A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, while a series of brutal attacks committed by a brood of mutant children coincides with the...
David Cronenberg's marital allegory is visceral, horrific, and thoughtful in its story. While I think it lacks pace in the film's second act, I can see the classic value it holds, telling a very familiar tale in a very Cronenberg way.
The film is shot like Kubrick's The Shining. Wide shots of lushly furnished interiors and high exposure with blinding lights. Moreover, the film boasts a spine-tingling score from Howard Shore which clearly derives from Bernard Herrman's iconic score for Psycho. Sticking with Psycho there are many similarities. The role of a maternal figure, killer children, and suppressed rage all feature prominently here. Cronenberg, of course, gives it his body horror twist with some incredibly alien prosthetics which are truly gruesome.
There is also a clear allegorical quality to the film. With Nola (Samantha Eggar) making her pain into tumor-like growths, one could disregard this as a simple shock value. But, we truly get to see how much pain she is going through. Divorce is a process filled with pain. Not only does Nola have to be a mother but she has to fight for it. While Frank (Art Hindle) is our protagonist, we feel sympathy for the disillusioned Nola who has had to spawn a vicious group of surrogates for children in place of Candice. (Cindy Hinds)
Yet, I still felt the film dragged. Particularly in the second act as nothing new grows (No pun intended). It seems to follow a cycle of someone pisses of Nola, Frank tries to intervene, the brood kills them e.t.c Also, I hate to say it, but for Cronenberg, the brood are disappointedly unscary. For all the incredible practical effects in his films, their make up seems to consist of shoddy masks. Its true I was tense at certain moments, but that was due to the filmmaking, not to the creature design.
