Shocking films!
November 10, 2013 3:36 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for scenes in movies that feature electricity.
I'm looking for as many scenes as I can find that feature electricity in some way - from the electrocution scene in The Believers to the lightning strike in Back to the Future to the re-animation of Frankenstein's monster. I'm focusing on live-action instead of animation, and fiction instead of documentary. I'm most interested in electricity in everyday settings, instead of outer space (though earth-bound sci-fi is OK), but I'll take any ideas!
I've got TV Tropes covered as a resource, so I'm looking for specific examples that you might help me brainstorm here. Thanks!
I'm looking for as many scenes as I can find that feature electricity in some way - from the electrocution scene in The Believers to the lightning strike in Back to the Future to the re-animation of Frankenstein's monster. I'm focusing on live-action instead of animation, and fiction instead of documentary. I'm most interested in electricity in everyday settings, instead of outer space (though earth-bound sci-fi is OK), but I'll take any ideas!
I've got TV Tropes covered as a resource, so I'm looking for specific examples that you might help me brainstorm here. Thanks!
I recall the CIA and its Uruguayan counterparts using electricity in a particularly ugly way in Costa-Gavras's State of Siege. Unfortunately, it seems to have been based on truth.
posted by LonnieK at 3:47 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by LonnieK at 3:47 PM on November 10, 2013
the (wonderful!) ending (HUGE spoilers there) of Safety Not Guaranteed
posted by changeling at 3:48 PM on November 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by changeling at 3:48 PM on November 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
The original Taking of the Pelham 123 has a chilling suicide by electrocution scene.
posted by vrakatar at 3:49 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by vrakatar at 3:49 PM on November 10, 2013
How about people receiving electroconvulsive therapy? Here is an article discussing its use in film, and the wikipedia page has a long list of films in which it is used.
posted by goo at 3:54 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by goo at 3:54 PM on November 10, 2013
Cheesy 80s horror Pulse might fit the bill:
"An intelligent pulse of electricity is moving from house to house. It terrorises the occupants by taking control of the appliances, either killing them or causing them to wreck the house in an effort to destroy it. Then it travels along the power lines to the next house, and the terror restarts."
Also the aptly named Shocker contains some 'electrifying' scenes:
"After being sent to the electric chair, a serial killer uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player who turned him in to the police."
I'll show myself out...
posted by NordyneDefenceDynamics at 3:54 PM on November 10, 2013
"An intelligent pulse of electricity is moving from house to house. It terrorises the occupants by taking control of the appliances, either killing them or causing them to wreck the house in an effort to destroy it. Then it travels along the power lines to the next house, and the terror restarts."
Also the aptly named Shocker contains some 'electrifying' scenes:
"After being sent to the electric chair, a serial killer uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player who turned him in to the police."
I'll show myself out...
posted by NordyneDefenceDynamics at 3:54 PM on November 10, 2013
oh oh also the lightning scene in Almost Famous. so good.
on preview, goo's comment reminded me of Dorothy's electroshock therapy in Return to Oz & the subsequent lightning storm.
man alive that movie was wonderfully traumatizing.
posted by changeling at 3:59 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
on preview, goo's comment reminded me of Dorothy's electroshock therapy in Return to Oz & the subsequent lightning storm.
man alive that movie was wonderfully traumatizing.
posted by changeling at 3:59 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Sorcerer's Apprentice uses Tesla coils throughout. Here is an early scene and SPOILER ALERT! part of the ending.
posted by rakaidan at 3:59 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by rakaidan at 3:59 PM on November 10, 2013
The Prestige features at least one scene of Tesla experimenting with electricity, sort of.
posted by maximum sensing at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by maximum sensing at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2013 [5 favorites]
Electric Shocks in Culture
Listology
Another list
and one more
posted by anoirmarie at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2013
Listology
Another list
and one more
posted by anoirmarie at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2013
Response by poster: These are great, thanks! Keep 'em coming! Also, any scenes that suggest the transmission of electricity are welcome, like transformers, power lines, etc., and anything connecting electricity to a spiritual world, e.g. Poltergeist !
posted by Ms. Toad at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by Ms. Toad at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2013
Electricity figures in in Michael Caine's criminally neglected A Shock To The System
posted by Benny Andajetz at 4:10 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Benny Andajetz at 4:10 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
Christmas Vacation!
