The Brood*** (1979, Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle) – Classic Movie Review 8421

Writer-director David Cronenberg’s horrible but effective and imaginative 1979 Canadian sci-fi horror shocker The Brood stars Oliver Reed as mad psychiatrist Dr Hal Raglan, who attempts to free his patients of their neuroses by encouraging manifestations of their anger.

The brood are the murderous demon children that Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar) magics up to deal with her enemies, smashing them to death bloodily with mallets. She gives birth to a creature covered with blood through an external organ.

The Brood is graphically grisly, bloody and disturbing, and so naturally it is only for fans of this style of horror movie and for admirers of Cronenberg’s work. There are seven uses of the F-word. So the violence, gore and strong language are well taken care of.

Also in the cast are Art Hindle, Cindy Hinds, Nuala Fitzgerald, Susan Hogan, Michael Magee, Gary McKeehan, Robert A Silverman, Larry Solway, Joseph Shaw, Reiner Schwarz and Nicholas Campbell.

The Brood is directed by David Cronenberg, runs 92 minutes, is made by Canadian Film Development Corporation, Elgin International Films, Mutual Productions and Victor Solnicki Productions, is released by New World Pictures (1979) (US) and Alpha Films (1979) (UK), is written by David Cronenberg, is shot by Mark Irwin, is produced by Claude Héroux, is scored by Howard Shore, and is designed by Carol Spier.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8421

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