Review of "The Brood" (1979) DVD

"The Brood" is one of director David Cronenberg's best excursions into the realm of biological horror. The move is an examination of emotions (rage in particular) and how one psychiatrist allows his patients to release this rage. Once released, the emotion manifests itself in the form of warts, blisters, and boils on their bodies. But Dr. Raglan's star patient Nola has taken this therapy to the next level. Her emotions bring forth "children of rage" which do her unconscious bidding. This is not good news for her husband, Frank, and first child, Candy. Nor is it good news for anyone who has ever wronged her.

This movie scared the hell out of me. One scene in particular outshines every gruesome act ever filmed. Nola has just revealed that the Brood are indeed born from her rage and her body. She bites open a womblike sac, pulls out her newest blood-soaked child, and licks the little beast clean. It's like a bad car wreck. You don't want to be seeing it, yet you can't turn away. My eyes were the largest they've been in quite some time.

Cronenberg also got some great performances out of his cast. Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar really shine here in their doctor/patient roles of Raglan and Nola. I also identified very much with our hero played by Art Hindle. He's doing whatever he can to stay sane when his entire world is crumbling around him. He just wants to protect his daughter.

Which brings up my next point: "The Brood" is also a metaphor for divorce. The mother and father, when you shed all the horror, are simply having a custody battle for Candy. It is these two themes, divorce and rage, that are the heart of the flick and puts it three steps above the usual genre fair. The film hints that Nola was beaten by her mother at a young age and, in return, Nola may have beaten her own child. The cycle of violence has continued here. And there may not be an end in sight because Cronenberg closes the film with a shot of Candy's arm, covered in the same warts. I am beyond impressed with this film. Cronenberg (pre-1988) is one of the top filmmakers of the genre.

The DVD MGM has released only contains the film's original theatrical trailer. It may be a bare bones release, but it's worth the 10 bucks just to put it in your collection. "The Brood" is a certifiable must-see.