Cronenberg at his best

Rating: 9/10 (25 June 2003)

This is one of the best horror movies ever made. It combines some truly gut-wrenching violence with a touching story of lost love. Jeff Goldblum gives an excellent performance, moving from amusing to bizarre to out-right terrifying. Geena Davis is also good as his lover; the two display great chemistry with each other, possibly because they were getting married at the time. It's a pity they broke up; they worked well together. John Getz is good as Davis's ex-boyfriend; unfortunately, few directors have ever made use of him.
This is one of David Cronenberg's best films. It combines his excellent use of special effects with his talent for extremely odd, engrossing stories. It apparently took him three years to make this film after completing Videodrome. It was well-worth the effort. It illustrates his transition from a producer of gory horror movies to a director of intellectually challenging freak shows such as Dead Ringers and Naked Lunch.