The Brood
Reviews
Wuchak
***When inner rage is personified*** A man (Art Hindle) investigates a pop psychologist’s unconventional therapy techniques after his daughter shows signs of abuse when visiting her mother (Samantha Eggar) undergoing the secretive treatments. The mystery deepens when people linked to the situation wind up slain by… the Brood. Oliver Reed plays the strange, formidable doctor. “The Brood” (1979) is a psychological drama/horror written & directed by David Cronenberg after his divorce & custody battle, which makes sense once you see the movie. As my title blurb states, the theme concerns the personification of internal rage, whether conscious or subconscious, which wasn’t a new concept in 1978 when the film was made; think “Forbidden Planet” (1956). A couple issues of the Man-Thing comic also addressed the issue in 1974. To forge the script Cronenberg combined this element with the oft-used idea of nefarious offspring a la “Village of the Damned” (1960) and “Children of the Damned” (1964). One highlight is Reed’s intense performance and understated, intimidating presence. He was one of Brando’s few contemporaries that matched his brooding magnetism. Another highlight is the setting of Toronto in the late winter (or early spring), particularly the awesome Somafree facility in the country. The realistic tone is good and the movie has the confidence to take its time, but some parts & dialogues are too slow, which tempts your mind to wander. Also, the movie scores poorly on the female front. The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes and was shot in Toronto & Mississauga, Ontario. GRADE: B-
John Chard
They're her children. More exactly, they're the children of her rage. The Brood is written and directed by David Cronenberg. It stars Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar and Art Hindle. Music is by Howard Shore and cinematography by Mark Irwin. Frank Carveth (Hindle) attempts to uncover the truth about an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife. Could the treatments at the Somafree Institute have anything to do with the recent series of brutal murders? Come 1979 one David Cronenberg was getting into his grove for laying down a marker for body horror and psychological distortion. The Brood is at its core a little "too" out there, but it is high on thought provoking worth and as we would come to expect from the great director, it's also in turns repulsive. Crucially, as is the director's want, it isn't spoon feeding you answers, the narrative gaps are deliberate, pic urges you to invest your all or get nothing in return. Pace is very much on the slow burn, the story trundling along as we get to grips with the key characters - most importantly that of Nola Carveth (Eggar). Working with a par for the course tight budget, Cronenberg goes big on atmosphere and simmering tension (utilising his cinematography know how), stopping only briefly for some short sharp shockery as strange mutant children - maybe? - suddenly appear to unleash brutality. There's a cold and distant disquiet about proceedings, which ironically matches the settings for the play unfolding. Interesting to note that not for the first or last time Cronenberg was accused of over stepping the mark. Recently off of a caustic divorce, he then made The Brood, which on the outside definitely does have anti woman leanings. To say more would be spoiler territory, so make up your own minds on that score, but either way it's the clinically unsettling work of an always challenging director. 7/10
CinemaSerf
Oliver Reed plays the sophisticated, secretive psychologist "Raglan" who is treating "Nola" (Samantha Eggar), the wife of "Frank" (Art Hindle). His techniques are either cutting edge or reckless, depending on your point of view - and his peers take the latter view, so he carries out much of his work in a remote facility that appears little better than a glorified cabin. When his young daughter returns from a visit to her mother, "Frank" notices some rather nasty bruises on her back. Concerned, he forbids his daughter from returning, but when firstly his mother, then his father are brutally killed by being beaten to death, he begins to suspect all is not right with "Raglan" and his practices. Now, we are given clues far earlier than "Frank", so I found there to be little jeopardy with the developing plot. David Cronenberg's story, here, is not one of his more complex, or finest for the matter and the ending made me laugh. It isn't that it is nonsense, it's just that it lacks any sense of peril or horror. The Howard Shore score tries hard to create a sense of fear, but we all know (or can easily guess) too much, too early in the proceedings for it to really build-up a head of steam, with the effects - especially at the end being more comical than terrifying. Much more could have been made of the meta-physics themes that underpinned the story, but as it is - it's just a bit half-baked.
Movie Recommendation
Rabid1977-04-08After undergoing radical surgery for injuries from a motorcycle accident, a young woman develops a retractable, vampiric stinger in her armpit and a thirst for human blood—the only nourishment that will now sustain her.More...
