Director Deep Dive: David Cronenberg and the Art of Transformative Horror

Table of Contents

Introducing the Artist

David Cronenberg’s classic films, ‘Scanners’, ‘The Brood’, ‘Dead Ringers’, and the Oscar-winning ‘The Fly’, are all cemented in history as some of the most irreverent editions to the body- and psycho-horror subgenre of all time. The horror genre wouldn’t be the same without his gory, daring imagery and ongoing analysis of the human body. As one of the most renowned Canadian filmmakers of all time, and the king of cinematic body-morphing viruses, parasites, and therapies, and with a vision for the physical manifestation of mental neuroses and skill for meaningful, character-centric writing, it’s no wonder that Cronenberg has created a collection of some of the most memorable sci-fi, psychological horror in recent cinema history. Born in Toronto, Canada, and raised by two artists – his mother was a musician, his father a writer – Cronenberg seemed poised for creative greatness from the onset. With a foundationally artistic background, it comes as no surprise that the director would first show a vested interest in both science and science fiction writing, subjects which would come to bear great influence on his later projects. He was inspired by early films like ‘The Creature From the Black Lagoon’ and ‘Freaks’, as well as legendary science fiction authors like Ray Bradbury and, eventually Philip K. Dick. The complex themes and iconic imagery that often appear in various works provide a tentative source for the creative well that informs his distinct style.

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A collection of dark, familiar themes pulse like an undercurrent beneath the span of his work. Psychosexuality, identity, and flesh. Throughout human life, several transcendent presences test our limits – sickness, grief, obsession, trauma, aging – and irrevocably shift the human form. While the bodies of his characters often act as the stage through which these tragic realities play out, he never squanders the breadth of their suffering, instead displaying it with full and unflinching clarity. Let’s move on to his decade-spanning filmography.

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A Filmography for the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s, and Beyond: ‘Shivers’, ‘Rabid’, ‘Fast Company’, and ‘The Brood’

In the 70’s, Cronenberg would partner up with the now-well-known director and producer Ivan Reitman, who, at the time, had yet to create the comedy classics we now know and love such as ‘Meatballs’, ‘Stripes’, and ‘Ghostbusters’. Before the fame he earned from directing, Reitman served as a producer for Cronenberg’s two first (non-art-house) feature films, ‘Shivers’ and ‘Rabid’. The first feature, ‘Shivers’, is wrought with all of the themes that would eventually become indelible to the sum of his filmography: sex, sickness (parasitic, in this case), and science. Though now we can consider this film to be a whisper of his ultimate capabilities, it certainly displays his affinity for the psychosexual, and his tact in understanding a certain sense of primal, biological fear – one that spreads from the inside out. As he said in a 2005 interview with Pop Entertainment, “people experienced in sex and honesty will admit that there’s a component of violence in sexuality – whether it’s subliminal or not.”

Following ‘Shivers’, a memorable predecessor ensues in ‘Rabid’. When Rose, played by pornstar turned feature film actress Marilyn Chambers, gets in a motorcycle accident, she undergoes an experimental skin-grafting operation. What starts as a life-saving operation ends with a cannibalistic stinger lodged in her armpit and a quickly spreading infection.

‘Fast Company’ was released in 1979 and is considered a stylistic outlier among Cronenberg’s visceral sci-fi and horror-heavy filmography. However, it reflects a hidden interest in machinery and racing featuring a frequent collaborator, Nicholas Campbell. He quickly returned to form within the same year with the premiere of ‘The Brood’ (1979): an eerie, sordid tale of husband vs. his psychotherapy-mad wife, inspired by the gradual degradation of Cronenberg’s first marriage and subsequent traumatic effect on him and his daughter. Cronenberg himself considers this his only ‘classic’ horror film. We could surely unpack the latent themes of parental alienation and pure, unadulterated divorce malice, but that’s enough for another article.

‘Scanners’ (1981) and ‘Videodrome’ (1983)

‘Scanners’ (1981) would mark his first film of the ‘80s and it’s a telepathic delight of body horror if I’ve ever seen one. Featuring medical corruption and head explosions galore, ‘Scanners’ returns audiences to the dry bone of B-movie gore and mind-over-matter thematic elements.

‘Videodrome’ was the first Cronenberg film that I ever watched. Starring James Woods and Debbie Harry, this 1983 ‘snuffy’ surrealist thriller features commentary that is now so familiar in a world permeated by violence and technological connection. Just as resonant now as it was then, ‘Videodrome’ is a great example of the peak body horror and ‘techno-surrealism’ that Cronenberg has become synonymous with throughout his career.

