3 years ago, David Cronenberg, often referred to as the Master of Venereal Horror, once again left an unsuspecting festival audience scurrying for the exit doors. His film, Crimes of the Future, a grimly realistic portrayal of a future world that some found disturbingly graphic, was simply too gory for the more sensitive attendees at the Cannes Film Festival. This is just par for the course for a director who’s been pushing boundaries since his shocking cult films in the 1970s. Despite his advanced age of 82, Cronenberg, also known as Dave Depraved, continues to create movies with the enthusiasm and creativity of someone much younger. Impressively, he remains a significant force in the genre even after half a century.
Instead of consistently startling neighbors with shocking antics, it’s worth noting that David Cronenberg, a groundbreaking and contentious filmmaker from Canada, typically avoids resting on his laurels or his controversial image. True to form for a director who is fascinated by transformation, he has continually evolved throughout his career. His body of work tells a story of violence, but it’s divided into distinct phases: From the raw titillation of “Shivers” to the respected Hollywood horror of “The Fly,” the provocative art-house controversy of “Crash,” and the unexpected prestige recognition during his Viggo period. Despite their differences, all his films share an intense intellectual curiosity that matches the intensity of the violence they depict. Initially dismissed (and much to John Carpenter’s dismay), Cronenberg has always been the choice for intellectuals who appreciate a bit of sleaze and slither in their cinema.
As a film enthusiast, I can’t help but ponder if David Cronenberg’s latest creation, “The Shrouds,” marks the conclusion of an era or the dawning of a new one. This film feels like a poignant farewell to the woman he’s loved for nearly as long as he’s been making movies. Whether it serves as the final chapter in his half-century journey exploring sex, death, and their intersections is yet to be determined. However, I suspect that the octogenarian director wouldn’t mind such morbid musings, although he might find less appeal in the subsequent ranking of his life’s work. Even a master of the grotesque could feel queasy at such a list.
23-22.
Stereo (1969) and Crimes of the Future (1970)
Cronenberg’s early obsessions can be seen in his first two films, which were shot without sound on the campus of the University of Toronto where he studied. These hour-long sci-fi movies, titled “Stereo” and “Crimes of the Future“, served as precursors to later works like “Scanners“. Although they share many ideas typical of Cronenberg’s work, they are somewhat dry and lack the compelling dramatic structure or gross-out thrills that would come later. Essentially, these early films functioned as a presentation of his already warped imagination, making them interesting primarily for completists who want to trace his development.
21.
Fast Company (1979)
In stark contrast, the gritty drag-racing film under discussion shows minimal influence from Dave Depraved’s style, marking a significant departure from the B-movies he was known for creating in the 1970s. Despite being a car enthusiast himself (later causing a stir with the provocative film “Crash”), David Cronenberg seems to be operating in a work-for-hire capacity here, as evidenced by the story of an aging driver (William Smith) trying to avoid retirement with the help of a motley pit crew. The movie offers a few minor pleasures reminiscent of Robert Altman’s hangout films, but it largely meanders along for its 91-minute runtime. Cronenberg has described it as his least personal work; one might not even guess he directed it, and it is as forgotten as the imitation Bruce Springsteen songs that play repeatedly throughout.
20.
Rabid (1977)
In a motorcycle accident, a grown woman, known as adult-film star Marilyn Chambers, undergoes an experimental surgery that turns her into a modern-day Typhoid Mary, spreading a zombie plague through a pulsing stinger on her armpit. Director David Cronenberg experiences a significant transformation in this movie; from the very first scene, he demonstrates increased clarity and confidence behind the camera. However, while Rabid represents a major advancement for the director, it also feels like a sillier, less unsettling rehash of his earlier work Shivers, which wisely contained its eroticized take on Night of the Living Dead within a single besieged apartment complex instead of expanding it to all of Quebec. The effectiveness of the film may depend on one’s personal feelings towards its lead actress, who either gives a spookily emotionless performance or is simply amateurishly blank in her first mainstream role.
19.
