Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

a_chinn David Cronenberg films are always interesting, even when they are a mixed bag like this one. Leonard Maltin glibly summarized the film as, "(Samantha) Eggar eats her own afterbirth while midget clones beat grandparents and lovely young schoolteachers to death with mallets." Needless to say, Maltin was not a fan of the film, but what it's really about is a recently divorced father going through a custody battle with his ex-wife, Eggar, who is in a mental institution under the care of psychiatrist Oliver Reed, who has his patients undergoing an experimental treatment. Things get weird when the father tries to cut off contact between his daughter and her institutionalized mother after discovering bruises, when the aforementioned mutant homunculus creatures in little hoodies begin killing the various caretakers of the young girl. As with all Cronenberg films, it's more than a simple straight horror film and contains substance behind the horror, this time tackling divorce, parenting, and possibly an undercurrent of anti-feminism (Cronenberg himself was going through a divorce and custody battle at the time), though I'm not quite sure if the story is an indictment of this one selfish individual female character or if it's an indictment of an entire movement. Cronenberg films are thematically quite consistent and I haven't noticed any strains of misogyny or anti-feminism in his other films, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Also, as with most Cronenberg films, there are elements of "Body Horror," which for those unfamiliar with this horror sub-genre, is not the same as graphic bloody horror, but is when the horror is derived from unnatural graphic transformation, degeneration, or destruction of the human body (think "Eraserhead," "From Beyond," or Cronenberg's "The Fly"). The body horror elements in this film are pretty repellent and will likely turn off most audience members. The film's rather austere presentation will also alienate most horror fans, who are the ones who'd likely get into the body horror elements, which leaves this film with a pretty narrow band of people who will enjoy off-putting intellectual art-house horror. Overall, I don't know that I would recommend "The Brood" to most viewers, but I found it a fascinating and interesting film, despite it's pacing and narrative flaws. FUN FACT! Oliver Reed was arrested by the Canadian police during the production of the film after he made a bet with someone that he could walk from one bar to another without wearing clothes in freezing cold weather.

avik-basu1889 Whenever one hears the name David Cronenberg, the two words that automatically come to his/her mind are 'body horror'. But what distinguishes Cronenberg's films from most other films belonging to the 'body horror' category is his ability to add weight, depth and thematic poignancy underneath the horrifying visual aspects of watching a person's body undergo violent and horrific changes.'The Brood' is a wonderful example of an early Cronenberg film where you see him honing his skills and yet managing to make a wonderfully layered and deep film including all the body-horror madness that he is known for. Thematically, 'The Brood' explores quite a number of issues under the supernatural cloak. Some of the themes that Cronenberg delves into are:1. Divorce and custody battles - This is I believe a prominent subtext running throughout the film. We see Frank and Nola Carveth tussling against each other over the issue of who gets to spend more time with their daughter. It is also well documented that this was a very personal film for Cronenberg as he himself had gone through a similar custody battle over his child and he has called 'The Brood' his version of 'Kramer vs Kramer' and this knowledge actually makes the film far more disturbing. The film is a cinematic representation of the chaos caused by a bitter divorce.2. Disintegration of the family structure - Cronenberg is subtly making a comment on the way the general and basic family structure is getting disintegrated with the passage of time. There is clear commentary in the film on the issue of how bad and abusive parenting can have potentially permanent scarring effects on the child caught in the middle of the broken family. But in true Cronenberg style, this mental scarring is represented through external bodily growths like rashes and blisters. 3. Pride - The character of Hal Raglan is immensely interesting. He uses the phenomenon of psychoplasm to compel his patients to let go of their inner repressed anger and rage, although this will lead to the growth of disturbing rashes on their bodies, but at least they will end up getting some mental relief. I don't think Raglan was a villain. I think he genuinely wanted to help his patients. But he had one big flaw - his pride and his arrogance in thinking that he could use Nola to prove his expertise and in a way show everyone the power of psychoplasmic techniques. In trying to do so, he let his pride blind him to the fact that he was worsening the mental condition of Nola. When he realised his mistakes, it was too late.4. Rage - Last, but by no means least, 'The Brood' is certainly about rage and how repressed and inner rage when released can lead to devastating consequences.Technique-wise, the film combines restraint and flashiness very well. In the initial scenes, Cronenberg keeps the setting and the tone reasonably realistic and only faintly flirts with supernatural elements. But as the story progresses, the supernatural elements keep becoming more and more prominent. When it comes to creating tension, some parts of the film are undeniably influenced by Hitchcock, especially a murder scene which is heavily inspired by 'Psycho' judging by the editing and the music playing over it. Oliver Reed has a dominant, charismatic presence. He is dramatic and uses his booming voice to full effect. Art Hindle provides the necessary understated performance in the film. Some might say that he is a bit bland, but I think it is his realistic and understated portrayal of Frank which allows the more dramatic and flashy performances in the film to work. But for me, the best performance in the film comes from Samantha Eggar. She exudes this air of creepiness that Cronenberg accentuates with his style of shooting her face up close with a lot of close-up shots. She uses her eyes brilliantly. She also shows range as she has to break into moments of vulnerability along with the moments of rage. The conversation scenes between Eggars and Reed are masterful with Cronenberg's brilliant camera placement and editing along with brilliant performances from the two actors.My only gripe with the film is the character of Jan Hartog. I don't really think this character works in the film. The introduction is awkward and the role he plays is completely perfunctory in the context of the screenplay, but he is not at all interesting as a character. 'The Brood' is an early example of Cronenberg mastering his skills at blending 'body-horror' with deep and cerebral issues to make the film not just visually disturbing, but also intellectually provocative. Some critics have accused the film of being anti- feminist. Now I don't agree with that thought as I think Cronenberg is attacking bad parenting as a whole and not just bad mothers, but it is the kind of response that Cronenberg's films can provoke out of people due to their nature and style. 'The Brood' is not for everyone and it is not flawless(I think), but it is a film that I can't help recommending big time.

