When I saw this as a kid, I thought the floor was tickling her feet, not shocking her. I guess my little kid brain couldn’t comprehend someone actually being tortured like that. Plus, at that age, getting my feet tickled was considered torture.

If I was mad at my wife or husband I would join just to smoke and cause them pain. I think that is why they had to keep their techniques secret, so that childless people would not use them to get their revenge.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Anyone who knows about electrical wiring might have laughed also, but not 'cause the woman was suffering. Fact is, the way the electrocuation chamber was set up, it wouldn't have worked. Current only passes thru a person or tree or whatever because it's a shortcut to get to earth ground. She steps on an open circuit without any other part of her wired or connected to anything else and the current will bypass her completely. When you rub your feet on carpet then touch metal, you get a mild shock because your hand and feet are connected, your feet are on the floor and the current "thinks" (for lack of a better word) it can get to ground quicker by going thru you. Try it sometime. Rub your feet then jump before you touch metal,you WON'T get a shock. THis is also a safety precaution if a downed wire lands on your occupied car. Don't step out of the car.JUMP. Now, if the wire she stepped on was well insulated underneath and the woman's head had a wire on it connected to ground then WATCH OUT. But that would probably have killed her, which they didn't want to do.

I watched this with my family years ago. we all laughed at that scene.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
& the dog
says woof woof & the cat
says meow.

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Actually, I am sure the VOLTAGE was quite high, probably several thousand volts. Most static shocks come from voltages of thousands of volts too. After all, you CANNOT get a spark to jump a distance, such as from a doorknob to a finger, with only a low voltage, such as 100 volts or less.
It was the CURRENT that was low, and current is what "kills". A static shock is of nearly zero current, and the electrified floor was probably fed from some sort of high voltage inverter, which could produce thousands of volts but a very low current.(A couple of milliampres or so.) It STILL HURTS, but is not normally life-threatening.
The "lowly" 120 volt line in a house is MANY, MANY times more capble of killing someone than something like a taser, which often put out voltages exceeding 50 thousand volts. The taser's output is a very low current source while the 120 volt line is capable of a VERY high instantaneous current output!!

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I'd certainly vote for a remake!!

The electrocution part was humorous UNTIL the put the cat in, then that killed
the moment of sick humor. Other than that the movie was great!!!
vote predator into top 250

not sure about that, if you ask me this was the best, and the most fun segment in the film. aside from the electrocution part, the part where james woods was hallucinating was also cool heheh

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I have this story. The reason they target the client's loved ones is that it's one thing to allow yourself to be tortured, but it's quite another to allow a loved one to be targeted because of your slipup. Not many people would allow that, so it's actually a good way to get at people. As for the voltage, was very low. You know what it feels like when you get a static electricity shock (like when you walk across a carpet and touch a doorknob or something)? The voltage Quitters Inc. used was a little stronger than that. Not enough to kill her (or even really hurt her), but enough to sting. Part of her reaction was also because she was terrified. Her husband hadn't told her anything about what Quitters Inc really does. All she knows it that strangers show up at her house, take her away, and start shocking her. That would scare anyone, I'm sure.

My guess is that Quitters Inc targets torturing the clients loved ones when they smoke so it can make them quit.I dont think the scene was practical though.I dont know how someone could survive mulitple shocks one after another, well unless the voltage was low.I remember the doctor telling him that she'd be fine but I dont see how thats possible.

I dont see why Donatti didnt just torture the client,not the innocent wife cooking at home

Simulated violence is almost always funny. Especially the scene in question.

Hmm all i know is the name of the song which is "96 Tears"..Its and oldie..I agree the scene was very funny,they should have shown more though.

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Were Mr. Donatti & Junk mobsters? They seem like they are

In the book, it explains that Quitters, Inc. is a pragmatic company. They use a practical, matter-of-fact method. They find out all they can about their client (in this case that he has a wife he loves and a son who is mentally incapable of understanding why anyone would hurt him). They use the client's love for their family to 'encourage' them to quit smoking.
It details their method of treatment: If the client slips up once, the wife gets a short treatment in the electric room, painful but no injury. Slip up 2-4 times, longer more painful treatments. Slip up 5 times, the boy gets beaten up, etcup to 10 times. If the client slips up that 10th time, he is killed.
You see, Quitters, Inc. guarantees their clients quit smoking permanently (even if they have to kill them to make it happen). It also goes into the weight gain that usually happens when a person quits smoking. They give you a certain weight you have to stay under, and if you go over that weightthey cut your spouses little finger off.
In reply to the poster who mentioned that it sounded like the mob, that is somewhat correct. The book explains that Quitters, Inc. was endowed with funds from the family of a mobster who died of lung cancer. I'm sure they also hire their enforcers (like Junk) from the family business.

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You know I have to agree with redrumskum,the scene was cruel and a very cold hearted thing for Mr.Donatti and that other guy Junk to do but it was funny.I always wondered why that lady Mrs.Morrison was wearing nylon,was that suppose to make the shocking hurt more than its suppose to ? Its always boggled my mind. Another thing is were they going to try and kill her in front of him or just torture her to make him feel bad for smoking. Overall the movie is good but I never seen anyone articulate that scene so I thought I bring up some questions I had about the scene

my mom cracked up when we first saw that movie and as a child i didn't see the humor, maybe cuz they shocked the cat too and im a cat lover. but as i got older it really is funny, and her hair is hilarious!

i c a li-toe si-lo-weh-toe of a man
SKA-LAH-MOOSH SKA-LA-MOOSH

Kudos on the "1985 not 1905" line.
Amateurs built The Ark, professionals built The Titanic.