King Ralph - entire royal family gets electrocuted leaving John Goodman king of England
The Money Pit - shocking doorbells, electrical fire traveling wires through kitchen
posted by cecic at 4:11 PM on November 10, 2013
King Ralph - entire royal family gets electrocuted leaving John Goodman king of England
The Money Pit - shocking doorbells, electrical fire traveling wires through kitchen
posted by cecic at 4:11 PM on November 10, 2013
The 1908 film Electrocuting an Elephant is pretty much what it sounds like.
posted by Mike1024 at 4:18 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Mike1024 at 4:18 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
The time-travel effect in the Terminator series.
Electric chair scenes in The Green Mile.
Lightning striking Number 5 in Short Circuit.
Lightning much used by one of the Storms in Big Trouble in Little China (and briefly by Egg Shen in the opening scene, come to think of it).
The climactic scene of Little Shop of Horrors (1986).
Bond vs Oddjob in Goldfinger.
posted by stebulus at 4:32 PM on November 10, 2013
Electric chair scenes in The Green Mile.
Lightning striking Number 5 in Short Circuit.
Lightning much used by one of the Storms in Big Trouble in Little China (and briefly by Egg Shen in the opening scene, come to think of it).
The climactic scene of Little Shop of Horrors (1986).
Bond vs Oddjob in Goldfinger.
posted by stebulus at 4:32 PM on November 10, 2013
The Iron Giant.
posted by stebulus at 4:33 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by stebulus at 4:33 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
The rats stealing electrical cable in The Secret of NIMH.
posted by stebulus at 4:52 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by stebulus at 4:52 PM on November 10, 2013
Downton Abbey: The Dowager Countess shielding her eyes from the new electric lights as she remarks that she couldn't have that stuff in her house; a housemaid pranked into checking the electrical outlets for dangerous "vapors" as she tidies the house for the night.
Breaking Bad: Walter White burning through his handcuffs with the bare wire from a coffeemaker.
posted by Corvid at 5:03 PM on November 10, 2013
Breaking Bad: Walter White burning through his handcuffs with the bare wire from a coffeemaker.
posted by Corvid at 5:03 PM on November 10, 2013
In Disco Dancer, the hero's mother is electrocuted by his electric guitar, giving rise to this memorable line: "He's got guitar phobia. A guitar killed his mother." (the evil rival of the hero disco dancer tries to kill him by electrocuting his guitar, but his mother finds out about the plot and sacrifices herself to save him, causing him to develop guitar phobia and be unable to perform for the International Disco Dancing Competition. Great movie).
posted by pravit at 5:04 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by pravit at 5:04 PM on November 10, 2013
Powder is full of these, I'm sure.
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 5:11 PM on November 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 5:11 PM on November 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
yes, the prestige!
this is pretty much how I imagine Bowie enters every room, ever
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:12 PM on November 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
this is pretty much how I imagine Bowie enters every room, ever
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:12 PM on November 10, 2013 [2 favorites]
Superman III (1983) - Super Computer Powering Itself Scene (esp. from 1:28)
posted by stebulus at 5:13 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by stebulus at 5:13 PM on November 10, 2013
The plane getting struck by lightning in Airplane!.
posted by stebulus at 5:21 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by stebulus at 5:21 PM on November 10, 2013
Much of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation concerns Griswold's fight with electricity.
(...and whoops! : On preview, I see that cecic mentioned it above...)
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 5:22 PM on November 10, 2013
(...and whoops! : On preview, I see that cecic mentioned it above...)
posted by AsYouKnow Bob at 5:22 PM on November 10, 2013
The Ice Storm features a scene with electrical lines and the misfortune of a character who gets electrocuted by it. Also, Friday the 13th parts 6 and 7 have electricity scenes.
posted by hazel79 at 5:29 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by hazel79 at 5:29 PM on November 10, 2013
Hot tub time machine!
