Shivers (1975)

Shivers is a bad film, lacking in the basic areas required to be of any quality. So Cronenberg went on to do "The Fly," which is brilliant and this is like his first low budget film, but that doesn't affect my opinion. It has a weak story or lack of story, poor characters and is completely devoid of any feeling. The nurse was only thing this flick had going for it, but it really didn't capitalize on that either. The doctor who was aware of the signs, couldn't even tell when his girlfriend was infected right in front of him and yet still had time to avoid it when others didn't, grrr.

This early David Cronenberg body horror effort is rough around the edges (low budget, some not-so-great acting) but it's an interesting take on "infection" horror. The setting, as detailed in a somewhat unsettling advertisement that kicks off the film, is a new high-rise apartment building full of amenities on an isolated Canadian island. A perfect setting for mass parasitic infection to let loose utter chaos, and the whole film takes place here. Things are kicked off by a scientist (yep, he's a bit mad) who believes that genetically engineered parasites can be placed into bodies for organ transplants, and also to return humanity back to matters of the flesh (i.e., our base sexual instincts). Of course, his experiment all goes wrong and a parasite is set loose in the apartment building, causing residents one-by-one to become infected and spread it through sexual promiscuity.The recent Ben Wheatley film High-Rise (2015) reminded me a bit of this one, as it also uses an upscale, socially isolated high-rise apartment building as a setting for gradual, social devolution leading to moral decay and outright chaos. Interestingly enough, the JG Ballard novel that High-Rise adapts came out in 1975 just like Shivers, and Cronenberg of course has a Ballard connection since he adapted Crash in 1996. Of course, there is some good ol' Cronenberg body horror, with icky crawly parasites being spewed out of people's mouths. It's a solid early effort in what would become a great career. I wouldn't call this a conventionally "scary" horror film, but the sheer psychosexual anxiety is certainly palpable. Greatness lay ahead for this Canadian visionary.

Shivers (1975)** 1/2 (out of 4)A futuristic high rise is the setting for this David Cronenberg shocker, which has the people of this complex catching some sort of disease that turns them into sex crazy maniacs.SHIVERS was the first film that Cronenberg directed that was meant for a large audience. After doing a couple experimental films and some made for Canadian television, SHIVERS was meant to put the director on the map and it certainly did that. The film was praised in some circles. It was hated in others. Some people were downright disgusted by what they saw in the picture. It was released in American theaters as THEY CAME FROM WITHIN but no matter the title it's certainly worth watching.What I liked most about the film is that very little is actually explained. The movie starts with the disease already in full force and most movies would have started with a lot of character development before getting to the disease but that's not the case here. I liked how the weirdness starts right off and Cronenberg cuts from a couple happily moving into the complex to a bizarre murder-suicide sequence. Cronenberg certainly handles the material extremely well and once again he builds up an utterly bizarre atmosphere that continues to get stranger with each new scene.The film also benefits from some good performances including Paul Hampton and Joe Silver. Scream Queen Barbara Steele appears in the film and she's always a pleasure to watch. SHIVERS does have some flaws include some at times awful death sequences as well as some pacing problems. There are also some bad performances in some of the smaller roles. However, with all that being said, this is a unique and rather disturbing horror film.

If you want to see a movie where the main character is an ugly poo colored worm, watch this! The only cool scene is when Nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry) undress herself under the gaze of Dr. Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton). The actors are not bad at all, they are all natural, especially Susan Petrie and Joe Silver. David Cronenberg is not a bad director and despite his obsession for disgusting horror, he gave us good films such as Eastern Promises (2007) and A History of Violence (2005). The cinematography by Robert Saad is not bad but the makeup department it is(bad). This Shivers is for Cronenberg's fans and the amateurs of the genre.