Main Cast: Cliff De Young, Roxanne Hart, Joey Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence, Charles Tyner
Release Year: 1988
Country: US
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Household appliances are generally useful and beneficent items, and most of us who own them take them for granted, but should we? This sci-fi thriller shows what happens when electricity gets a mind of its own, becomes evil and turns every-day gadgets into evil killers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Dennis Redfield - Pete; Robert Romanus - Paul; Myron Healey - Howard; Terry Beaver - Policeman; Tim Russ - Policeman; Greg Norberg - Policeman; Michael Rider - Foreman; Jean Sincere - Ruby
Credit
Maxine Shepard - Art Director, Meg Liberman - Casting, Jacqueline Saint Anne - Costume Designer, Mike Topoozian - First Assistant Director, Paul Golding - Director, Gib Jaffe - Editor, William E. McEuen - Executive Producer, Jay Ferguson - Composer (Music Score), Holger Gross - Production Designer, Maxine Shepard - Production Designer, Peter Lyons Collister - Cinematographer, Charles Skouras III - Production Manager, William E. McEuen - Producer, Particia A. Stallone - Producer, Greta Grigorian - Set Designer, Susumu Tokunow - Sound/Sound Designer, Michael Cassidy - Stunts, Michael Cassidy - Stunts Coordinator, Mick Garris - Screenwriter, Paul Golding - Screenwriter, Gary Wagner - Second Unit Director Of Photography
A malevolent, paranormal intelligence in the electrical system is moving from house to house. It terrorizes 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. Having thus wrecked one household in a quiet neighbourhood, the pulse finds itself in the home of a boy's divorced father whom he is visiting. It gradually takes control of everything, badly injures the stepmother, and traps father and son, who must fight their way out.
The taglines for this movie included It traps you in your house...Then pulls the Plug and also PULSE - The Ultimate Shocker.
When the Columbia Pictures screen is shown before the main movie starts, there's the rather distinct sound of a flame burst which is dubbed into the soundtrack as the torch on the Columbia logo ignites. This is an obvious reference to the 'Pulse' in the film taking control.
