#8 - Shivers (1975)

Shivers (1975)

(dir. David Cronenberg)

A bioengineered parasitic worm, designed as "a combination of aphrodisiac and venereal disease that will, hopefully, turn the world into one mindless orgy", gets loose in a luxury apartment building and spreads throughout the tenants. Unaware of this (at first anyway), Dr. Roger St. Luc is baffled by the strange lumps he is finding in his patients' abdomens, but soon finds himself in grave danger as the infected turn into violent sex-crazed maniacs.

This early David Cronenberg film feels a bit rough around the edges compared to his later work, but the basic themes that run throughout much of his filmography are present here: graphic body horror, unnatural extensions of the flesh (in this case via engineered parasites), and a blurring of the lines between violence and sexuality. Sexual assault is a big part of the film, so fair warning there, but it's presented as horrific and not titillating like it is in trashier films. It just wouldn't be a classic Cronenberg film if it didn't make you feel deeply uncomfortable!

As far as his early films go, I'd rank this above Rabid but below The Brood. If you're a Cronenberg fan you'll most likely enjoy this, but it feels like he's still finding his voice. Lots of great (and gross) special effects though, and it might be worth watching just for those.

Side note, the working title of this was "Orgy of the Blood Parasites" and it's a damn shame it got changed.