Maps to the Stars (2014)
After four decades in his profession, Cronenberg filmed a movie for the first time in Hollywood. Unsurprisingly, it became a biting critique of Hollywood, portraying the entertainment industry as a circus of narcissistic actors, fraudulent self-help gurus, and profane child sociopaths that may resonate painfully. The script by Bruce Wagner (Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills) was reportedly penned in the 1980s, which provides context for its dated perspectives. Fortunately, Cronenberg focuses less on mocking his shallow characters (portrayed by Julianne Moore, John Cusack, and Evan Bird emulating Shia LaBeouf) and more on revealing the sorrow and madness that haunt their superficial aspirations. At times, the movie borders between being a nightmare rather than satire, as if an episode of Entourage transformed into Mulholland Drive.
18.
Eastern Promises (2007)
In my opinion, as a movie aficionado, David Cronenberg’s latest work, “Eastern Promises,” marks a departure from his usual avant-garde style following the success of “A History of Violence.” This London-based crime thriller, which happens to be his most expensive production yet, showcases Cronenberg’s signature grim elements, including gruesome scenes of slit throats, severed fingers, and a mesmerizing knife fight in a sauna. However, it seems that the director struggled with a less-than-stellar script penned by Steven Knight, who constructs a tale of underworld intrigue around an investigating midwife character (played by Naomi Watts) whose presence appears to have little impact on the overall plot progression.
That being said, Viggo Mortensen delivers an outstanding performance in his first Oscar-nominated role as a gangster navigating the ranks of the Russian mafia while concealing his true intentions. This portrayal offers a tantalizing glimpse into a deeper exploration of total psychological transformation – a subtext that likely drew Cronenberg to this seemingly ordinary material in the first place.
17.
Spider (2002)
In this specific filmmaker’s typically gruesome body of work, “restraint” might not be the first term that comes to mind. However, it aptly describes his ghostly, quiet adaptation of Patrick McGrath’s novel about a schizophrenic character (played by Ralph Fiennes). This individual wanders a decaying London, struggling desperately to unravel threads of traumatic childhood memories. In _Spider_, Cronenberg effectively places us within the disordered thoughts of his lost and fragile protagonist, creating an atmosphere where the boundary between past and present is constantly questioned through visuals and editing techniques reminiscent of an unreliable narrator. While it may lack the immediate, visceral horror found in some of Cronenberg’s more celebrated works, _Spider_ still effectively portrays a man detached from his own reality as a terrifying entity, just as previous Cronenberg films dismantled the vulnerable human body.
16.
The Dead Zone (1983)
When it comes to transforming novels that others deem unfilmable, Cronenberg has proven to be remarkably skillful – think of Burroughs, Ballard, and DeLillo. Yet, interestingly enough, he seems to struggle with the structural complexities inherent in a Stephen King best-seller. The screen adaptation of ‘a Maine schoolteacher waking up from a coma with psychic abilities’ turns out to be more like a series of episodes rather than a cohesive thriller. Without the parallel narrative of a growing political menace, the story of Johnny’s mournful clairvoyance takes on a ‘case-of-the-week’ feel. Perhaps King and Cronenberg are simply an uneasy pairing. Nevertheless, Cronenberg manages to imbue the production with a fittingly bleak melancholy, and draws out a powerfully intense (and memorable) performance from Christopher Walken. Let’s all shout it together: “The ice… is gonna break!
15.
Shivers (1975)
Critics in the community strongly objected to the movie that made the Master of Venereal Horror famous on a global scale. They questioned the government’s decision to fund this obscene creature-feature about a parasitic slug turning residents of a Montreal apartment building into lustful ghouls. The film, with its low-budget appearance and amateur acting, was nothing extravagant, but it was part of the DIY discomfort of “Shivers” (also known as “The Parasite Murders“, “They Came From Within“, or “Frissons” ). The eventual orgy of sexual violence in the film was even more disturbing after the rather modest, Canadian-style public broadcast quality of the beginning scenes. Before everyone became nymphomaniacal, Cronenberg already knew how to make our skin crawl and shock the prudish.
14.
Scanners (1981)
If asked to choose one standout moment or shot from David Cronenberg’s career, many would likely point to the scene in the movie “Scanners” where Michael Ironside’s character, Revok, causes another psychic’s head to explode dramatically. This scene was initially planned as an opening sequence, but its shocking special effect left test audiences so stunned that they found it hard to recover, forcing Cronenberg to move the scene to a later part of the film. Interestingly, “Scanners” is one of his more approachable films, often described as Cronenberg’s take on an X-Men story, featuring good and evil Scanners battling each other with intense close-ups of actors focusing and contorting their faces in mental exertion. Today, this film seems like a lighthearted exception in his more serious body of work, yet it remains entertaining despite its lead’s wooden performance and the lack of sufficient screen time for Ironside’s menacing antagonist.
