5/5 At last, a full length version!
  by
Finally, an uncut print of THE BROOD. Cronenberg's best film is presented here in a no frills release, however the version of the film is longer (and gorier) than the Japanese, Dutch, French and English DVD versions. It's the same print which was shown on FilmFour in the UK a few years back. The murders and the jaw dropping climax are longer than in any other DVD. Sadly, the print quality is not nearly as good as the beautiful presentation on the (cut) Dutch DVD. Nevertheless, if you want to see the film in it's uncut gory-glory, this is the version to buy!

4/5 Cronenberg being Cronenberg
  by Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA)
Every once in awhile when I am feeling reflective I like to watch a David Cronenberg film. I have seen quite a few of them at this point, from some of his earliest stuff like "Shivers" to his seminal reworking of "The Fly" starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. One thing you will always get out of a Cronenberg film is a serious look at how technology and human beings interact. Like science fiction author J.G. Ballard, Cronenberg's films embrace a synthesis of man and machine that is exceedingly grim, usually served with a generous helping of gore. The overarching theme in his cinematic examinations seems to be that humans simply do not know enough about the technology they develop, or if they do, their arrogance in the ultimate abilities of mankind always leads them charging into experiments despite the risks. That we are just not far seeing enough to predict the outcome of using new drugs, messing around with human genetics, or plugging game units into our spinal cords may be a good message to take from a Cronenberg film. "The Brood" is an early (1979) effort from the Canadian director, an effort that is better than "Rabid" and "Shivers" yet still deals with themes his later films would revisit again and again.

"The Brood" explores the dangers of human emotions, in particular the emotion of rage. The movie opens with an extended scene involving Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed) conducting an intense psychotherapy session with a distraught young man. We learn that this patient harbors a burning dislike for his father, so Raglan role-plays the part of the young man's father in an effort to help dissipate the anger. It's a very 1970's sort of psychological treatment, as is the fact that an audience watches the lengthy session. Afterwards, we discover that Reed's character runs a private clinic called Somafree where he deals exclusively with patients incapacitated with rage. The young man seen in the opening sequence, although "performing" for an audience, is not Raglan's star patient. That honor falls to Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar), a beautiful mother of one locked away in one of the clinic's spacious holding rooms. You see, Raglan notices that in some human beings rage manifests itself physically, not only in shouting and violence, but also with sores and other marks on the body. In the case of Carveth, something much more sinister and dangerous occurs when she gets angry. It's the sort of thing that could bring fame and riches to a doctor if controlled in the right way.

In the meantime, Nola's husband Frank (Art Hindle) and her daughter Candace (Cindy Hinds) must deal with all the problems having a relative in a mental asylum entails. Frank struggles with the fact that his wife physically abused their daughter, and his main concern now is keeping his daughter away from Nola and Somafree. He suspects, perhaps rightfully so, that his wife continues to hurt young Candy during trips to Raglan's place. Too, Frank is starting to distrust the good doctor's motivations for insisting that Nola continue to see the child. The situation deteriorates to the point that Frank decides to seek a divorce. But Raglan knows something that Frank Carveth will soon learn in spades, that Nola Carveth possesses a unique power only rarely before seen in a human being. While others externalize rage through body sores, Nola literally externalizes by giving birth to malevolent little creatures that go forth and kill her enemies. That's right folks: what we have here are little misshapen, fanged apparitions of rage rampaging through the countryside. Nola's manifestations obliterate Candy's grandparents before moving on to the little girl's teacher. Anyone responsible for angering Nola soon finds a toothy, grunting little monster hot on his or her trail. The conclusion to this bizarre plot is incredibly disturbing.

I kept wondering what Cronenberg was saying as I watched "The Brood." Or perhaps it wasn't so much a case of wondering what was going on as it was wondering how original it was. Rage can kill--sure, I'll buy that. Destructive emotions can cause physical changes in humans--I'll buy that, too. We all know you can suffer a variety of maladies from stress and anger. Cronenberg just takes the idea a step further by declaring that rage can be so powerful that the emotion could literally take the form of a physical being driven by the anger. I don't think carrying the idea one step further is original--isn't there a long history of this sort of thing in witchcraft, demonology, and similar things? Don't get me wrong; I liked the movie a lot. Changing the setting to a mental health clinic is a nice touch, and Eggar, Reed, and Hindle excel in their respective performances. Where else will you see Oliver Reed viciously mauled by dozens of malefic little rage children? Exactly. Moreover, the Canadian atmosphere--lots of trees, dark nights, and back roads--gives the movie a sort of remote, out of the way feel that I liked.

The picture transfer on the DVD looks good, but you don't get anything beyond a trailer in the extras department. I've seen several Cronenberg films, especially his older ones, released in this manner. Why? Here's a guy who has lots of fans hungering for information on his movies. Fortunately, Criterion recently released "Videodrome," and some of his newer films do boast commentaries and behind the scenes stuff, so perhaps his older films will find a better reissue in the future. I for one would sure like to hear what Cronenberg has to say about a film like "The Brood." Until that day arrives, you should still give this one a watch if you enjoy offbeat films.


