I’ll be honest, I was a late Cronenberg fan. I didn’t start watching his films until I saw him in Nightbreed, playing Dr. Decker, that I learned he was a director.  Cronenberg films are an acquired taste. They are very strange, weird, creepy, and unique.  They are in no way considered typical Hollywood faire, even his later works are a little, well, out there.

It was by chance that the first film I picked to view from the director was one of his first, Shivers (AKA They Came From Within).  A story about a secluded apartment complex that was supposed to be like this paradise living situation, gets over ran by parasitic humans looking to take over the world turning everyone into sexually charged, brain dead zombie type of creatures.

There are a ton of things I loved about this film.  First is Cronenberg’s writing.  The story, back then (it’s been ripped off now dozens of times) was original, thought-provoking, and puts sexuality out their as one of Man’s primal urges.  What if these urges, something that we use for pleasure and procreation, was used to become the demise of the human race?

His directing style shines, utilizing a bulky camera to shoot, first person, down a long stairwell, creating tension and dread as our actress descends into the unknown.  This type of camera move was rare back then; now it’s standard in the smallest of budgets within the genre.

Even for 1975, the parasite practical effects stand up and even surpass the CGI crap that we are seeing today.  Joe Blasco’s creatures are not only disgusting, but are even more horrific because the actors are actually interacting with them, pulling them off their bodies, squirming out of their mouths, and smashing them with weapons.  I watched this film right after I viewed the film Blood Lake, and I must say, watching these two movies back to back is the epitome of what is wrong with CGI effects opposed to real-life practical effects.

This is a very intelligent movie wrapped with amazing effects, some disgusting kills and mutilations, original and thought-provoking narrative, and nudity that is not gratuitous and serves the uneasiness of the tone of the film.

Cronenberg has gone on to do larger budget faire, and some other amazing films such as The Fly, Videodrome, Scanners, and Dead Ringers, just to name a few. But none of these films have the same type of raw, dirty, and unpolished tone as Shivers.  The Brood and Rabid come close, but Shivers surpasses these in tone.

If you have not seen this film, check it out, it’s one of the best original films of the 70’s. If there was a film that I would like to see remade (though there isn’t), if I HAD to pick one, it would be Shivers.

 

SHIVERS AKA THEY CAME FROM WITHIN 1975 Retro Review: Cronenberg At His Best