Corruption
One major theme of this film is corruption. Videodrome is used by a NATO backed corporation in order to create malignant tumors in the people who watch thus, killing people who are considered low-lifes for watching. The corrupt ideology of a group of people in a powerful position is pushed upon the world in order to have their agenda acted out on the world.
TV as Control
TV as control is a theme that is the basis of the film. Television is said to be a means of creating belief systems within people, that the person becomes ones with the television they consume. This is O'Blivion's point of view. Max's journey shows this clearly. He engages in lustful sex with Nikki after watching Videodrome. Then, his putting a gun inside of the slit in his stomach symbolizes the violence that is being put inside of him. And the Spectacular Optical Corporation seeks to use Videodrome as a means of weeding out the population them deem unfit.
Overstimulation
Overstimulation is a major theme of this film as O'Blivion speaks about the TV watcher's senses changing from watching television. That the eyes become one's ears. This means that when a person returns to the real world they listen differently, their circuitry has changed and been corrupted. We also see that Max desires to find content that is hardcore as the soft-core he runs currently isn't stimulating enough. This shows the need for more created by the television to the audience which views the content.
