Decoder (1984)
“Reportedly, when the first movie to use rock music in its soundtrack, Blackboard Jungle (1955), appeared in theaters it caused riots. It's fun to think about a world where the cliche sheltered youth of the 1950s just got so fucking pumped by the Bill Haley track “Rock Around the Clock” that they lost their shit, started tearing up seats, fucking each other and burning stuff. I have a feeling those reports are a little embellished, brought on by some kind of Footloose (1984) style fear of kids dancing, but there is definitely something to the notion that rhythmic sound has a drastic effect on the human animal. I don't mean this in that Tipper Gore, PMRC bullshit kind of way, more just the basic fact that sound patterns do have powerful and visible effects on the brain. I can easily see the changes myself, on my mood, speed, and even attention,based on the type of music I'm listening to. Various points have been made as to the correlations with performance during mental and physical activities, and I’m sure science will only add to that over time, that is if it's not already some kind of secret government weapon. Stores, commercials and casinos use sounds (along with colors,lights etc) to make you act a certain way , they pour a fuck ton of money into research along these lines. It's a vast, interesting and relevant concept, and when pushed to the extreme makes for a entertaining one. So I'm sure more flicks then I can recall have used it as a plot device on film, but it would be hard for any of them to be as bonkers as Decoder (1984)...”- RevTerry
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