The Great Unwatched: The Brood

The Great Unwatched:  A series of film reviews that focus on Scalzo's extensive library of films he owns, but has never watched.  It's kind of sad really.

Ahhh David Cronenberg.  Nobody delivers the psychological and bodily horror like Cronenberg.  I think it's safe to say one of the more terrifying movie monsters are children.  Be they possessed, psychotic, zombies, or just all around creepy.  Art Hindle stars as Frank Carveth, one of the more unlucky fathers in the history of cinema.  He's separated from his mentally unbalanced wife, Naula, played by Samantha Eggar, and attempting to gain custody of their daughter, Candice.  Naula is being treated by Dr. Hal Raglan, played quite earnestly by Oliver Reed.  Dr. Raglan's treatment is considered a sham.  He calls it 'psycoplasmics', where the mentally ill let go of their feelings through physical changes to their bodies.  This treatment has a unique effect of Naula, and leads to the death of those that stand in the way of her keeping her family intact.  

Our assailants appear to be children, but who are they and where do they come from?  I'm not going to get any further into detail as not to spoil anything.  And even if you've done the math already, you're not going to anticipate the climax.  Granted you may already be well familiar with it.  The film is over 30 years old, and the ending is one of the more famous scenes in the history of the horror genre.

Oliver Reed's performance is the stand out as the bullish, ego maniacal doctor, that eventually realizes the terror he has wrought. Art Hindle does a fine job as our beleaguered father, and Samanatha Eggar is one of the more creepy moms I can recall.  Cronenberg paces the film perfectly.  Consistently, increasing the dread and foreboding as the film speeds to its disturbing end.

What's just as interesting as the film itself, is how auto-biographical it is.  Not that Cronenberg had any killer kids running around his life at the time (but if anyone would…), he was going through a custody battle with his estranged spouse.  And leave it to him to find the most twisted way of bringing those feelings to the screen.  I'm sure the ex was able to petition for more alimony if she is at all the basis for Naula Carveth.  

As part of Cronenberg's oeuvre, I'd rank this near the top.  This is years before he crossed over to more dramatic thrillers, ala History Of Violence & Eastern Promises.  I've been meaning to catch up this for years, and only owned it for over a year.  

Grade: B

Next up: The Cronenberg train keeps rolling on with 'Scanners'.  Yes, I know…