Happy 31 days of Halloween!
This year, we’re celebrating with a different movie pick each day that made us audibly gasp, “WHAT THE FUCK?!“
It is now the 28th day, and there has yet to be a shortage of WTF moments in horror for me to share. Let’s take it back to the year 1979 and a bizarre little film written and directed by the esteemed David Cronenberg, The Brood. Of course it’s on my list!
Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar) is under the care of the psychologist Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed), who has very unusual methods for treating his patients. After a visit with her mother, Candice (Cindy Hinds) returns to her father, Frank (Art Hindle), covered in welts and bruises. Frank starts investigating this doctor and his treatments and wants to keep his daughter away from her mother because he fears she’s being abused. It’s fascinating to read that Cronenberg wrote The Brood after his divorce and child custody battle with his ex-wife. I wonder what characteristics he wrote about the wife, Nola, that he felt were characteristic of his ex? The tea must have been hot back in ‘79.
Nola’s mother and father are attacked by what appears to be a small child, and poor little Candace is traumatized. I honestly feel like this actress, Cindy Hinds, was crying real tears and screaming from actual fear when she’s attacked by the mob of strange children creatures near the end of the film.
Frank uncovers the truth of what attacked his daughter, and we’re left with the images of Nola lifting up her white dress to reveal what she’s been creating. What the fuck?! Did not need to see any of it, and it’s absolutely brilliant that Samantha Eggar decided that she needed to lick the blood off of her newborn for added what-the-fuckery.
