This is not simply a zombie film. It is not just gore and violence. It is a film which foretells the path soicety is taking. It is Cronenberg's haunting depiction of society. Can no one else see this?
"My rule of thumb is, what Siskel and Ebert like, I don't, and vice versa." David Lynch
Truly great, no, but incredibly underrated. It is an unusually good film to be Cronenberg's first. There are trivial things typical of low budget, "beginner's" films that I could shake a finger at, but on the whole it's an amazingly atmospheric, compulsively watchable thriller with its own unique style and mood. I have no idea why it remains unavailable on DVD in the States.
There, daddy, do I get a gold star?
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Better than most films that have ten times the budget, and clearly more ambitious and interesting than 95% of 'horror' films- but not sure about "truly great"
I guess D. Lynch didn't like Mullholland Drive...?
(but of course I understand why he would react that way to good old Roger, who I believe didn't give him a good review EVER until The Straight Story)
"In your eyes, the light, the heat; in your eyes, I am complete"- Peter Gabriel
I think, along with Videodrome & The Brood, this represents Cronenberg's finest work. My favourites, anyway. And he's had some great ones. Shivers has the power to rattle you, even 30 odd years later. It's ferocious.
That house is not fit to live in. No one's been able to live in it. It doesn't want people.
It still stands up well and only the fashions and surroundings are dated. This IS a great film as its still as topical and shocking today as it was when released.
"I felt my pecker flutter once, like a pigeon havin' a heart attack"
His finest work imo was this movie, Scanners, The Dead Zone, The Fly and Dead Ringers. I guess it's all a matter of personal taste.
shareThe Brood was awful. So based on your opinion, Shivers must be just as bad or worse.
shareYou are not alone. I think that this is one of the best films ever! A horror classic by a real master of horror (Mr. (Mick) Garris, you missed this one).
shareAnd to think Mick Garris interviewed Cronenberg early in his career, yet he chose guys like John Landis (who only directed 1 horror movie which was VERY mainstream).
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its called Bmovie. Most horror films ever made was B or C budget films. If you study horror films you will understand that to enjoy horror through the ages you have to get tused to it...Also, its not a slick factory made Hollywood film. Its the first real film from the then new Film Board of Canada.
shareIt's a great movie, especially considering it's basically Cronenberg's debut feature (he doesn't count Stereo and Crimes of the Future because those were "amateur" works for which he wasn't paid, so I'll do the same), and it goes to show that if you have good ideas and a creative mind you can overcome things like a small budget, a lack of great actors and a short shooting schedule. For me this is his scariest film and one that achieves perfectly what it sets out to do, which is the mark of a great film.
shareFreaky and truly bizarre little film.
Love is not a victory march. It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
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»nec spe,nec metu •´¯`»
Maybe we're too used to it in 2014 compared to what might have been shocking in 1975. But I didn't see much more than an excuse to show blood and boobs.
shareBrilliant first feature from a great director.
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"It's better not to know so much about what things mean." David Lynch