Review #20- The Brood (1979)

In Attendance- Me, Eryn, and The Vanilla Gorilla.
Cast Members of Note- Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle.

The Brood is a prequel to Kramer vs. Kramer; it shows us the pitfalls of divorce, and just how hard it all can be on the kids...  especially if the kids in question are mongoloid mutants born from tumor-like stomach sacs.

Kill them with fire!

When a good, caring husband and father realizes that his wife is insane, he sends her off to the hospital for shock treatment, and maybe a lobotomy; what she gets instead is a radical new therapy that makes her even more insane, and turns her into a mutant baby-maker with absolutely no sense of humor.

"Behold, my tumor-child!"

When the her Chud-Children start killing people at their Mother's emotional whims, it isn't long before they want to kill their little sister too, and just because she's a normal human being! I can't stand intolerance.

Far be it from me to ruin the ending for you here, but suffice it to say that dad strangles mom to death.

What did she ever do to anybody? Huh?

This movie is a Horror Classic in many ways. It gets into your head and ssubtly messes with you on a subconscious level, while hitting you with shocking, visceral terror all in the same stroke. It's a creepy and disturbing breath of fresh air. The Terror Tykes are quite something to behold.

This movie is a prime example of why the late 70's/early 80's was one of the best periods in Horror history; people actually made films that explored new ideas instead of retreading the same old ground. Cronenberg's "Body Horror" flicks are a prime example of that.

There are actually some people out there (you know who you are!) who claim that this movie is too slow in the pace department, but you know what? Those people can go watch fucking Scream, and shut the hell up. God forbid that you allow tension to build, and replace jump scares with mood and atmosphere. You know what, don't go watch Scream, just go jump off of your roof.

"I always feel like, somebody's watching meeeeee...."

Every time I get so much as a mosquito bite I think that "Psychoplasmics" has finally got a hold on me. Fucking David Cronenberg.

I'm with you, kid.

Why did she have to die?

She totally would have slept with him too...

 

This one delivers the crimson goods; mutant kids bashing people to death with mallets, bloody infant licking, deformed body birth... there's plenty of Cronenberg-esque nastiness on display here, which is very appropriate, being that this is a Cronenberg film.

A Mother's love knows no bounds.

Just the body of a dead mutant kid, but that doesn't count.

"Thirty seconds after you're born you have a past and sixty seconds after that you begin to lie to yourself about it." or "Damn kids."

If Cronenberg teaches us nothing else, it's that we are our own worst enemy, and that our bodies are out to destroy us. Also, all women are apparently insane. Also, Cronenberg has issues, and since he's Canadian, that means all Canadians have issues too.

Only in Canada...

The Brood is a masterpiece. Cronenberg's work in the 70's and 80's made statements and forced the audience to ask themselves some hard questions, and The Brood is no exception. You must have this movie in your collection.

A+ 

The Brood is available now on DVD and VOD.

My mom gives this movie to me on DVD every Christmas; she saves it until last, and stares at me like Samantha Eggar (see pic below) until I open it. Once my tears begin to flow, she starts to laugh and runs off into the attic. I think she's trying to tell me something.