Shivers (1975)
…………………………………………………
Shivers Movie Review
Shivers is a 1975 Canadian science fiction horror film directed by David Cronenberg. It’s one of the director’s earlier movies that is flawed, but solid overall.
………………………………………………….
“I loathe to eat alone.
It makes me feel so fat and lonely“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
The residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building are being infected by a strain of parasites that turn them into mindless, sex-crazed fiends out to infect others by the slightest sexual contact. Give it to the seventies to produce a movie with this kind of ridiculous sex premise. Yes, this decade was so sex-crazed that actually I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that this movie ended up being made, but the plot still remains ludicrous, sexist and not all that well explained in the major plot beats.
Another problem is the acting, which simply wasn’t that great throughout, and at times it was downright mediocre due to the employment of lesser-known, lesser-talented actors for this project. The characterization is also slight, though a couple of characters are indeed memorable.
Shivers is quite good when it comes to the horror elements. The parasitic creatures are super eerie and gross. The idea of a movie with parasites this early in Hollywood history, predating ‘Alien’ was influential for sure, and the film got a lot of mileage from all of those horror scenes. The effects are excellent for its time and the film is surely quite atmospheric and as disgusting as a parasite story should be.
When Shivers first came out, it was trashed by at least half of the critics who decried it for its violence and “depravity”. Nowadays, the movie is well received, but I would argue that it should be viewed in a positive context, but among the middling efforts from Cronenberg as his direction here is good, but he would improve on his stories and themes significantly later down the line.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
The sex in Shivers is definitely striking, though less so in today’s time. The rape scenes were brutal, but the film does have a layer beneath this violence as it explores the conflict between the civilized and the animalistic in all humans today. I wished for more of that exploration, though, but at least the body horror sequences were all quite effective. The cinematography and the overall feel of the movie is cheap due to having come out earlier in his career.
