MovieChat Forums > The Fly (1986) Discussion > If you watched this not knowing the plot...

If you watched this not knowing the plot or title...

posted 7 years ago by rabbitmoon
3 replies | jump to latest

If this was called something else, wasn't a remake, and didn't have obvious shots of a fly buzzing round as he enters the pod, the experience of watching the film would be so interesting for its mystery.

I love the part of middle act where no one in the film really knows whats going on, but its clear that Seth is changing in subtle ways. That kind of "gets under your skin" subtlety (and not-so-subtlety) would be such good fun to absorb and try to figure out if you had no clue about the fly aspect. A bit like a Black Mirror episode.

Then, once the computer confirms the fly DNA, you're left to deduce what must have happened.

Its just such a simple, pure idea for a transformational horror film, that plays into so many undercurrent anxieties about people becoming influenced/manipulated/desperate/sold-out and changing for the worst.

[–] joshua_carpino 7 years ago

i like that idea a lot. i've had that idea for other films myself,like john carpenter's "the thing".

[–] Herreken 7 years ago

That would've been great to watch it under those circumstances. The scene where Brundle uses the computer to find out what happened would've been a great moment for the audience to share the character's shock & horror.

DISPLAY thy breasts, my Julia!

[–] kmags84 7 years ago

You can tell DC did it for budgetary reasons. He was allowed to make a film with all his recurring themes, a great deal of subtext etc etc, but was allowed a lot more freedom because on the surface, he was just remaking 'The Fly'... And it paid off. I think that same ideology worked on a lot of viewers as well. I definitely know what you mean though. It would've been pretty cool not knowing until Brundle-Fly does lol. But, for obvious reasons, Copyright being a big one, he had to go by the book... On the surface of course... Underneath it all its just another brilliant body horror/sf film by The Mastermind himself.