‘The Fly’ (1986)

‘The Fly’ may be Cronenberg’s most well-known film, earning the only Oscar for one of his works to date (for Best Makeup: go figure!). Starring 80’s heavyweight stars like Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, ‘The Fly’ sees eccentric scientist, Seth Brundle, on the cusp of a groundbreaking scientific discovery: the first proven method for ‘spontaneous’ transportation. After meeting Veronica, a journalist intrigued by his research, they embark on a documentarian-subject and romantic relationship. One night – in Veronica’s absence – Brundle uses himself as a guinea pig for the machine; but, unbeknownst to him, a fly sneaks into the machine with him. “Fusion of Brundle and fly at the molecular level” ensues. Goldblum portrays this descent into madness with as much tragic endearment as we can stand, ‘fusing’ the curiosity and quirk of Brundle into the primitive, ‘insect politics’ of the fly. Given that Goldblum and Davis were romantically involved at the time of production, their chemistry undoubtedly contributes to the outstanding emotional value of this film that devolves into such vulgar forms of physical horror. ‘The Fly’ is Cronenberg at his best: the degradation of human flesh, the mutilation of the mind, and the characters that make those tragedies worth caring about.

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‘Dead Ringers’ (1988)

In ‘Dead Ringers’, Cronenberg divides the soul into two in the closest humanity can truly come to it: twin brothers. Played immaculately by Jeremy Irons, Beverly, and Elliot are as stark as they are irreconcilably similar, so much so that they share the same life, working interchangeably to serve their ever-enmeshed wants and needs. They run their gynecology practice – and their affluent lives – like a well-oiled machine. Wow, can Jeremy Irons act, and wow, is it so refreshing to see an innovative psychological study like this? The tone is eerie, engaging, and some of the most darkly Cronenbergian Cinema I’ve ever seen.

‘Naked Lunch’ (1991) and ‘Crash’ (1996)

In the ‘90s, his most notable films were adaptations of two classic novels, ‘Naked Lunch’ (1991) and ‘Crash’ (1996). In ‘Naked Lunch’, he would face the surrealism of William S. Burroughs, creating something creative and totally mad. In ‘Crash’, he would craft a graphic, divisive, and acclaimed observation of sexuality and violence, two themes that permeate his work as surely as the air that we breathe.

‘A History of Violence’ (2005) and Other Modern Mentions

‘A History of Violence’ steps out of the realm of regular Cronenbergian qualities and into the midwestern skin of a much more subdued, dramatic thriller. With Viggo Mortensen at the helm as a seemingly soft-spoken, small-town father, we see the shadow of a man who ‘killed’ his former self. His psychology is hard to pin, with the line between Tom and Joey drawing thinner and more strained beneath the tension of the old life that creeps up behind him following a robbery at his diner. Proceeding into the 21st century, Cronenberg’s films have taken on a more naturalistic quality, choosing instead to observe the abraded nature of the self, with his most recent projects like ‘A Dangerous Method’ and ‘Cosmopolis’ centering on his familiar themes but with an even more sharpened, character-driven stylistic edge.

Final Thoughts: Sex, Flesh, and Transformation

With Cronenberg, what starts with a mutilated human mind ends with an equally mutilated human form. From the psychological surrender of Viggo Mortensen in ‘A History of Violence’ to the oozing metamorphosis of Jeff Goldblum in ‘The Fly’, the contemporary techno-commentary of ‘Videodrome’ to the vulgar infection of ‘Rabid’, the range of his ‘transformative’ style over the years is immeasurable. Where other films forget the sliver of humanity that remains within their swiftly mutating characters, Cronenberg places a magnifying glass over it; he shows us how visible, how tangible, and how tragic it is – if only we are brave enough to make ourselves look.

Fans of Cronenberg can eagerly look forward to his next production, ‘Crimes of the Future’, which is a remake of one of his very first short features. This reimagining of his previous film will feature Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, and Scott Speedman.

By Grace Smith

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Author

Grace Smith

Grace Smith is a film critic and writer with 21 years of formative film exposure under her belt - and a focused interest in horror, surrealism, and substantial Cinema. Grace is passionate about The Hollywood Insider’s mission towards thoughtful and innovative media that expands audience perspectives towards entertainment. As a young writer and film-lover, Grace hopes to inspire readers towards not only broadening their horizons when it comes to cinematic media, but also raising their expectations.

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Grace Smith

Grace Smith is a film critic and writer with 21 years of formative film exposure under her belt – and a focused interest in horror, surrealism, and substantial Cinema. Grace is passionate about The Hollywood Insider’s mission towards thoughtful and innovative media that expands audience perspectives towards entertainment. As a young writer and film-lover, Grace hopes to inspire readers towards not only broadening their horizons when it comes to cinematic media, but also raising their expectations.

Grace Smith

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