History YMMV / Shocker

* CompleteMonster: [[SerialKiller Horace Pinker]] is a psychotic mass murderer in a near-constant violent frenzy who [[FamilyExtermination butchers families]] [[ForTheEvulz for fun]]. He kills the main character Jonathan's mother, brother, and sister after his police detective father gets on Pinker's trail. He kills a handful of cops who try to capture him in his lair. He murders Jonathan's girlfriend in her bathroom. He mutilates two prison guards with his teeth as he's being led to the electric chair, where he reveals that Jonathan is in fact his own son and tried to stop him as [[ArchnemesisDad Pinker murdered Jonathan's real mother when he was still a little kid]]. He makes a DealWithTheDevil to become an undead being of electricity. He proceeds to [[BodySurf possess person after person]] to continue trying to kill Jonathan, draining their life force completely before discarding his hosts, including a little girl. He possesses people close to Jon so he will be forced to kill his loved ones. All his screen time is spent trying to kill or hurt someone, insulting people, or [[WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied taunting them with the people he's murdered]].

* {{Narm}}: Pinker is unable to possess Jonathan's friend Rhino because, according to him, [[ThePowerOfFriendship said friend liked Jonathan too much to let him in]]. Later in the movie, [[spoiler:he manages to possess Jonathan's ''father'' with no trouble at all]], suggesting that [[spoiler:his father apparently cares less about his son than his son's best friend did.]]

** Jonathan was played by future film director Creator/PeterBerg.

** Mitch Pileggi (Pinker) would later go on to play AD Skinner in ''Series/TheXFiles''.
** Jonathan was played by future film director [[Film/FridayNightLights Peter]] [[Film/{{Hancock}} Berg]].

* EvilIsCool: Invoked by Craven in regards to Horace Pinker, who is a copycat of another Craven villain who is also this trope, [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]]. Whether it worked is another matter, given that Pinker is an even bigger {{Jerkass}} than Krueger without much humor to offset it.
* HilariousInHindsight: Years later, the video game ''VideoGame/Persona4'' featured a SerialKiller obsessed with the TV.
** Actors Mitch Pileggi and Michael Murphy would later both act in ComicBook/{{Batman}} media adaptations. Pileggi would guest star in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' and voice TheCommissionerGordon in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', while Murphy would play the mayor of Gotham City in ''Film/BatmanReturns'', sequel to ''Film/Batman1989'' which was released the same year as this movie.

* {{Narm}}: Pinker is unable to possess one of Jonathan's friend because, according to him, [[ThePowerOfFriendship said friend liked Jonathan too much to let him in]]. Later in the movie, [[spoiler:he manages to possess Jonathan's ''father'' with no trouble at all]], suggesting that [[spoiler:his father apparently cares less about his son than his son's best friend did.]]

* CompleteMonster: [[SerialKiller Horace Pinker]] is a psychotic mass murderer in a near-constant violent frenzy who butchers families [[ForTheEvulz for fun]]. He kills the main character Jonathan's mother, brother, and sister after his police detective father gets on Pinker's trail. He kills a handful of cops who try to capture him in his lair. He murders Jonathan's girlfriend in her bathroom. He mutilates two prison guards with his teeth as he's being led to the electric chair, where he reveals that Jonathan is in fact his own son and tried to stop him as [[ArchnemesisDad Pinker murdered Jonathan's real mother when he was still a little kid]]. He makes a DealWithTheDevil to become an undead being of electricity. He proceeds to [[BodySurf possess person after person]] to continue trying to kill Jonathan, draining their life force completely before discarding his hosts, including a little girl. He possesses people close to Jon so he will be forced to kill his loved ones. All his screen time is spent trying to kill or hurt someone, insulting people, or [[WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied taunting them with the people he's murdered]].

* {{Narm}}: Pinker is unable to possess one of Jonathan's friend because, according to him, [[ThePowerOfFriendship said friend liked Jonathan too much to let him in]]. Later in the movie, [[spoiler:he manages to possess Jonathan's ''father'' with no trouble at all]], suggesting that [[spoiler:his father apparently cares less about his son than his son's best friend.]]

