Rabid (1977)
David Cronenberg's second major film, it feels mostly like a restatement and refinement of the thematic material he presented in his debut Shivers. The main difference here is that it's on a larger scale -- the end of Shivers only hinted at the coming sexual apocalypse, while here we see the epidemic play out fully. So there's a certain familiarity, but it's still handled expertly, resulting in a chilling portrait of disease and societal decay. Marilyn Chambers is surprisingly good; choice of musical sting during many of the attack scenes bears an unfortunate resemblance to Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition blare.
Grade: B+
David Cronenberg's second major film, it feels mostly like a restatement and refinement of the thematic material he presented in his debut Shivers. The main difference here is that it's on a larger scale -- the end of Shivers only hinted at the coming sexual apocalypse, while here we see the epidemic play out fully. So there's a certain familiarity, but it's still handled expertly, resulting in a chilling portrait of disease and societal decay. Marilyn Chambers is surprisingly good; choice of musical sting during many of the attack scenes bears an unfortunate resemblance to Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition blare.
Grade: B+
<< Home