4/5 Intelligent horror
  by LGwriter (Astoria, N.Y. United States)
One of the great horror films about dysfunctional families, The Brood is David Cronenberg's 1980 masterpiece based in no small part on his own messy divorce around the time of the writing of the film. In it he gives vent to his frustrations and anger about relationships, but because he is one of the most intelligent filmmakers around, the script is literate and this gives the film its momentum. The events cohere, the characters are strong and credible, and the casting is equally excellent.

Frank Carveth's wife Nola (Samatha Eggar) is a patient at the Somafree Institute run by Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed) whose magnum opus, The Shape of Rage, sums up his philosophy of psychological practice--that our inner rage will inevtiably express itself in outward manifestation. The opening scene of Raglan's dramatized session with one patient, Michael, reveals Michael's boils when he takes off his shirt to show the doctor how he really feels about his father.

When Nola was very young, her mother treated her very badly and now Nola's rage is profound. She and Frank have a daughter, Candy, about whom there is intense disagreement--Frank does not want Candy to see her mother at the Institute every weekend because of potential harm, and Nola needs her to be there. When a kindly, young, pretty schoolteacher helps Frank with Candy, Nola finds out and assumes Frank and the teacher are having an affair.

Mysterious murders occur, all apparently committed by one or more midgets or deformed children, all having a vague resemblance to Candy. To tell any more would be to give too much away. In the lead roles, Eggar and Reed are excellent, as is Art Hindle as Frank. Also great are the actors who play Nola's parents.

This is a much overlooked film which should definitely not be missed. Highly recommended.

4/5 A new kind of therapy.
  by Puzzle box (Kuwait)
David Cronenberg's the brood is a film about the concept of violence within a family and how it later affects the child's life, it also tells us how fustrating it is when separated parents have to fight for the custody of thier own child as Cronenberg himself was going through a divorce. Frank Carveth starts to question the treatment his wife Nola played by Samantha Eggar is receiving at the clinic of Dr. hal Raglan played by Oliver Reed. Horrible things begin to happen as his daughter returns from a visit to her mother only to have some scars and bruises on her back. While Nola is in intensive care and is locked up at the clinic it seems that all her fustrations and rage manifest into these deformed creatures that act as a revenge from Nola towards her own mother and anyone that stands in her way. The film wasn't as gory as Cronenberg's other films but it deffinently had a creepy and unsettling feeling that I had from watching it, it also had an inteligent storyline and it seemed more like a personal horror film then the sort of weird mixture of science fiction and horror that Cronenberg usualy does so I deffinently think that you should check it out as I thought it was great but not one of my favorites, my favorite of his would be Scanners.

4/5 Child Care Nightmare
  by Tony R. Tucker (Crewe, VA United States)
I originally saw THE BROOD at a drive=in theater on a double bill with the movie Silent Scream. Silent Scream was on first and it was a little spooky. Then came The Brood and it blew my mind. Maybe it was because it was getting pretty late by the time the film started. Maybe it was because I was delirious from popcorn and cola. Or maybe it was because this movie delivered on all counts, grabbed you by the throat and wouldn't let go. Years later I saw The Brood again and it had the same effect, even though I am in my 30's now and not easily disturbed.

Director David Cronenberg has a way of disturbing the viewer. His films (Scanners, Rabid, The Fly, Shivers, etc) go beyond normal horror conventions and show us things that we don't want to see and that we don't want to know about. When he makes us confront these things, we are left writhing in our seats. It is effective and manages to take the viewer into areas they don't get to see in any other films.

The Brood gives equal time to two female characters. One, a young girl, the other a distraught older woman played by Samantha Eggar. Oliver Reed plays a psychologist whose methods and "secret projects" are dubious at best.

Scary things start happening when little, deformed, feral children start whacking people. These little critters are nasty. Cronenberg often hides the children in plain sight, causing you to suddenly realize that one of these little kidlets is hiding on the stairs or crouching in plain sight to us, but unseen by the character on screen. It is very effective in creating suspense.

The movie does tend to ramble at times, especially when Oliver Reed starts going on about his new age mumbo jumbo, and you are often left wondering what exactly the feral children have to do with anything. It all comes together in the end with some truly distrurbing imagery that will be burned into your mind forever.

I've seen the theatrical and VHS versions, but now that it's coming onto DVD in August 2003, I look forward to finally owning a copy. With luck the DVD will contain some extras. If you have seen other examples of Cronenberg's work, you may want to give The Brood a try. If you haven't, then this may be a good starting point. If you can stomach this, you should be able to handle his other works. While this movie isn't overly bloody, it is disturbing at times. Be warned.

I think I used the work "disturbing" about 10 times in this review. That about sums it up! A 5 star movie with 4 star pacing.