Terry's Reviews
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Pulse Columbia Tri-Star Home Entertainment – 2005 Written and Directed by Paul Golding Starring |
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| Electricity attacks a
man causing him practically destroy the inside of his house. Shortly after, across the
street, a young father named Bill (Cliff De Young) brings his son David (Joseph Lawrence)
home to spend some quality time together. Bill is splitting custody of his son with his
wife who lives in Colorado. The first night David is left alone in the house, he starts
noticing things happening with electronic appliances like the TV and washer. The next day,
when David is skateboarding, he hears a story about how the man died across the street
from a little neighborhood kid named Stevie. Soon after, David is compelled to go check
out the house across the street. Within the house David sees how all the electrical appliances, including electric wiring have been smashed and ripped right out of the walls. As David is looking at a taped outline of where the man’s body lay on the kitchen floor, he suddenly meets a creepy old man named Holger (Charles Tyner), who claims electricity has a living presence and can only be silenced by getting rid of the things that use its energy. This leads to David telling his parents what he learned and how he thinks the electricity within the house across the street is now moving over into their home. His Dad doesn’t buy into the hogwash, while his step mom (Roxanne Hart) isn’t quick to dismiss the possibility. This takes us to the last three quarters of the film where the family will face the malevolent force of PULSE. PULSE is a real sleeper that is guaranteed to please. Writer/Director Paul Golding does an amazing job taking a situation that could be utterly hooky and goofy and subdues everything giving it unexpected power. The film is shot with real sturdy visual eye, which is carried out magnificently by DP Peter Lyons Collister (who also shot THE AMITYVILLE HORROR 2005). The nice purposeful dolly moves along with Jay (MANIAC) Ferguson’s dark score bring PULSE to life. The cast is excellent. Joey Lawrence (yes, it’s him as a kid) is surprisingly good as David and keeps things real. Cliff De Young was on a real roll back when this film was made as he had done SECRET ADMIRER and FX a year or two before this film. It is nice to see Roxanne Hart in another film after HIGHLANDER. With her red hair and calm demeanor she is immediately likable. I was surprised that Joey Lawrence’s brother Matthew played little blonde friend Stevie because they look very different. Charles Tyner (THE LONGEST YARD, EVILSPEAK) is just incredible as the old man and leaves a lasting impression in just a few minutes of screen time. I’d compare his contribution to what Walt Gorney did as Crazy Ralph in FRIDAY THE 13TH. I would have loved to hear an audio commentary with Paul Golding and or seen behind the scenes footage but those are not part of this DVD. Columbia Tri Star Home Video has released PULSE in Widescreen and I’d make sure this film is added on your list of DVDs to purchase and watch. |
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