The 80s Sci-Fi Horror Gem So Shocking And Weird You Won’t Believe It, Stream Now
If you never want to look at a toaster or television set the same again, Pulse is one of those movies that will birth a new phobia that you didn’t know you were capable of developing. I remember watching this movie when I was a child, and how I was afraid to use the microwave for a week. Luckily, I was at an age where I could have one of my parents heat up my Hot Pockets while I ducked for cover in the living room and waited for the ‘beep’ I needed to hear to know that I was in the clear.
The Shocking Horror Of Pulse
Not to be confused with the 2001 Japanese horror movie of the same name or its 2006 American remake that spawned a couple of straight-to-DVD sequels, 1988’s Pulse is a tense sci-fi horror film about what would happen if your household appliances tried to kill you. Think of it as a live-action version of The Brave Little Toaster, but if every appliance was the air conditioner voiced by Phil Hartman doing his best Jack Nicholson impersonation before exploding in the window frame after having a psychotic break.
Turns Everyday Objects Into Tools Of Terror
Set during a time when suburban households were furnished and equipped with new and exciting electronics, Pulse opens with a flood and a fire. While it certainly seems that the house fire was caused by the kind of crazy neighbor who wears a tinfoil hat and litters his coffee table with literature about various conspiracy theories, we learn that he was being attacked by some unknown force that entered his house through the power lines.
After establishing its source of terror, Pulse introduces us to its primary protagonist, David (Joey Lawrence). David is staying with his father and stepmother, Bill (Cliff De Young) and Ellen (Roxanne Hart), for the summer and is apprehensive about being separated from his mother like any child of divorce would be. While there is some initial tension between David and his father, it’s clear that they’re trying to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation while spending some quality time together.
Electricity Is A Killer
Not knowing what happened to the “crazy neighbor” before his arrival, David enjoys his first night alone in the suburban house while Bill and Ellen are out for the night. Like most films that focus on a young and naive central character, Pulse introduces its conflict in the form of an inexplicably fried television set that makes no logical sense as a way to let the viewer know that David suspects something strange is going on and that his parents will chalk it up to his overactive imagination. After speaking with a neighborhood boy named Stevie (Matthew Lawrence) the following day, David learns that the neighbor whose house was destroyed was certain that some sinister circuitry was taking over the suburb.
Home Sweet Hell
Through this setup, Pulse is a terrifying take on how modern technology can run amok when left unchecked. Though Bill does what any father would do and tries to come up with a logical explanation for David’s fears to put him at ease, he can’t say for certain that David is in the wrong when the very house he lives in takes on a life of its own and becomes an inescapable death trap.
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REVIEW SCORE
While watching Pulse in 2024 requires suspending a healthy amount of disbelief, the practical effects and electronically induced hazards hold up surprisingly well for a relatively low-budget ($6 million) movie that came out in the late ’80s. The close-up shots of David’s television soldering itself into sentience don’t look too far off from a modern sci-fi production that would come out today. Having just watched Pulse for the first time as an adult, I have to give credit where it’s due because the special effects are on point.
Pulse is worth your time if you want to watch a horror movie with an incredibly unique antagonist. When you decide to fire this title up on Tubi, just make sure top off the gas tank in your generator before hitting ‘play.
