When we are little, they tell us not to mess with electricity, but they don't tell us what to do if electricity messes with us. In Pulse, a young boy, David (Joey Lawrence), finds himself powerless against a malevolent electrical force (of possibly extraterrestrial origin) that travels from house to house causing fatal accidents and fires.
The premise might sound a little far-fetched, but thanks to everyone involved opting to play it completely straight, the film comes across as a very credible techno horror/thriller, with Lawrence putting in a fine central performance as the boy who struggles to convince his father (Cliff De Young) of the truth.
Director Paul Golding keeps the action moving at a fairly measured pace, gradually building the tension up to the inevitable 'humans versus electricity' finale, but he also includes a couple of exciting set pieces along the way—David almost coming a cropper in the garage and the scalding of his stepmother Ellen (Roxanne Hart) in the shower—as well as delivering some impressive macro photography of melting circuits, fuses and wires, and a cool synth score, all of which makes Pulse a nifty little '80s treat.
The premise might sound a little far-fetched, but thanks to everyone involved opting to play it completely straight, the film comes across as a very credible techno horror/thriller, with Lawrence putting in a fine central performance as the boy who struggles to convince his father (Cliff De Young) of the truth.
Director Paul Golding keeps the action moving at a fairly measured pace, gradually building the tension up to the inevitable 'humans versus electricity' finale, but he also includes a couple of exciting set pieces along the way—David almost coming a cropper in the garage and the scalding of his stepmother Ellen (Roxanne Hart) in the shower—as well as delivering some impressive macro photography of melting circuits, fuses and wires, and a cool synth score, all of which makes Pulse a nifty little '80s treat.