The Fly [R]

Seth Brundle is an exceptionally talented, but overly ambitious young scientist who, for the last six years, has been working on perfecting the means of teleportation: the disassembling of inanimate objects in one location and the reassembling of them in another. One night, against the objections of his lover, Veronica, Brundle tests the machine on himself. Unfortunately a common housefly enters the pod at the last minute and Brundle’s DNA is fused with that of the insect. In the beginning the fusion merely enhances Brundle’s physical condition and abilities, but soon the horrifying insect half gradually takes over. 

Oh it’s absolutely disgusting but at the same time compellingly romantic. Director David Cronenberg, who successfully weirded and completely grossed me out with his film Naked Lunch, achieves instant acclaim on the horror scene through his fusion of gore, violence, and heartfelt romance, making The Fly the only horror film that I’ve seen to date, that holds the power to make the stomach churn, the face cringe violently, and the eyes cry. 

Seth Brundle is an exceptionally talented, but overly ambitious young scientist who, for the last six years, has been working on perfecting the means of teleportation: the disassembling of inanimate objects in one location and the reassembling of them in another. One night, against the objections of his lover, Veronica, Brundle tests the machine on himself. Unfortunately a common housefly enters the pod at the last minute and Brundle’s DNA is fused with that of the insect. In the beginning the fusion merely enhances Brundle’s physical condition and abilities, but soon the horrifying insect half gradually takes over. 

The funny and compelling thing about The Fly really is not its horror aspect, but its remarkably strong and emotional love story between the two leads. The chemistry between Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis was just superb and it really is most touching to watch Geena continue to love this horrifying creature, searching for something of the man she once knew, and Jeff grapple with holding onto his human emotions, even amidst the violence of his transformation e.g. his nails and ears and teeth falling out. Of course, the story can only end in romantic tragedy, but one would not consider to shed tears in a horror movie… and I actually did tear up right at the end. Both performances from the leads were absolutely beautiful and heartfelt. 

Of course, although the love story wins out occasionally, the limelight is nearly always swallowed up by the fantastic, horrifying, and altogether absolutely revolting prosthetics designed by Rob Bottin. The marriage of the prosthetics and special effects is an absolute winner, inducing violent convulsions of the stomach, sudden snap-shuts of the eyes, violent trembling of the body, and spasmodic and guttural choking and horrified exclamations of “eeewww!”. The horror and gore aspect of the movie was decadently disgusting and utterly gross, I’m still shaking. 

Starring Jeff Goldbum, Geena Davis, and John Getz, The Fly is a great horror movie with a romantic twist and is packed with gore, violence, horrifying transformations, emotion, and tragic love. Some light comic relief was even thrown in successfully by Goldblum. Giving birth to that iconic line “be afraid, be very afraid” it’s a wholly remarkable cinematic achievement in horror.