Pulse (1988) Blu-ray

No decade has ever directed as much horror at children as the 1980s. Whether it was the rise of 24-hour cable movie channels, the increasingly prosperous video rental business, market research, or sheer coincidence, a disproportionate number of scary movies seemed to either court or consider young viewers with tales of juvenile protagonists and unjaded points of view. Some horror movies, like Spielberg’s Poltergeist and Disney’s Something Wicked This Way Comes, avoided the restrictive R rating and could be lean into the age-old fact that many kids enjoy being scared. Others like Pet Sematary, Child’s Play, and Cujo, earned their R’s but knew they’d still be unsettling children sooner or later and planned accordingly.

Buy Pulse from Amazon.com:
Blu-ray · Prime Video

A forgotten and not commercially successful entry to the kid-oriented ’80s horror boom is Pulse, a movie I had not even heard of until its Blu-ray arrived in the mail. I could tell from its cover art and distinctive red and black spine that this came from the ’80s. But I will admit I misread Box Office Mojo’s entry on the film and briefly thought it grossed a commanding $40 million in its 1988 theatrical release. In fact, it earned $40 thousand and only played in theaters in Texas and Oklahoma, essentially going straight to video in the other 48 states.

This one carries a PG-13 rating, so older kids and younger teens would probably be considered part of the target moviegoing audience. Supporting that theory is the fact that our lead character is played by Joey Lawrence, a future TV star who would have been just eleven years old during filming. Lawrence plays David Rockland, a boy visiting his father (Cliff De Young) and Dad’s new wife (Roxanne Hart) in the burbs of Los Angeles. Staying home to watch the Dodgers game instead of tagging along to Dad’s nighttime work function, David notices the television acting erratically. Though the idiot box returns to normalcy when the adults get home, it won’t power off and the electrical repairman called in is stumped.

By now, the viewer is already well aware that something is amiss with this suburban neighborhood’s electrical grid. The issue appears to have been behind a neighbor recently “going crazy” and the threat is only getting worse.

Writer-director Paul Golding, a USC classmate and early collaborator of George Lucas, knows how to develop the danger visually with some methodical universe building and striking electrical bolt visuals. But despite this adequate set-up, the payoff is a bit lacking, which might explain why Golding never again worked in film after making this.

Golding doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page and while this was both his first and last feature as director, he had already co-written 1984’s moderately esteemed Beat Street and contributed to a handful of other TV and film works. In a genre whose fans love keeping tabs on the people behind the thrills, Golding’s lack of a web presence and a post-1988 work history seems baffling. Is he even still around?

Joey’s younger brother Matthew, fresh off of Planes, Trains & Automobiles, appears as a neighbor kid. The third famous Lawrence sibling, Andrew, was just born a couple of months before this opened, so I’ll excuse his absence and sadly not classify this as a Horse Sense and “Brotherly Love” pre-union.

Unrelated to the 2000s Japanese techno-horror film that was remade in English by Dimension Films in 2006, this Pulse made its return to Blu-ray circulation last week, almost a decade after its format debut from Mill Creek Entertainment. The ’80s Pulse returns to print from Alliance Entertainment.

BLU-RAY DISC SPECIFICATIONS:
1.85:1 Widescreen
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (English)
Subtitles: English for Hearing Impaired
Release Date: January 27, 2026
Single-sided, single-layered disc (BD-25)
Blue Keepcase

VIDEO and AUDIO

I don’t have Pulse‘s previous Blu-ray to compare this to and I would assume this release would be a drag and drop affair of whatever restoration Alliance inherited. But, I have my doubts because I was genuinely blown away by how terrific the Blu-ray’s 1.85:1 feature presentation is. Boasting extraordinary sharpness and fine detail without losing the filmic look and grain that ’80s cinema should retain, this is a stellar showcase. All obscure ’80s movies should hope to look this good in 1080p. The 2.0 DTS-HD master audio mix also qualifies as a pleasant surprise with its occasional but powerful directionality and general crisp clarity.

BONUS FEATURES, MENUS, PACKAGING and DESIGN

Sadly, no bonus features whatsoever are included. While it would have been green to get the original trailer, when a different studio (Columbia Pictures) handled theatrical release, that probably isn’t an easy inclusion.

The static menu doesn’t even include chapters, even though the feature presentation is, naturally, broken into those.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Any catalog title arriving or returning to physical media in 2026 is a win and Pulse fans who missed out on its previous release should not hesitate to add this beautiful-looking Blu-ray to their horror collection. Fans of ’80s genre fare should find enough in here to warrant a look.

Buy Pulse from Amazon.com:
Blu-ray · Prime Video