The Brood (1979)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Better Late Then Never

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Another low-budget Canadian schlocker from director David Cronenberg, who would soon go on to bigger and better things. This once again mixes psychological and visceral horrors, although I found it not to be as disturbing as either RABID or THE FLY. This time there are a few really nasty, bloody and sadistic murders, but the really sick scene is saved for the ending which shows Eggar giving birth to a monstrous creation from a womb OUTSIDE HER BODY. It's slimy, disgusting and quite simply gross, a true product of Cronenberg's warped imagination.The interesting storyline involves a doctor who urges his patients to release their inner demons. One woman does this by giving birth to monstrous creatures - born outside her body - which then attack and destroy anything she wishes. Samantha Eggar is very good in this, I never really liked her much but in this film she's excellent. The same can be said for Oliver Reed, the initially sinister doctor who turns out to be a good, misguided man and is then destroyed by his own creation. Art Hindle is the only wrong note, with his wooden acting threatening to upset the suspense.The low budget doesn't detract from this realistic-feeling film, which has believable dialogue making up for an unbelievable plot. The characters do rational things, and Cronenberg alleviates the tension and doesn't skimp on some gore sequences. The murders of a teacher and grandmother are sadistically violent experiences which we are forced to participate in by watching. This film continues Cronenberg's obsession with genetic oddities and deformity and climaxes in a scary siege scene which provides the perfect wrap up. Not the director's best but a solid fear flick nonetheless.

Frank Carveth (well played by Art Hindle) suspects that his daughter Candice (a fine and touching performance by Cindy Hinds) is being beaten by his bitter and estranged former ex-wife Nola (a supremely eerie and unnerving portrayal by Samantha Eggar), who's currently under the experimental care of and being encouraged to act out her toxic rage by controversial psychiatrist Dr. Hal Raglan (an ingeniously cast Oliver Reed, who displays admirable restraint throughout).Writer/director David Cronenberg makes the powerful and provocative point that familial abuse and violence are a cruel self-perpetuating cycle that parents pass on to their children, with a truly tragic and heartbreaking final image hammering the message home with devastating poignancy. Henry Beckman lends sound support as Nola's weakling father Barton Kelly, Susan Hogan contributes an appealing turn as sympathetic school teacher Ruth Mayer, and Robert Silverman provides amusingly wonky comic relief as vengeful eccentric Jan Hartog. Further enhanced by Howard Shore's elegant score and Mark Irwin's handsome cinematography, with an uncompromisingly grim and harsh tone, startling moments of raw brutality, and shockingly grotesque makeup f/x, this one packs quite a savage and shattering emotional wallop.

I don't know what it is about early Cronenberg movies - he seemed to deliberately cast terrible male actors in lead roles. Art Hindle is a real eye sore (much like Paul Hampton in They Came From Within). But the magnetic Oliver Reed and the sinister and sexy looking Samantha Egger more than make up for him.Cronenberg had some great ideas for his early movies. There are the gross and over the top special effects that is his trademark. And the suspicion of institutions which is a feature of Cronenberg's work (like in Scanners and They Came From Within). There are sinister organizations involved in nefarious activities in all three films.The Brood is probably the best among Cronenberg's early work. But you would have to ignore the crappy special effects and the cheesy child killers.

I like the idea of horror movies but they're usually very disappointing and predictable and dull. This one was quite enjoyable. I was actually tense at many times and swore at the screen due to my confusion at what was going on. But I liked it. I would smile in relief after a weird or suspenseful scene.I don't know why, but for some reason, Cronenberg seems to have earned my respect. I've only seen a couple of his movies (The Fly and A History of Violence), but I feel like I understand his movies. He seems to take film seriously as an art form and tries to make interesting stuff without restricting himself. He seems to have a freedom similar to David Lynch who I also seem to click with - their movies are weird but make sense in some subconscious, twisted way. So you go on their dark journeys, restraining yourself from early judgement, trusting that somehow it all leads somewhere, means something even if you're not immediately sure what.I have to say the main guy's acting was not great (the father), however Oliver Reed was awesome and the crazy lady was intense (her eyes freaked me out BIG time). Horror movies often seem to suffer from terrible acting or, at least, a dull or dark mood. My brother dislikes them for that reason, Ebert seems to have had a similar opinion. The Brood partially suffers from this: the whole plot seems a bit depressing, like there's no hope at all. It would help if the father and daughter were happier or had more chemistry. Their lives seem very boring. There's no colour or laughter or smiles to contrast with the darkness brewing. The girl's simple innocence and vulnerability does work though - you feel more worried when things happen.The scary parts were very well done. They were completely bizarre and unexpected. I had no idea what was going on or what to expect next. But it was riveting and disturbing in an entertaining way. There were times I was definitely expecting something to jump out and nothing happened or vice-versa which is refreshing. There could have been a bit more comedy or even drama to give meaning to the horror though.By the end, most things were satisfyingly explained (or you can work them out for yourself). It generally all made sense and is probably more creepy once you know what's really going on. I think any horror fan would like this movie quite a lot. For others, it's still interesting for its strangeness. I'll always remember it for its many wtf and omg moments.