Dir. David Cronenberg (1975)
An apartment complex is infected by a sexually-transmitted parasite that makes its residents sex-crazed maniacs.
It's rare that a genre of horror has an undisputed king. There are often people that are recognized as some of the best at what they do: John Carpenter has created arguably the best slasher and sci-fi horrors ever made, Tobe Hooper dominated the "backwoods horror" genre with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Wes Craven has delivered two of the best meta horror films of all time. However, as none of the three directors above stuck with just one genre, it's difficult to consider their films as cornering the markets they have explored. David Cronenberg, however, is synonymous with body horror: he's the only name you think of when you think of the genre, and he's created probably nine out of the ten best films of the genre. His first mainstream feature film, Shivers, was the first film that really made the subject hit home with audiences, and it helped to establish him as one of the most intensely creative and disturbingly unique auteurs in the horror genre.
A scientist researching the use of parasitic organisms to replace human organs kills a young girl at the highrise apartment complex Starliner Tower. When the organism escapes into the complex, infecting many of its residents, the entire human ecosystem is threatened by a creature that is spread through even slight sexual contact. As Dr. St. Luc (Paul Hampton), the apartment complex's medical doctor, tries to fight off the invasion with his nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry), things begin to spiral out of control as more and more of the residents succumb to the infection.
Cronenberg does an amazing job of relating sexually transmitted infections to horror, making a truly disturbing film that plays with our internal fears of something living within us that wants control. It's one of those primal fears, designed to keep us away from the actual things in nature that are harmful to our bodies, and Cronenberg expertly exploits it even from the very beginning of his illustrious career. The 60's was an era of free love, and Cronenberg's commentary on the generation is on full display as he discusses the dark side of the social practices of the era.
The film is lurid and darkly comic at times, a very grindhouse-feeling film that also feels startlingly advanced for its time period. It's somehow both progressive and regressive at the same time, at times indicting societal mores while at others staunchly reaffirming them. Everyone always gives Cronenberg credit for the body horror aspect of his film, but you rarely see discussion about his commentary of both society and technology. His films are filled with this type of critique, with each of his movies serving to skewer a different type of "advancement" that may be no advancement at all.
The actors in Shivers are all decidedly 70's, and there are a few great performances within. Paul Hampton is great as St. Luc, the stereotypical leading man. Lynn Lowry, who has become a sort of horror royalty, is amazing as always. Horror legend Barbara Steele plays a bit part, but she's a lot of fun and very Old Hollywood horror. Susan Petrie, who plays the a woman whose husband has been taken over by the dickworm, does her best Rosemary Woodhouse as the world around her falls apart with the threat of sexual monsters. Allan Kolman, who plays said husband, is delightfully detached as a man who has sort of fallen in love with his parasite. It's the most deranged role of the film, and he's fantastic.
The film as a whole is a perfect representation of the decade, and it's a phenomenal beginning entry into the body horror genre. It's a bit hard to watch at times, especially for horror fans that struggle to get through sexual assault on film. While there's very little that actually falls into that category, the whole movie feels allegorical for this horrific real-life event. It makes the film all the more disturbing, and it's a great representative of Cronenberg's unique brand of disturbing psychosexual horror. It's hard to believe that he was this good in the beginning of his career, and yet here we are. Shivers is an excellent film, and it's perfectly done to accomplish exactly what Cronenberg was going for. Shivers is almost a sexual take on the zombie genre, and it's fantastic.
Who this movie is for: Body horror fans, Psychosexual horror lovers, Landlords
Bottom line: Shivers is a great introduction to David Cronenberg and his specific blend of psychosexual and body horror. It's a fantastic film, fully emblematic of the era in which it was made. Lowry and Hampton are excellent as the medical couple at the center of the film, and the effects, while certainly dated and much less impressive than they would be later in Cronenberg's storied career, are disgusting and disturbing all at once. It's not his best film, but it's a damn good one.
