The Brood

NOTE: Do yourself a favor if you are interested in this film, but no nothing about it - avoid a Google image search for it. There are major spoilers that pop up. 

Well, The Brood didn't wow me like Shivers and Rabid did.

A man comes to grips with his failing marriage as his wife works with a psychotherapist (Oliver Reed) to overcome deep emotional scars. Their child sees the mother one weekends, but otherwise, the wife is under strict seclusion as she works with her doctor.  So, if that's the case, who's killing people she gets angry with during therapy and what is the true "Shape of Rage"?

As Rabid and Shivers seem to deal with themes like sexuality, science gone wrong and sexually transmitted diseases, The Brood seems to deal with the dangers of therapy and the trauma divorce has one the family unit - especially the children involved. I'm just happy my divorce wasn't as traumatic as the relationship in this film is!

Oliver Reed is grand, as usual, as he chews the scenery and delivers his lines under his sleepy eyelids and Shakespearean cadence.  :::grin:::  So much fun to see him in these therapy sessions. Art "The Jaw" Hindle does well with his role as the Father trying to hold everything together, juggling being a single father, keeping his construction company going and dealing with his wife. And, I have to say that I COULD NOT STAND Samantha Eggar as the wife with baggage, drama and a mild bout of insanity. Not to mention other items that make her very unappealing. Her acting is great, mind you - that's not the issue I had. I think it just hit a bit too close to home for me personally, which I took as a sign that the film managed to hit that particular nail on the head. It seems very real.

While I enjoyed the film, it's pace and story didn't really do it for me. It has a sort of
set 'em up and knock 'em down" quality that didn't sit well with me. Eggar goes through her sessions and Reed makes her angry about someone, then that person is attacked by something really nasty and they are dispatched violently. After a while, there wasn't anything super new about the situation. I was just waiting for things to happen. This was partially because it was a slightly simpler film and I remembered most of the main points from seeing it years ago.

And the main plot point of the story wasn't as interesting to me. I think that that was due to it being more psychology based and "magical" rather than the science based (yes, albeit fantasy science! :) ) plot lines of Rabid and Shivers. I find it amazing that these films from the 70s (Brood - 1979) still kick the arses of many films made today. This is largely due to the talents of Cronenberg, obviously. It's fun to watch a Director's work like I've been doing - movie to movie in the order in which they were made.  You start seeing common themes and Director styles from film to film.

THE BROOD is still fun and interesting and very Cronenberg and I still say that it's well worth watching.

Check it.