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31 Days of Horror Movies - Day 19

 

For today, we are continuing with the trend of remakes that are superior to the original and after The Thing there a select few that can carry that title with pride. This pick is also one of the most disturbing, grossest, and emotionally scarring films of all time so just get ready. In fact, you should...

"Be afraid. Be very afraid".

Day 19 - David Cronenberg's The Fly

A remake of the 1950s Vincent Price creature feature, transgressive Canadian filmmaker and body horror pioneer David Cronenberg takes the simple premise of mad science from the original and just blows it up by expanding upon it. Jeff Goldblum stars as Seth Brundle, a genius scientist, who invents a teleportation device but during a fateful accident, something goes terribly wrong for him. It doesn't matter if you've seen it countless times or you're watching it for the first time, there is no preparing for The Fly and how wildly transgressive it gets. Financed by Mel Brooks (yes, that Mel Brooks), The Fly is ostensibly an operatic love story between Brundle and science journalist Ronnie (played to perfection by real life couple at the time Goldblum and Geena Davis) that takes the "operatic" quality of it and multiplies it by 1000. Whether its the emotionally grueling transformation, which a lot of critics at the time view as a powerful metaphor to the AIDS crisis, or the incredibly graphic practical effects, there is absolutely no denying that Cronenberg hit a nerve when crafting this timeless classic. Everything that happens in The Fly is horrifying but its made even worse by the simple fact that Cronenberg invests the audience on the relationship between Brundle and Ronnie; so when the true horror happens it is profoundly effective and emotionally devastating. The makeup design by Chris Walas is so staggering that it actually won a Best Makeup Academy Award - whether its the final transformation of Brundle or the arm-wrestling scene or even the "nail scene" (if you know, you know), this is makeup that sticks with you long after the credits roll. Goldblum and Davis deliver knockout performances and they're supported by the relentless Howard Shore score but The Fly is truly a "one of a kind" gem that makes its premise effectively brutal. Smart, grotesque, and filled with disturbing imagery and powerful symbolism, there is a reason The Fly is still considered one of the best remakes of all time. 


*All of the recommendations that we make can be found at the El Paso Public Library Catalog!

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