* AwesomeMusic: The movie's rock music songs mostly by Desmond Child basically has EvilIsCool tattooed in each one, especially Pinker's {{Villain Song}}s.

* AwesomeMusic: The movie's rock music songs mostly by Desmond Child basically EvilIsCool has tattooed in each one, especially Pinker's {{Villain Song}}s.

* AwesomeMusic: The movie's rock music songs mostly by Desmond Child basically EvilIsCool tattooed in each one, especially Pinker's {{Villain Song}}s.

* EvilIsCool: Invoked by Craven in regards to Horace Pinker, who is a copycat of another Craven villain who is also this trope, [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]].

* HamAndCheese: Pinker takes EvilIsHammy and runs with it as much as he can. And this makes his actor's performance all the more enjoyable.

* EvilIsCool: Invoked by Craven in regards to Horace Pinker, who is copycat of another Craven villain who is also this trope, [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]].

* {{Narm}}: Pinker is unable to possess one of Jonathan's friend because, according to him, [[ThePowerOfFriendship said friend liked Jonathan too much to let him in]]. Later in the movie, [[spoiler:he manages to possess Jonathan's ''father'' with no trouble at all]], suggesting that [[spoiler:his father apparently cares less about his son than his son's bestfriend.]]
* RetroactiveRecognition: Mitch Pileggi (Pinker) would later go on to play AD Skinner in ''Series/TheXFiles''.

* CompleteMonster: [[SerialKiller Horace Pinker]] is a psychotic mass murderer in a near-constant violent frenzy who butchers families [[ForTheEvulz for fun]]. He kills the main character Jonathan's mother, brother, and sister after his police detective father gets on Pinker's trail. He kills a handful of cops who try to capture him in his lair. He murders Jonathan's girlfriend in her bathroom. He mutilates two prison guards with his teeth as he's being led to the electric chair, where he reveals that Jonathan is in fact his own son and tried to stop him as [[ArchnemesisDad Pinker murdered Jonathan's real mother when he was still a little kid]]. He makes a DealWithTheDevil to become an undead being of electricity. He proceeds to [[BodySurf possess person after person]] to continue trying to kill Jonathan, draining their life force completely before discarding his hosts, including a little girl. He possesses people close to Jon so he will be forced to kill his loved ones. All his screen time is spent trying to kill or hurt someone, insulting people, or [[WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied taunt them with the people he's murdered]].

* CompleteMonster: Horace Pinker is a psychotic mass murderer in a near-constant violent frenzy who butchers entire families for fun. He kills the main character Jonathan's mother, brother, and sister after his police detective father gets on Pinker's trail. He kills a handful of cops who try to capture him in his lair. He murders Jonathan's girlfriend in her bathroom. He mutilates two prison guards with his teeth as he's being led to the electric chair, where he reveals that Jonathan is in fact his own son and tried to stop him as [[ArchnemesisDad Pinker murdered Jonathan's real mother when he was still a little kid]]. He makes a DealWithTheDevil to become an undead being of electricity. He proceeds to [[BodySurf possess person after person]] to continue trying to kill Jonathan, draining their lifeforce completely before discarding his hosts, including a little girl. He possesses people close to Jon so he will be forced to kill his loved ones. All his screentime is spent trying to kill or hurt someone, insulting people, or [[WouldYouLikeToHearHowTheyDied taunt them with the people he's murdered]].

* CompleteMonster: Pinker practically revels in his murderous nature, finding sick joy in killing entire families and taunting Jonathan about it.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Mitch Pileggi (Pinker) would later go on to play AD Skinner in ''TheXFiles''.
** Jonathan was played by future film director [[FridayNightLights Peter]] [[{{Hancock}} Berg]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: Mitch Pileggi (Pinker) would later go on to play AD Skinner in ''TheXFiles

* CrowningMomentofFunny: Most of the final battle, especially the news broadcast.
-->"Did you get that?"

* RetroactiveRecognition: Mitch Pileggi (Pinker) would later go on to play AD Skinner in ''TheXFiles''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Mitch Pileggi (Pinker) would later go one to play ADA Skinner in ''TheXFiles''.

* CrowningMomentofFunny: Much of the final battle, especially the news broadcast.