would do better with a longer running time, because in this case the film is tight enough to hang together, but a lot of ideas are picked up and dropped (voices in the wires, a tv set that seems to talk to you, other houses in the neighborhood being infected). All in all, Pulse suffers from being too early and not well defined enough from the rest of the 80s horror pack. It tries very hard to be Poltergeist but the flaws in the script and the direction just can't pull it off.

Late one night, Bill and his girlfriend Ellen were woke up by their neighbour who was yelling at the top of his lungs inside of his home. When the cops arrived, the man was dead and the house had wires hanging from the ceiling and the walls. We are then introduced to Bill's son David who is staying with Bill and his new wife for the summer. Pretty soon, David begins to see weird things happening to the television set in the house. The picture goes in and out, and it turns on and off on it's own. similar strange things happen to other appliances around the house as well. It quickly becomes apparent to both son and father that something is not right, and that an evil electrical "Pulse" is growing within their house.I got Pulse in the horror section, but it's more of a sci-fi/thriller flick. And a pretty good one at that! The plot of "killer appliances" may sound ridiculous, but 'Pulse' does a good job at making it realistic enough for a full length film. We see that the characters are in actual danger because of the electrical force, and that the pulse can cause serious occurrences such as gas leaks and water burns. The acting was a positive, Joseph Lawrence (who was at a very young age) did a great job in the lead. Cliff De Young and Roxanne Hart were great as well. Some of the special effects were effective as well. 'Pulse' takes us inside of the television at one point as shows us all of the wiring. It's done well.The bodycount is pretty much non-existent, therefore 'Pulse' isn't a much of horror film. It's an effective sci-fi/thriller film that is worth a look if you come across it.6/10

The idea of a malevolent force living inside the local power lines (and thus, inside your home) is not a bad one. We can probably live with the plot, but what about the movie? The fact that we are treated to multiple shots of stuff like, oh I don't know, the thermostat (accompanied by tense music) to heighten our fear should give you the answer.Apparently an electrical storm causes something to happen at a substation. Exactly what happens we will never know, because we pretty much see the lightning strike, then spend some time watching different film angles of power lines and equipment overlaid with the opening credits. I think that the lightning strike created "The Pulse," allowing it to travel over the wires finding a safe place to kill people, but do not quote me on that.Enter Bill, Ellen, and David, the standard (fissionable) elements of a nuclear family. His dad's house might be in a well to do neighborhood, but Bill has installed all sorts of bars on the windows to prevent forced entry. Since the chances of a burglary in this film are probably nil, we can bet they will be unable to leave the cursed house at some point due to Bill's paranoid security measures.Demonic forces (even ones with polarity) love to torment young children and the little wuss makes a perfect target, so how does it screw with David? By cracking gas mains, making the television go freaky, and eventually turning the home into a flaming death trap. It is all very silly to me, including the grass dying around the house. The current usually stays inside the wires or various appliances, why would plant matter start dying? Guess it just seemed like a "horrific" thing to happen.If there was ever a movie the Amish would enjoy this is it ("See Jeremiah! Machines are the Devil's work! Now go outside and round up your six brothers for supper."), perhaps that was the audience targeted when it was produced? If so then someone in marketing got fired, probably beat up and then fired now that I think about it.

Forget The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Ghostbusters; when it comes to fear and suspense 'Pulse' tops them all and goes even higher. Who would have though that electricity could be scary, yes, we all know that it can kill you if you get an electric shock from it but how many of you have ever thought about what would happen if some electricity turned evil? That's right, probably none of you. And that's what's in the is film, some evil electricity happens from some when and takes over a house and melts stuff and then sets fire to the house. I don't want to say any more about this film, not because I would spoil it for you but simply because I know that if I think about 'Pulse' for much longer I will never sleep again, through sheer terror.