The Brood (1979)


Life can be an inspiration for art and, with The Brood, this came from writer and director David Cronenberg's divorce and custody battle.  I wasn't aware of this the first time I watched it, but even without knowing the background it was clear that Cronenberg was mad at some woman, if not all, about something at the time.  It was his fourth feature film and, while his body issues had been evident since Shivers, he had never really explored anything as personal as what is in this movie.

Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) is concerned that his ex-wife Nola (Samantha Eggar) is abusing their daughter Candice (Cindy Hinds) during her visits to see her mom at the private hospital where she is being treated.  The hospital is run by Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed), a psychiatrist pushing a controversial method of treatment called Psychoplasmatics, which through roleplay causes the patient to manifest symptoms of their rage on their bodies. 

When his mother-in-law Juliana (Nuala Fitzgerald) is killed by an unknown assailant that turns out to be a strange dwarf-like creature Frank begins to think that he and others around him, including Candice, may be in danger.  His fears are justified as the murders continue and Candice is kidnaped. Thinking that it may have something to do with her treatment, Frank decides to confront both Dr. Raglan and Nola once and for all. 

As usual with early Cronenberg there are scenes that are wildly violent and some that go over the top, including one that was improvised by Samantha Eggar.  It includes violent deaths in brightly lit, unlikely places and, like in his previous films, authorities being forced to deal with things they don't understand.  Although this follows a familiar pattern I do see Cronenberg maturing a bit and becoming more confident in his storytelling, something that would serve him well with his next few films.

Art Hindle is the actual lead in this despite Oliver Reed, who was the one big name Cronenberg got for the movie, being first-billed.  He does fine as the beleaguered husband, but the standout is Cindy Hinds as the constantly shell-shocked Candice who, as a five-year-old, witnesses a number of the murders - including those of loved ones - and comes out the other end with demons of her own.  This is one of Reed's best roles, and Raglan is well-written so that his motivations are always kept a mystery until the end.  Eggar, of course, chews every bit of scenery she is in.

After this Cronenberg would only push horror boundaries with one more film, Videodrome, before settling in as a more diverse independent filmmaker, albeit still challenging.  Thankfully this weird and wild streak of his never faded, but this shows him learning to play to his strengths and not just try to drum up controversy.

The Brood (1979)
Time: 92 minutes
Starring: Art Hindle, Cindy Hinds, Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar
Director: David Cronenberg 

 

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