THE
BROOD (1979)Director: David Cronenberg
MGM
THE
BROOD (1979)Canadian director David Cronenberg
has produced some of the most bizarre, dark and disturbing films of modern horror
cinema, so it's no surprise he has developed a strong cult following. Beginning
his film career in 1975 with the apartment building shocker SHIVERS, which was
quickly followed by 1977's RABID starring Ivory Snow girl turned porno chic
queen Marilyn Chambers, THE BROOD was only Cronenberg's third horror film, but
it displays all the intelligence of a much more experienced director in the
genre.
Psychiatrist Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed in a surprisingly subdued performance) has perfected a revolutionary form of therapy termed "Psychoplasmics," where the subject releases their emotions in the form of blemishes or growths on their body. His star patient is Nola Carveth (the amazing Samantha Eggar), an emotionally unstable woman who suffered through an abusive childhood and now lives separated from her husband Frank (Art Hindle) and young daughter Candy (Cindy Hinds), isolated in Raglan's woodland spa. When a series of nasty murders are committed by child-like monsters, Frank must discover their connection to Raglan and his wife's completely unorthodox therapy sessions.
THE
BROOD is perhaps the best introduction to the twisted world of David Cronenberg.
Everyone is a potential victim and through every twist and turn, there remains
no hope for humanity, let alone the primary characters. There is a lot of physical
and emotional pain on-hand throughout the film, which doesn't make for pretty
viewing. The disturbing murders aren't overly bloody, but are so vicious and
revolting in nature they indulge cringing even when very little is shown. Cronenberg
bathes his film in an atmosphere of unease, and even his usual pitch-black humor
can't be found (unless it's so pitch-black I couldn't see it!). Helping bring
Cronenberg's fantastic tale to vicious life are Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar,
playing off each other in a very bizarre father-and-daughter-type relationship.
Reed, known for his over-the-top scenery-chewing characters, seems like a perpetual
fuse ready to blow, but who never lets lose with all the violence HIS character
has pent up inside. Even in his final confrontation with the brood, he doesn't
fight as hard as his character wants to. Eggar is 
such
a broken and battered woman we never really know WHAT to make of her; the viewer
at first believes she is the vehicle of the psychotic Dr. Raglan, but it turns
out the game is being played vice versa. Her "birth scene" is absolutely
unforgettable and a show-stopping setpiece if there ever was one! One of the
most original and frightening of 1970s horror films, Cronenberg's BROOD also
features some of the most chilling villains of the entire genre: the screeching
demon children with faces like rotten apples and the blood lust of a panther.
MGM's
1.85:1 letterboxed anamorphic transfer is as gorgeous as it could possibly be.
The cover box lists an R rating, but this is the unrated version of the film,
with extended footage of the "cub licking" and a few extra whacks
of violence. Previously available on a British fullframe DVD (similarly uncut),
this is a vast improvement, with bold colors, sharp blacks, and any scenes too
dark on previous versions are bright and clear. Some scenes appear a tad soft,
but none enough to be distracting. The mono mix is very strong, with Howard
Shore's dramatic score bursting forth at the precise right moments, and dialogue
well-rendered.
Unfortunately, for such an important horror film with a large cult following, all that's been included in terms of extras is the well-done theatrical trailer. Even Image's SHIVERS disc has a lengthy David Cronenberg interview, so it would have been nice to have seen Cronenberg in a similar featurette, if not a feature-length audio commentary.
A last-minute surprise addition to MGM's August horror film line-up, this is one of the most serious and dark of the lot, but probably the most influential and disturbing. Highly recommended viewing, I just wish it was a Special Edition. Perhaps MGM will revisit it along with Cronenberg's SCANNERS, which they also released barebones, but until that day comes, this disc is the best video version to own. (Casey Scott)