The films of Canadian David Cronenberg tend to involve various bodily functions gone haywire. He began exploring this theme early one. His art film Stereo (1969), about ESP, and his short film Crimes of the Future (1970), about a plague that causes people to bleed fluid from their
noses and eyes, are two examples of this.
His first noteworthy work, They Came From Within (1976), concerns a scientist who creates parasites to stimulate sexuality.
Rabid (1977), which starred porn star Marilyn Chambers, revolves around a survivor of a motorcycle accident who is given an experimental penis-like growth under her arm. This enables her to suck the blood out of her victims. Not exactly something you'd want
to watch while you're eating!
A better film is 1979's The Brood. It starred Samantha Eggar and Oliver Reed, and had a better story. Reed played a psychiatrist who develops a method of externalizing the rage of his patients. One of them gives birth to a group
of deformed children, who then murder the people that their mother gets angry with.
Cronenberg's biggest hit was The Fly in 1986, a remake of the Vincent Price classic. With this movie, he moved into the mainstream and successfully combined different elements, including horror, science-fiction, and even a believable love story. It had a humanity that was missing from some of his earlier work, and Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis were unforgettable.
| NOTABLE CRONENBERG FILMS
|
YEAR |
| The Brood |
1979 |
| Dead Ringers |
1988 |
| The Dead Zone |
1983 |
| The Fly |
1986 |
| Rabid |
1977 |
| Scanners |
1981 |
| Shivers |
1975 |
| Videodrome |
1983 |
