The Cronenberg thread

[wayfarer]

I voted for Scanners as it made a huge impression on me when I was young. Yes, it plods along with a sever lack of pacing considering the subject matter but it's still a very cool sci-fi horror. It wasn't an easy choice.

[blu]

The Fly was all sorts of awesome!

[Paul@TheOverlook]

One of my favourite directors and I rate most of his films very highly. Favourites are Videodrome and Dead Ringers.

[gag]

I noticed yrs ago that all his films well horror ones are all to do with the mind and body, And not just a standard horror style..Any 1 else notice that ?,

[Paul@TheOverlook]

Originally Posted by gag

I noticed yrs ago that all his films well horror ones are all to do with the mind and body, And not just a standard horror style..Any 1 else notice that ?,

Most of his films are concerned with the themes you mention which is why they're often referred to as "body horror".

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Videodrome is a masterpiece.

Shivers,Rabid,Scanners and The Brood are also excellent.

They've got an atmosphere which is very bleak,but fascinating.

Or is that just Canada?

THE DEAD ZONE is another classic.

[Robert W]

Has anyone else ever noticed how much Cronenberg's films reflect the man's personal demeanor? I began noticing this phenomenon after watching several interviews with him. His films seem so calm and measured, even his earlier "body horror" films, just like face he shows the world when being publicly interviewed.

That said, perhaps it's no surprise then that Mortensen has become the De Niro to his Scorsese. Like De Niro, Mortensen seems like the idealized version version of Cronenberg, in that he's calm and soft spoken.

Anyways, I'd be very much interested in getting a discussion of Cronenberg's films going. So I'll think I'll start with my favorite of his films, Videodrome. For me, Videodrome is the quintessential Cronenberg film, in that it combines both his cold visual aesthetic with his now notorious body horror fetishes. The film also has one the single best casts he's ever assembled, with Woods here giving what is arguably one of his finest performances. Also, with the exception of the exploding head from Scanners, Videodrome contains what can arguably be said to be the most memorable imagery from any of his films. Also worth mentioning is the brilliance of Shore's electronic score, which gives the film a perfect sense of bio-organic dread.

So would anyone else care to discuss the Terror of Toronto?

[Linbro]

I have fond memories of trying to track down his two early films - Rabid and Shivers - in the early 90's, after reading about them in Stephen Kings 'Danse Macabre'. It took many phone calls, and much leg work, but I eventually found them both at a rental shop. Both remain two of my favourite films, although Videodrome is my all time favourite Cronenberg.
Recently, my wife watched Rabid with me and it REALLY freaked her out, but she couldn't put her finger on why. The final scene, of her body being thrown in the rubbish truck was pretty disturbing for her.
The Brood is also a favourite of mine.

[Mojo]

Shivers is one of the greatest horror films ever made imo. It really is crying out for a BD release.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Cronenberg is possibly my favourite film director (with Michael and Roberta Findlay coming a close second). "The Brood" is my favourite film by him as it contains the body horror of "Rabid" and "Shivers" but opens it out into a more psychological world at the same time. I also like it's bleak message regarding unintentional, emotional child abuse and it's rather savage attack on New Age and anti-psychiatry thinking.

I always wished he'd made more films with James Spader, who for me has the same emotional detachment in his acting as Cronenberg projects in his films. Spader also has a look of Cronenberg in "Crash" which was a nice touch given the source material.

Cronenberg is also the only director from the 70s horror scene, that included Romero, Craven, Carpenter, who seems to make interesting, intelligent and popular cinema to this day. I've not seen his last two films but love the fact that the older he gets the more varied he becomes.