The Brood

What the hell was that? Damn! I don't know who is more traumatised, those child actors or me. I've never really given Cronenberg much credit (he's always come off as too self-indulgent), but he sure knows how to illicit reactions in his audience. He just rattles around in your head and kicks things over. Anyone who can get me to barrack "Yeah, kill that fucking midget!" at a TV screen is doing something right.

Just fast forward to the ooey gooey last 20 minutes unless you want to have your ears assaulted by Oliver Reed making everything sound so wicked.

The concept of 'divorce' doesn't really push any of my buttons, so the central theme of this film wasn't that powerful to me. The physical manifestation concept was rather interesting, though it seems a bit mishandled. It just feels like more could have done with the ideas here. But I have to admit, this is the best 'licking a bloody fetus ripped from an outer-body meatsack' film I've seen. Beats that home video of my birth by a mile.

For me this is the first of a series of good Cronenburg horror flicks, the kind of horror that makes your skin crawl or gets inside your head and fills it with such oddity you think it may explode (see Scanners). I think one of the key ingredients that was missing before The Brood is Howard Shore and his musical prowess. In terms of the story this one's a bit rough and ready, but scrapes in just enough of a premise to justify the weirdness. Doesn't paint a pretty picture of custody battles.

Cronenberg films are a little too out there and just gross for my taste But this is straight up my alley EVIL CHILD mixed together with PSYCHO MOMMY The kills are not fancy but brutal none the less Good story and an ending that had me cringing