| Review | The Brood (1979) | Director | David Cronenberg |
|---|---|
| Writer | David Cronenberg |
| Cast | Art Hindle, Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Henry Beckman, Cindy Hinds, Nuala Fitzgerald, Nicholas Campbell and Susan Hogan |
“Are you ready for me, Frank?” – Nola Carveth
Frank Carveth (Hindle) is experiencing lousy times. His wife Nola (Eggar) is under the care of controversial psychiatrist Hal Raglan (Reed) and requires complete isolation. Frank’s marriage is severely on the rocks and when their daughter Candy (Hinds) returns from a visit to her mother she’s covered in bruises. Frank tries to prevent further visits while Nola is in isolation but is unsuccessful and maintains that Raglan is a fraud. Further evidence seem to suggest that Raglan could be dangerous as a former patient of his claims to have a visible hideous growth on his throat due to his treatments. Then things get really weird when Nola’s mother (Fitzgerald) is attacked and killed by a small deformed creature.
Canadian director Cronenberg is one of the greats. In scanning his filmography I was sure I’d seen more of his work but the total is 11 films along with his shorts “Stereo” (1969) and “Crimes of the Future” (1970). Turns out I’ve seen most of his “Body horror genre” output and that’s what he’s most known for. It’s a type of genre I’ve never fully comprehended but Cronenberg is such a fascinating filmmaker and intelligible in interviews that it’s hard not be impressed with him. Films like “Shivers” (1975), “Rabid” (1977), “Videodrome” (1983) and “The Fly” (1986) are such trips with some truly unforgettable visuals coupled with good storytelling and suspense.
“The Brood” has always been my favourite of this type of film. First of all you get an involving story of a failing marriage and a child caught in the middle. The psychiatric treatment Nola seeks effectively bridges the gap between husband and wife even further and ultimately destroys their union. What is metaphorical in treatments of this sort becomes literal in the hands of Cronenberg and from that stems some really good horror imagery and brutal scenes of violence. This is some really heavy stuff, quite weird really, but executed in such an atmospheric and skilful manner that it’s hard not to admire. And not to mention imaginative!
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This is simply a seriously thought provoking film with arresting visuals, an effective core story tastefully handled but also coupled with brutal horrific scenes. When horror is conducted by an intelligent and provocative mind the results tend to be something that stays with you.
The cast is good too. I’ve always liked Hindle and overall he’s quite good here but a little too adamant in staying sombre and brooding throughout and comes off a little too one-dimensional. Eggar has limited screen time but she’s very effective when she pops up and her closing scenes will carve themselves into your memory. Reed is terrific here, delivering a classy and restrained performance in a tricky part.
Highly recommended.
Physical Copy
My copy of “The Brood” is the recently released 4K UHD from British label Second Sight. A/V quality is fabulous and there’s a decent assortment of new and archival extras. Especially fun to go through is a 2013 interview with Hindle and Cindy Hinds where they reminisce about the film. I’m always interested in hearing stories about the shenanigans of Oliver Reed and during the making of “The Brood” he didn’t disappoint with some drunken misbehaving’s.
Why physical copy?
I always encourage the acquisition of physical copies as I dread the day when films will only exist as files on computers and through streaming services. The companies that put the effort into making the discs, create new artwork or reproduce the originals, issue booklets and much more deserve all the financial support they can. Therefore I will always mention the Blu-rays or DVD’s (and yes; also if I review something streamed through Netflix or the like) even though I gain nothing from it personally.