Cube Zero has an electrified room, you can see a bit of it at 1:34
I could probably find more examples - I work in visual effects, and we have to add electrical arcing a lot! memail me if you need more.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:39 PM on November 10, 2013
Cube Zero has an electrified room, you can see a bit of it at 1:34
I could probably find more examples - I work in visual effects, and we have to add electrical arcing a lot! memail me if you need more.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:39 PM on November 10, 2013
and anything connecting electricity to a spiritual world
Highlander.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 6:01 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
Highlander.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 6:01 PM on November 10, 2013 [1 favorite]
My Twentieth Century is a weirdie of a film but features a very early "electrical" parade supposedly at the turn of the last century so people are walking around wearing lightbulbs, attached to cords, etc.
posted by jessamyn at 6:24 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by jessamyn at 6:24 PM on November 10, 2013
Mel Gibson gets tortured with electricity in one of the Lethal Weapon films - 2, I think.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 6:31 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 6:31 PM on November 10, 2013
James Bond vs. thug in the pre-credits scene of Goldfinger.
"Shocking! Positively shocking!"
posted by kirkaracha at 6:36 PM on November 10, 2013
"Shocking! Positively shocking!"
posted by kirkaracha at 6:36 PM on November 10, 2013
The opening of Sweet Home Alabama has a scene with lightning striking a beach.
There is a lot of electricity featured in the Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Most is described in the answer part of this question.
posted by gudrun at 6:57 PM on November 10, 2013
There is a lot of electricity featured in the Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Most is described in the answer part of this question.
posted by gudrun at 6:57 PM on November 10, 2013
In Return of the Jedi the Emperor is really good at zorching Luke and Vader with electricity.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:08 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 8:08 PM on November 10, 2013
Sid the Science Kid: The Movie! (animated) has a robot that gets zapped with static electricity from a Van de Graaff generator. Yes, I am a parent of a two year old.
In Rat Race, Wayne Knight's character gets shocked by an electric fence while holding a human heart (to be used as a transplant) which causes the heart to start beating.
posted by 1367 at 8:23 PM on November 10, 2013
In Rat Race, Wayne Knight's character gets shocked by an electric fence while holding a human heart (to be used as a transplant) which causes the heart to start beating.
posted by 1367 at 8:23 PM on November 10, 2013
Ernest Goes to Jail
Similar to Pulse and Shocker mentioned above, there's Ghost in the Machine. Ostensibly he's transferred into a computer, but he does a lot of things with electricity.
posted by RobotHero at 8:28 PM on November 10, 2013
Similar to Pulse and Shocker mentioned above, there's Ghost in the Machine. Ostensibly he's transferred into a computer, but he does a lot of things with electricity.
posted by RobotHero at 8:28 PM on November 10, 2013
Peter O'Toole gets zapped in electrical combat with Nigel Green (The Electric Messiah) in The Ruling Class.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:28 PM on November 10, 2013
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:28 PM on November 10, 2013
The Postman Always Rings Twice
One way to try to kill Papadakis is by electricity. I think I remember only a cat gets electrocuted, though...
posted by Namlit at 12:09 AM on November 11, 2013
One way to try to kill Papadakis is by electricity. I think I remember only a cat gets electrocuted, though...
posted by Namlit at 12:09 AM on November 11, 2013
Storm from the X-Men.
The Emperor from Star Wars.
The transformation scene in Mr. Blue's lab in The Incredible Hulk.
posted by XhaustedProphet at 2:33 AM on November 11, 2013
The Emperor from Star Wars.
The transformation scene in Mr. Blue's lab in The Incredible Hulk.
posted by XhaustedProphet at 2:33 AM on November 11, 2013
"The Sword of Damocles" scene from Rocky Horror Picture Show.
posted by oceanjesse at 4:09 AM on November 11, 2013
posted by oceanjesse at 4:09 AM on November 11, 2013
The skin gets burned off Liam Neeson's hands (on some kind of electric coils) in Darkman.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:51 AM on November 11, 2013
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:51 AM on November 11, 2013
I'm shocked that no one has mentioned Crank: High Voltage. A major part of the film revolves around Jason Statham desperately finding new ways to electrocute himself in an effort to keep his artificial heart going.
posted by gimli at 7:06 AM on November 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by gimli at 7:06 AM on November 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Addams Family Values has a key scene at the end involving electricity (and another earlier on involving a tub and a boombox).
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 1:20 PM on November 12, 2013
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 1:20 PM on November 12, 2013
The Slayers in Krull have red electric-ish effects in their weapons, and when they die.
posted by stebulus at 5:33 PM on November 12, 2013
posted by stebulus at 5:33 PM on November 12, 2013
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I think there was something like that in Weird Science.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:37 PM on November 10, 2013