Modern superhero movies often portray scientific accidents
as a form of rebirth. While there is a very
obvious downside to becoming a superpowered freak, there are certainly a great
number of advantages as well. Peter
Parker has an acute sixth sense that alerts him to danger, and he can lift many
times his own body weight. Bruce Banners
gamma fueled temper tantrums make him one mild mannered nerd that anyone would
be afraid to piss off. If Stan Lee and
his stable of artists wanted to take an even more disturbing approach to that
material, they might have portrayed such bizarre scientific blessings as a full
on curse, A disease which slowly transforms the human body into something truly
hideous. In August of 1986, a daring
Canuck filmmaker did just that by offering a disturbing new take on a classic
horror film.
Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is a brilliant but eccentric
scientist who is on the verge of a historic breakthrough. He has developed a pair of “telepods” that
can teleport matter from one location to another in the blink of an eye. He reveals their existence to the beautiful journalist
Veronica Quaife, who eventually takes a liking to him. As their romance begins to blossom, Brundle
ponders how to successfully transport living matter in the telepods. His first attempt ended in gruesome failure. After making the necessary adjustments,
Brundle uses himself as guinea pig. His
experiment proves successful, except for one minor but ultimately important
detail: A common housefly hitched a ride at the starting point. Unaware of the
tiny stowaway, Brundle emerges from the second pod with a feeling of rejuvenation. His newfound euphoria soon gives way to
horror, as he gradually morphs into a grotesque human/insect hybrid.
The original 1958 version of The Fly was limited by the technology and moral standards of the
time. By 1986, the MPAA’s ratings system
had given filmmakers considerable leeway as far as gore was concerned. Likewise, advances in technology had allowed
special effects technicians to render the destruction of the human body more
accurately than ever before. Canadian
filmmaker David Cronenberg would take full advantage of the relaxed social mores
and advanced visual effects that had become common place by the mid 1980’s,
using both to the fullest extent. He was
well suited to the task, as his resume up until that point consisted of films
in which the human body played host for all manner of physical and psychic
terrors. He was also adept at using such imagery to comment on the human
condition.
Make up FX wizard Chris Walas was charged with visualizing
the merging of man and insect. He and
Cronenberg decided to portray Brundle's metamorphosis in a series of stages,
each one more ghastly than the last. Brundle
would start out human, but by films end would be an ungodly monstrosity. A stand out among the films staggeringly grotesque
moments is the infamous “vomit-drop.”
![]() |
Seth Brundle demonstrating the ghastly "vomit-drop." |
The elaborate makeup and animatronic FX posed the danger of
upstaging the story and characters.
Fortunately the screenplay by Cronenberg and Charles Edward Pogue assured
that the human elements remained intact.
It was equal parts allegory, character study, and tragic love story.
Brundle’s predicament would not only ravage his body and his psyche, but take
an amazing toll on his relationship with Veronica. Goldblum and Davis also do their part to
preserve the more fragile parts of the story.
Seth Brundle is as sympathetic a protagonist as has ever occupied a
horror film. His growing horror at his
situation begins to mirror that of the audience. Veronica’s concern for him feels real, even
when her devotion stretches credibility.
Their love affair is touching, making the outcome all the more
effective.
The many strengths of The
Fly made it much more than a convincing freak show. It played not only as an effective allegory
for the AIDS epidemic, but also as a much darker version of the Spider-Man origin story. Whereas Parker becomes a hero, Brundle
becomes an abomination known as “Brundlefly.”
It’s a journey of discovery that ends in the bowels of Hell. It’s truly a shame that 20th
Century Fox recently decided to pass on Cronenberg’s proposed remake/sequel. One cringes at the very idea of what new
horrors he had in mind for his audience.
Beautifully written piece, Scott! Sorry it took me a few days to catch up to it. I was actually thinking about this movie last week as I have been curious to see it again. Plus, it will give me an excuse to buy the DVD as I don't own it. Have you seen the Chris Walas sequel? I must say I never did see it.
ReplyDeleteThe Chris Walas sequel has some truly gory FX that are amazingly more disgusting than the first film. It's even more of a horrific "superhero" movie as well. Unfortunately, it also sucks to high heaven. I'd recommend a rental just for curiosities sake, but definitely not a purchase.
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