Claudio Carvalho The unconventional psychotherapist Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed) uses a unique technique developed by him to expose the repressed feelings of his patients. Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) brings his daughter Candice (Cindy Hinds) home after spending the weekend visiting his ex-wife Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar) that is interned in Dr. Raglan's Somafree Institute. He finds bruises on Candice's body and he tells Dr. Raglan that he will not bring Candice to visit Nola anymore. Meanwhile Dr. Raglan learns that Nola was abused by her mother and not protected by her father when she was young.Frank leaves Candice with his mother-in-law Juliana Kelly (Nuala Fitzgerald) to work, but she is attacked by a dwarf-like creature and brutally murdered. Her ex-husband Barton Kelly (Henry Beckman) comes to town for the funeral, but he is murdered by the same creature. However Frank kills the creature and the autopsy shows that it is not a human offspring. Then Candice's teacher Ruth Mayer (Susan Hogan) has an argument by phone with Nola and she is murdered in front of her class by two creatures that abduct Candice. Frank heads to Somafree and discovers the secret of the deformed children. "The Brood" is among the best horror movies by David Cronenberg. The plot is very well constructed and the gruesome conclusion is disturbing. The idea of Nola licking the fetus was conceived by Samantha Eggar and censored by censors in Canada, United States and United Kingdom. However the Brazilian DVD presents the uncensored version at least of this scene. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Os Filhos do Medo" ("The Sons of the Fear")

Christopher Reid I like the idea of horror movies but they're usually very disappointing and predictable and dull. This one was quite enjoyable. I was actually tense at many times and swore at the screen due to my confusion at what was going on. But I liked it. I would smile in relief after a weird or suspenseful scene.I don't know why, but for some reason, Cronenberg seems to have earned my respect. I've only seen a couple of his movies (The Fly and A History of Violence), but I feel like I understand his movies. He seems to take film seriously as an art form and tries to make interesting stuff without restricting himself. He seems to have a freedom similar to David Lynch who I also seem to click with - their movies are weird but make sense in some subconscious, twisted way. So you go on their dark journeys, restraining yourself from early judgement, trusting that somehow it all leads somewhere, means something even if you're not immediately sure what.I have to say the main guy's acting was not great (the father), however Oliver Reed was awesome and the crazy lady was intense (her eyes freaked me out BIG time). Horror movies often seem to suffer from terrible acting or, at least, a dull or dark mood. My brother dislikes them for that reason, Ebert seems to have had a similar opinion. The Brood partially suffers from this: the whole plot seems a bit depressing, like there's no hope at all. It would help if the father and daughter were happier or had more chemistry. Their lives seem very boring. There's no colour or laughter or smiles to contrast with the darkness brewing. The girl's simple innocence and vulnerability does work though - you feel more worried when things happen.The scary parts were very well done. They were completely bizarre and unexpected. I had no idea what was going on or what to expect next. But it was riveting and disturbing in an entertaining way. There were times I was definitely expecting something to jump out and nothing happened or vice-versa which is refreshing. There could have been a bit more comedy or even drama to give meaning to the horror though.By the end, most things were satisfyingly explained (or you can work them out for yourself). It generally all made sense and is probably more creepy once you know what's really going on. I think any horror fan would like this movie quite a lot. For others, it's still interesting for its strangeness. I'll always remember it for its many wtf and omg moments.