Shivers1975-05-16When the residents of a luxury apartment complex outside Montreal are infiltrated by parasites and transformed into violent, sex-crazed maniacs, it's up to Dr. Roger St. Luc to contain the outbreak from spreading to the city.More...
A Gentle Woman1969-08-27When his young wife commits suicide with no explanation, an introspective pawnbroker looks back on their life together.More...
Let Her Out2016-08-25Twenty-three years after her hooker mother tried to kill her in the womb Helen remains damaged psychological goods. A mindset that gets worse when she suffers a traumatic head injury in an accident. Awakening in hospital, it’s discovered Helen has a tumour growth in her brain causing her to experience dark visions, disembodied voices and the omnipresence of a strange young woman. Soon, lost in a walking nightmare, in which nothing is what it seems, and her vicious actions barely remembered, it becomes crystal clear that whatever is inside her cracked psyche will stop at nothing to get out.More...
Daughter of Dr. Jekyll1957-06-28A young woman discovers she is the daughter of the infamous Dr. Jekyll, and begins to believe that she may also have a split personality, one of whom is a ruthless killer.More...
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden1977-07-14A disturbed and institutionalized 16-year-old girl struggles between fantasy and reality.More...
The Green Man1956-12-21Unknown to everyone but his shady Middle Eastern bosses, watchmaker Hawkins is actually a professional hired assassin with a predilection for killing his targets with bombs. After disposing of a dictator and millionaire, Hawkins is assigned to kill a politician who is heading to a remote hotel, The Green Man, for a secret tryst with his secretary. There, however, Hawkins' plot is discovered by vacuum salesman William Blake, who determines to stop him.More...
Nightmare1981-10-23A drug-treated schizophrenic plagued by horrible nightmares is released from the hospital and goes on a killing spree.More...
Vampir Cuadecuc1972-05-05An atmospheric essay, which is an alternative version of Count Dracula, a film directed by Jess Franco in 1970; a ghostly narration between fiction and reality.More...
Spasms1983-10-28A gigantic serpent is captured on a remote island and shipped to an American college for experimentation.More...
The Timekeepers of Eternity2021-09-29In this mesmerizing experimental film, a Stephen King television movie is compressed and transformed through hypnotic black and white collage animation that meticulously reconstructs and reshapes its supernatural drama to an eerie and profound effect.More...
Filmmakers of Our Time: François Truffaut or the Critical Spirit1965-12-02There is no descriptionMore...
The Dark Side of Porn: Does Snuff Exist?2006-04-18BBC look at whether or not Snuff films really exist. Snuff as defined by the FBI and the film is a film that shows some one being killed which was produced for gratification of the viewer who pays to see the film. The film takes a look at the start of the rumors of snuff films, the latching on by exploitation producers and how the ability of anyone to shoot video with things such as mobile phones and put them up on the Internet have made the existence of a such a film likely. A very good very reasoned film that isn't really that graphic (at least with actual footage) the film looks at the subject with filmmakers and law enforcement officials and relates the chilling tales of the people who actually set out to make a film for themselves. The key element is the profit motive since its clear that killers and other people have been using home video equipment to record their nasty deeds, we just don't know if money has changed hands. A film to make you think.More...
Khadak2006-08-31Set in the frozen steppes of Mongolia, a young nomad is confronted with his destiny after animals fall victim to a plague which threatens to eradicate nomadism.More...
Scanners1981-01-14After a man with extraordinary, and frighteningly destructive, telepathic abilities is nabbed by agents from a mysterious rogue corporation, he discovers he is far from the only possessor of such strange powers. Some of the other “scanners” have their minds set on world domination, while others are trying to stop them.More...
The Last Wave1977-12-15Australian lawyer David Burton agrees with reluctance to defend a group of Aboriginal people charged with murdering one of their own. He suspects the victim was targeted for violating a tribal taboo, but the defendants deny any tribal association. Burton, plagued by apocalyptic visions of water, slowly realizes danger may come from his own involvement with the Aboriginal people and their prophecies.More...
Kubrick by Kubrick2020-10-22A rare and transcendent journey into the life and films of the legendary Stanley Kubrick like we've never seen before, featuring a treasure trove of unearthed interview recordings from the master himself.More...
