Some things I liked some I did not.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Somewhere between Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Gremlins, this antique gem of a horror movie was released without much fanfare despite a lavish "gory kitchen scene". (Maybe because it was filmed in Canada and it wasn't widely distributed in the USA?) Anyway, this is Cronenberg's breakout movie and it deserves some attention. The inimitable Oliver Reed stars as an alternative psychiatrist working on deep methods for processing buried rage. His star patient (Samantha Eggar in a scenery chewing performance worthy of a look) is a mother with anger issues; when people wind up murdered by tiny assassins it's a good bet that Reed's methodology is the cause. Part intellectual horror, part blood and guts, part psychological mystery, this film should be seen by anyone who seriously studies the genre and also by fans of unusual scary stories. It's a B-grade thriller from start to finish. The child censorship laws of this century would make this film unreleasable now and it's a rare treat to see what was acceptable in films just under 40 years ago. The fact that Cronenberg assumes his audience is intellectually capable of following some fairly intricate dialog and plot complexities is another throwback to a bygone era.

This wonderfully disturbing film deals with some complex psychological themes, and pulls no punches in conveying them to the audience. In some ways, it shares similarities with 'The Omen (1976)' in that 'something evil' is out there, and anyone that gets too close to it suffers a brutal death in a series of memorable set-pieces.All of these scenes are unsettling, none more so than the graphic clubbing to death of the teacher Ruth Mayer (Susan Hogan) in front of a classroom of horrified pupils.The protagonists are a growing tribe of sexless, toothless infants with rarely glimpsed deformities and a fleshy sac between the shoulder blades which 'feeds' them. That these deformed and apparently very physical creatures can completely disappear after each killing is my only cause for question. They are dressed in hooded anoraks, which obscure their unfinished features.This is my favourite David Cronenberg film. His fascination with body horror is rarely more effective and although low budget, this features a terrifically talented cast. Art Hindle is the hero, Frank, whose estranged wife Nola (Samantha Eggar) is a patient of Doctor Raglan (played to perfection by a restrained and therefore very powerful Oliver Reed). Raglan's unconventional methods of therapy for his patients is extreme, and although he is hailed a genius by his students, could be seen as unscrupulous. As it turns out, despite their being links between his methods and the murders, every proclamation he makes is correct and of course, he pays the price. The scene towards the end, where he is making steady progress through a darkened room as Nola's condition is revealed in all its glory is a masterpiece of tension and grotesquery. Apparently, it was Eggar's suggestion that Nola should lick the blood off the latest new-born.Cronenberg wrote this whilst his recent divorce was still in his mind. Nola, he said, shared characteristics with his ex-wife. Whatever heartache compelled his writing and directing of 'The Brood', the result is surely one of horror cinema's greatest chillers. I love films recorded during the winter months, as is the case here. The bleakness, the flakes of floating snow and the skeleton trees really add another level of crisp gloominess to the proceedings.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie but somehow I was attracted by its premise. I surely didn't regret watching it and it sure won't be my last visit. The movie goes definitely not go for gore or creepiness but excels in character development from all the leads. A gradual build-up of tension and strong scenes, questions arise what is really going on. Is it real or a dream? Is there an evil force behind it all? Regularly I was put on the wrong foot. All questions get eventually answered and the revelation was not only disturbing but quite effective and made sense (even if it wasn't realistic). Indeed an under-appreciated and overlooked gem.

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.