The Brood (1979) Dir: David Cronenberg
- Ridley Coote
- 16 hours ago
- 2 min read
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As I've explored the varied and expansive world of classic horror films, there are a few filmmakers who stand out more than others. John Carpenter is perhaps the most obvious one, but the other is David Cronenberg; arguably the master of goopy and gross body horror. His work on 'The Fly' is particularly notable, but this early film had been on my radar for some time too. I really wasn't too sure what to expect from the film, other than, at some point or another, there would be some depraved and disturbing development.
The practical effects were a lot more minimal than I anticipated - it was only really towards the end of the film that they were really utilised - but once they were unveiled, they were wonderfully grim, dark, and weird. Perhaps this was me being spoilt, but I was really hoping to see more of those practical effects, and the almost total absence of them was definitely a little disappointing. The hair and makeup used on some characters was a little cheesy, but certainly unnerving.
The story was very much the kind of out there body horror experience that I expected from the guy who made 'Scanners' and 'The Fly'. It took a while to really unveil that facet of its narrative, but that was by far the most effective and compelling part of the story. The rest of it was interesting, but more because it was bizarre than because it was particularly compelling. There was a fairly good level of suspense, but never so much that I could say I was truly on the edge of my seat, per-se.
Art Hindle was pretty decent in his leading role, albeit in a more understated way, but was overshadowed quite severely, really by no fault of his own, by the far more dramatic and charismatic, if a little goofy, performance of Oliver Reed in the other key role. His acting was almost comedic at times, but it kind of worked for the role, in a weird way. Samantha Egger didn't feature as much as the two men named before her, but her acting was still memorable, especially at the end of the film, where she really excelled. I'll also give a quick mention to Cindy Hinds, whose performance was, at such a young age, quite good, considering how odd the film and her role was.
Overall, despite this being slightly weaker than some of the other Cronenberg films I have seen, I still enjoyed it a fair bit. The shocking, disturbing, and altogether weird climax of the film was peak David Cronenberg, but I found myself hoping for more from the rest of the film. This might be one of Cronenberg's lesser-championed films, but it still finds a way to creep out its audience, and leave them digesting what they have just watched for hours after.
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