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People are voting emotionally.

Fantastic!

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Cronenberg wrote and directed this movie after his turbulent divorce and child-custody battle with his ex-wife. The plot follows Dr. Hal Raglan (Reed) who is investigating Psychoplasmics, an experimental form of therapy which tries to unlock patient's deep-rooted problems, and using it to treat Hindle's wife (Eggar). But once some eerie murders take place Hindle sets out to investigate Cronenbreg's psychological puzzle. From The Baron of Blood's early career comes one of his most intense films, highlighted with outstanding performances and gut-wrenching cuts. The Brood is filled with subtle imagery and religious connotation as well as Cronenberg's trademark shocking effects. Submit yourself to the terror. Submit yourself to Cronenberg. S

David Cronenberg's 1979 sci-fi/horror film stars Art Hindle, Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar. Hindle (Black Christmas) plays Frank, an architect who learns his 5-year-old daughter, Candice is being physically abused by his ex-wife, Nola (Eggar) who is undergoing psychiatric treatment. The late, Reed plays psychologist, Raglan who uses Nola and others as test subjects of psycho-physical manifestations. Nola starts producing mutant dwarfs who start committing murder and they guard Candice. Frank discovers what's happening with Nola and tries to protect Candice from her. This isn't bad, the cast is decent, there's good make-up effects and Howard Shore's score is great as usual. I recommend this.

"Long live the new flesh!" – the very remarkable sentence from "Videodrome" by James Woods in that moment seemed belated as David Cronenberg already made strong statement with body horrors like "Shivers", "Rabid", and "The Brood". Having previous experience with Cronenberg's work, "The Brood" is not different from his earlier works – it is also filled with externalizations of unconscious into some organic forms, creatures or non-human living organisms.It's very much a film of its time. It's slow paced, characters are weak and inconvincible, I felt no true horror in the story and setting, except the perversion of motherhood and presence of "mad scientist" (and even Oliver Reed couldn't make Dr. Raglan mad enough) who was "playing with the brains of his patients". Even with all that being said, I really respect Cronenberg's directing as he succeeded in creating detached sense of reality – throughout whole movie you will be suck in the "plot" like there exist nothing else in this world – Cronenberg's signature is omnipresent.After I've watched the film, I thought – well, it obviously doesn't work as horror for me, but there is strength in portrayal of little girl. From the very beginning, she is completely quite and anemic. The devastating effect the divorce of her parents has one her is evident, mainly in the fact that there is no safe place for her – wherever she is, it's only death, terror and violence. Even her grandparents were divorced and have had terrible marriage (both Barton and Juliana are alcoholics). Near the very end, there is dialogue between her parents; in the middle of arguing mother said that she would rather kill their daughter than let her father have the custody arousing a tremendous rage in her father and ended by being strangled by him. When there is continuity of rage, unhappiness and absence of love among parents (sorry if I am pathetic) – childhood itself is horror.I've read that, at the time of making this movie, Croneberg personally went through divorce and custody trials, and somehow I like to believe that this film was greatly inspired by his terrible experience and frustration.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie but somehow I was attracted by its premise. I surely didn't regret watching it and it sure won't be my last visit. The movie goes definitely not go for gore or creepiness but excels in character development from all the leads. A gradual build-up of tension and strong scenes, questions arise what is really going on. Is it real or a dream? Is there an evil force behind it all? Regularly I was put on the wrong foot. All questions get eventually answered and the revelation was not only disturbing but quite effective and made sense (even if it wasn't realistic). Indeed an under-appreciated and overlooked gem.