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Rev Horror

The Fly

Dir. David Cronenberg (1986)

A scientist begins to transform into a fly after an experiment goes awry.


Take that, horror remake purists! David Cronenberg's The Fly is one of two horror remakes that are so good, so iconic, that they're not even remembered as remakes by the vast majority of horror fans (John Carpenter's The Thing as the other). Of course, I suppose you can credit the quality of the remake to the minds behind it, as Carpenter and Cronenberg are among the best to ever direct in any genre. Nevertheless, The Fly does indeed stand out as one of the best body horror films in history, and the effects within are as good as anything being produced today, almost forty years later.


Scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is bragging to a journalist, Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis), about his most recent invention: a teleportation chamber. When he realizes that she's interested in the project so that she can write about it, he quickly offers her the chance to cover the entire experiment in order to prevent her from giving away his secrets before he's ready for them to be divulged. Unfortunately for Brundle, his devices have one major flaw: they can't teleport living matter. As he attempts to ratchet up his research in order to overcome the problem, he accidentally combines his genes with that of a fly that has flown into the chamber, creating... well, a big mess.

Goldblum is at his most Goldblum-ey, characterizing Brundle as a nervous, disorganized genius, while Davis plays the strong-willed, man-troubled woman that she usually inhabits. Both are excellent, of course, helping to personify this odd couple duo who embody this weird science tale. It was especially wise casting to pick Goldblum, especially because of his hyper mannerism changes after being spliced with the fly. He has the capabilitiy of playing this role in a way that no other actor could come close to personifying, and it works beautifully.

Of course, the real genius here is Cronenberg, he co-wrote the script and delivers his own brand of utterly grotesque body horror and effects. The effects are so good, in fact, that the film's makeup team of Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis won Oscars for them, a rare win for a genre film and wholly deserved. The Fly is fucking disgusting, and the transformation of Goldblum is magnificent. The changes in facial structure and composition is incredible, and of course the eventual breakdown into the Brundle Fly creature has become legendary in the genre. It's an impressive film all around, to be expected from a director like Cronenberg, but its the special effects that deserve, and Cronenberg's depiction of them, that make the film as iconic as it immediately became.

As we discussed above, it's incredibly rare for a remake to surpass the original in both quality, scope, and import. The Fly certainly achieves this mark, surpassing the 1958 Vincent Price film in every way. The actors are excellent, the gross-out horror is disturbing and perfect, and there's just nothing about the film that doesn't work. It's a bit slow moving at times, almost a necessity for the science fiction aspect of a film for which the technology doesn't exist in the real world, but that's about the only "critique," which is hardly even worth making. It's a great commentary on the hubris of science and the dangers of exploring forces beyond our control and understanding. And it's icky as all hell, too.


Who this movie is for: Sci-fi groupies, Body horror fans, Sticky people


Bottom line: The Fly is one of the best body horror films ever made, and it's so damn disgusting that it earned an Oscar for its makeup effects. Goldblum and Davis are perfect in their roles, and Cronenberg delivers what is perhaps his best-made film of them all. Even after almost forty years, the film is an impressive example of what's possible in the genre and far better than a lot of what's seen on-screen even today. This is a can't-miss for horror fans; if you haven't seen it before, you need to rectify that immediately.



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