Shivers (1975)

Shivers (1975)

aka: Frissons / The Parasite Murders / They Came from Within

Dir. David Cronenberg

Shivers is crude and suffers from some clunky pacing in the middle section, but the imagination and the sense of dread that it manages to exude help raise it up.

It's set in a modern high rise building that claims to be largely self-sufficient. It has shops, a public pool and even its own resident doctor and nurse. Being situated close to the city but still far enough away that it feels isolated is something that the story uses to its advantage.

By existing within a host building that's built for perfect human living and convenience, the residents create a perfect breeding ground for a new kind of life to thrive.

The threat isn't intentionally malevolent. It has no hatred of mankind or wish to destroy. It’s simply trying to survive the only way it knows how. The erosion of good and evil makes it all the more terrifying and oddly relatable.

It’s interesting to go back to Cronenberg’s early works and see the genesis of the 'body-horror' that he became known for. The low budget means that viewers not familiar with the layers of meaning that underpin his films may laugh at the meaty ‘phallic turds’, but if they do then they’re missing the point completely. Also, use of special effects aside, there are a number of upsetting scenes that would be classified as controversial even by today's more liberal standards.