5 Brilliant Moments of David Cronenberg Body Horror | A CineFix Movie List

Any discussion of body horror should probably begin and end with David Cronenberg. Of course other filmmakers have done it and done it impressively, but as the world heavyweight champion of the cinematic psycho-sexual returns to screens with Crimes of the Future, we need to look back at just why Cronenberg’s particular brand of grotesque sets above and beyond the rest. So here are 5 brilliant moments of Cronenberg Body Horror.

This feature was written in parts by Clint Gage, Lucy O’Brien, Max Scoville and Michael Calabro and edited by Clint Gage.

The Picks

Scanners (1981) The Head Explosion - Maybe the most iconic single shot in the director’s entire career, here’s how a team of practical effects and make up wizards pulled it off and why it works so well at the beginning of the film.

Dead Ringers (1988) The Instruments - The organic design of these horrific tools is just one part of why a surgical scene in the middle of the movie is so brilliantly executed by Cronenberg, along with actor Jeremy Irons.

eXistenZ (1999) The Biopods - Fleshy and weird looking? Absolutely. Perfect metaphors for our flirtations with virtual reality and the biotechnical slippery slope Cronenberg frequently shows us the bottom of? Of Course. Willem Dafoe as a gas station surgeon? Sure, why not?

Videodrome (1983) The Torso Slit - James Woods finds himself in the middle of a battle for control of the worlds minds. Hallucinations and reality altering brain tumors drive a TV exec to some truly bizarre places.

The Fly (1986) The Final Scene - As pioneering teleportation scientist Seth Brundle, Jeff Goldblum brings a tragic empathy to Brundlefly throughout the film, but the very last scene might be the most brilliant moment Cronenberg has ever pulled off.

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Dune, Blade Runner 2049 and Quest for Identity with Denis Villenueve - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrCRGmzoRrg

The Green Knight, David Lowery and a Unique Obsession with Myth - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEfDu2s7G5I&t=84s

Interstellar, Tenet and A Brief History of Christopher Nolan and Time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLrvo1ab4XM&t=80s

7 Scariest Movie Moments of All Time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAWttx6JJQE&t=141s