Nightmare City1980-12-11In a nameless European city, a local reporter and his doctor wife try to escape from hordes of blood thirsty zombies, undead people exposed to nuclear radioactivity, while the military leaders fight a losing war of attrition against the relentless atomic zombies.More...
Lisa and the Devil1973-05-08Lisa is a tourist in an ancient city. When she gets lost, she finds an old mansion in which to shelter. Soon she is sucked into a vortex of deception, debauchery and evil presided over by housekeeper Leandre.More...
A Kid in King Arthur's Court1995-08-11A Southern California kid named Calvin Fuller is magically transported to the medieval kingdom of Camelot through a crack in the ground caused by an earthquake. Once there, he learns he was summoned by the wizard Merlin, who needs Calvin to save Camelot. Using dazzling modern inventions, can Calvin help King Arthur retain his crown and thwart the evil Lord Belasco?More...
Similar Movies
The Shining
1980-05-23Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.Shaun of the Dead
2004-04-09Shaun lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners.Braindead
1992-08-13When a Sumatran rat-monkey bites Lionel Cosgrove's mother, she's transformed into a zombie and begins killing (and transforming) the entire town while Lionel races to keep things under control.The Evil Dead
1981-09-10In 1979, a group of college students find a Sumerian Book of the Dead in an old wilderness cabin they've rented for a weekend getaway.Evil Dead II
1987-03-13Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from "The Book of the Dead." As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda's body.A Lasanha Assassina
2002-01-03A forgotten lasagna mutates into a monster.The Hole
2001-04-20Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.Silent Hill
2006-04-21Rose, a desperate mother takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears and Rose begins a desperate search to get her back. She descends into the center of the twisted reality of a town's terrible secret. Pursued by grotesquely deformed creatures and townspeople stuck in permanent purgatory, Rose begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years earlier.Un Chien Andalou
1929-06-05Un Chien Andalou is an European avant-garde surrealist film, a collaboration between director Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali.Salò, or the 120 Days...
1976-01-10Four corrupted fascist libertines round up 9 teenage boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of sadistic physical, mental and sexual torture.The Invasion
2007-08-17Washington, D.C. psychologist Carol Bennell and her colleague Dr. Ben Driscoll are the only two people on Earth who are aware of an epidemic running rampant through the city. They discover an alien virus aboard a crashed space shuttle that transforms anyone who comes into contact with it into unfeeling drones while they sleep. Carol realizes her son holds the key to stopping the spread of the plague and she races to find him before it is too late.Carry On Screaming!
1966-05-20The sinister Dr. Watt has an evil scheme going—he's kidnapping beautiful young women and turning them into mannequins to sell to local stores. Fortunately for him, Detective Sergeant Bung is on the case, and he doesn't have a clue!A Boy and His Dog
1975-03-23Set in the year 2024 in post-apocalyptic America, 18-year old Vic and his telepathic dog, Blood, are scavengers in the desolate wilderness ravaged by World War IV, where survivors must battle for food and shelter in the desert-like wasteland. Vic and Blood eke out a meager existence, foraging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats.Zardoz
1974-02-06In the far future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements.Friend of the World
2020-08-15After a catastrophic global war, a young filmmaker awakens in the carnage and seeks refuge in the only other survivor: an eccentric, ideologically opposed figure of the United States military. Together, they brave the toxic landscape in search of safety... and answers.X-Men Origins: Wolver...
2009-04-28After seeking to live a normal life, Logan sets out to avenge the death of his girlfriend by undergoing the mutant Weapon X program and becoming Wolverine.Solaris
2002-11-27A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.Replace
2017-09-02Kira's skin starts to age rapidly, dry out and crumble away. But then she discovers that she can replace her own skin with somebody else's.Attack of the Killer ...
1978-10-04After a wave of reports of mysterious attacks involving people and pets being eaten by the traditionally docile fruit, a special government task force is set up to investigate the violent fruit and put a stop to their murderous spree.Rapture
1980-06-09José Sirgado is a low-budget filmmaker whose heroin addiction distorts his perspective of the real world. Although he is a depressed and unstable individual, his mood improves when he receives the mysterious films of Pedro, with whom he shares his passion for cinema.