Watch Pulse For Free

Let's be realistic.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Fantastic!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

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.

Good, above average sci-fi / horror / thriller makes the most out of a fairly unique premise. Ever likable Cliff De Young plays divorced father Bill, whose son David (Joey Lawrence of future 'Blossom' fame) comes to stay with Bill and his new wife Ellen (Roxanne Hart) for a while. Unfortunately, this happens while a pulse of electricity - which seems to have become some sort of sentient being - is out to terrorize and destroy home owners in the neighborhood."Pulse" offers a fresh change of pace from the slasher films that often took predominance in the 1980s. It's written and directed by a man named Paul Golding, who does a pretty good job. Some viewers can take issue with the concept, or the fact that it's never sufficiently "explained", while others will appreciate the ambiguity of the plot. Assisted by a top notch crew, Golding is successful at combining a number of genuine jolts with some traditional suspense. There is some gore but not enough for more squeamish viewers to truly get upset about. Spooky music by Jay Ferguson and excellent special effects by Richard O. Helmer are heavy assets.The cast is believable and engaging. For a while, Bill may frustrate some people by being one of those Stubborn Dummies common to film, but he's not an overbearing example of this type of character. The lovely Hart, and young Lawrence, are similarly appealing. Solid support is provided by Lawrences' kid brother Matthew (as a neighborhood child) and top character actor Charles Tyner (as a creepy old man who seems to know the score). Other familiar faces in smaller roles are Robert Romanus of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" fame (as a TV repairman), and Myron Healey ("The Incredible Melting Man") as a helpful old neighbor. Look for Tim Russ ('Star Trek: Voyager') in a bit as a cop.Overall, a solid shocker, that appears to offer a comment that we take our modern conveniences for granted, and that they can strike back and kick us in the ass.Eight out of 10.

The opinions on "Pulse" appear to be very diverged around here. Approximately half of the reviewers claim it's a very original and genuinely suspenseful thriller, whereas the other half thinks it's a ludicrous and far-fetched piece of rubbish. Even the rating is exactly 5.0 out of 10 at this particular moment, so I guess it's safe to say this is a film you either love or hate. I must admit I belong in the first camp. The basic idea of electrical impulses suddenly developing homicidal tendencies may indeed sound a bit grotesque and implausible, and the complete lack of valid explanation is most unfortunate, but generally speaking "Pulse" contains more positive aspects than negative ones. For starters, the continuously high level of suspense. This might very well be the horror film with the absolute lowest death toll of the entire 80's decade, and yet it didn't bother me for a single second because the tension was constantly there and often even nearly unbearable. There's only one fatality, at the very beginning of the movie and even appearing off-screen, still you'll be sitting on the edge of your seat more than once. This is also one of the rare 80's genre films where you honestly care for the lead characters and actually don't want for them to die! The leads are a three-headed suburban family, existing of the father, son and stepmother. The son joins his father and his sympathetic new wife during school holiday, but quickly notices something isn't kosher in the neighborhood. And David is right, as a seemingly intelligent electrical pulse is gradually taking over all the circuits and transforming electronic devices into murderous machines. The same thing overcame their neighbor, but everybody just thought he was crazy. Writer/director Paul Golding definitely had some bright ideas when making this film, and it's admirable that he was resistant to turning this into a bloody carnage flick. Oddly enough, the sight of melting circuits and vibrating wires is a lot scarier than I thought. "Pulse" features some extremely powerful sequences, like Roxanne Hart in the shower and Cliff De Young narrowly escaping death by electrocution in the flooded kitchen. Roxanne Hart depicts the most lovable female horror character I've seen in years! She's the most atypical stepmother imaginable: gorgeous, friendly, helpful and intelligent. She almost immediately believes the drivel about electric terror, and that's not common in horror films. "Pulse" is definitely an underrated 80's horror/thriller gem.

OK,quick synopsis.electricity in people's houses starts going haywire.it starts whispering to people,driving them insane.it then takes over their houses,turning them into death traps and murdering them.notice i said murder,not kill.this is because the deaths are deliberate,not accidental.r-i-i-i-ght.obviously the whole idea is ludicrous.now, the implausibility of the basic premise could be somewhat forgiven if there were any reason or explanation given for what is happening, but alas,there isn't.no attempt is even made to explain the events.they just happen and that is a large problem.even a lame attempt would be better than none.and don't get me started on the ending.oh what the heck.the ending- makes no sense at all.the movie basically just ends.no loose ends are tied up.but there were some positives.the acting was decent,given that the actors had so little to work with.and there were some tense moments.not the worst movie ever made just not a good one. all in all ,an empty unsatisfying experience. a low 4/10