13.
M. Butterfly (1993)
As a supporter, I’d rephrase it like this: “In his own words, if there was a film of mine that some might label as a compromise in artistic integrity, it was ‘M. Butterfly,'” Cronenberg once admitted about his most contentiously debated movie. Indeed, the director had never ventured into anything quite as … prestigious as this elegantly staged adaptation of David Henry Hwong’s successful Broadway play, which tells the tale of a French businessman ensnared by an opera singer in 1960s Beijing. Regardless of his intentions, however, it offers a far more intriguing (and typically twisted) melodrama than what harsh critics claimed, largely due to a multifaceted portrayal by my Dead Ringers star, Jeremy Irons. The sticking point for many reviewers was a climactic plot twist that is harder to conceal on screen than on stage. Few asked whether the audience was supposed to understand what’s happening ahead of Irons’ bewitched character, a man blinded by his romanticized, Orientalist delusions. The clarity of truth in this movie about seeing only what one desires lies at its core.
12.
The Shrouds (2024)
Stricken by sorrow following the demise of his 43-year partner, Cronenberg delved into his latest and arguably most intimate project yet. Vincent Cassel takes on the role of Cronenberg’s surrogate in this endeavor, portraying a tormented businessman who invents a morose novelty: a coffin camera that enables survivors to observe the process of decay in their deceased loved ones. Initially intended for a Netflix series, The Shrouds retains traces of its origins, with an intricate corporate backdrop that seems more fitting for serialization. Nevertheless, the core idea is almost indescribably poignant in its macabre, borderline necrophilic nature (Cassel’s grieving tycoon cannot abide the thought of being unaware of his wife’s post-mortem condition), and Cronenberg cleverly infuses this sorrowful tale with self-reflection. Like the character onscreen, he’s discovered a means to capitalize on his sorrow.
11.
The Brood (1979)
In the years leading up to penning the poignant tribute to his second spouse in “The Shrouds”, Cronenberg bid a less affectionate farewell to his first wife, as depicted in “The Brood”. This film was conceived during the bitter end of his marriage and, ironically, his annoyance with the sentimental reunions portrayed in “Kramer vs. Kramer”. “The Brood” is an embittered divorce tale for all ages, where Samantha Eggar plays a troubled woman who uses monstrous offspring to wage her custody battle, symbolizing her bitterness through miniature embodiments of rage that threaten her daughter, her ex-husband, and any others on her bad side. Interestingly, it’s Cronenberg who is really venting his feelings. The scenes of pint-sized killers causing chaos (or emerging bloody from a birth sack in the shocking Grand Guignol finale) are unsettling, but even more so are the poisonous emotions that gave rise to them. Many of his films reach a climactic point of transcending humanity. However, this one remains disturbingly human, particularly in its raw portrayal of post-breakup animosity.
10.
eXistenZ (1999)
In just under a month after its release, The Matrix was followed by another mind-bending dive into a virtual world, this one titled eXistenZ. This film marked director David Cronenberg’s first script since 1983’s Videodrome, and it feels like a spiritual successor with the focus on media obsession shifting from channel surfing to gaming. Cronenberg crafts an intricate, noir-like narrative filled with joystick manipulation that leaves Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law feeling lost and confused. The director’s unique blend of organic elements in a digital future creates a world of bone pistols and controller nipples, making eXistenZ feel more real than any actual technology could.
The game within the movie is presented as a monotonous routine rather than an exciting blast, which turns out to be a clever joke that foreshadows the rise of tedious sandbox MMORPGs in the future. The film’s closing line also hints at something prophetic; these days, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to distinguish between the game and real life.
9.
Crash (1996)
As a passionate cinephile, I must admit that initial apprehensions about David Cronenberg’s edge softening after his grand debut at Cannes were swiftly alleviated upon the arrival of the film, “Crash,” on the Croisette. This adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s novel sparked walkouts and derision – a reminiscence of the moral uproar that greeted Cronenberg’s early horror films, now directed at an NC-17 production exploring human fascination with car accidents.
“Crash” is a challenging film to adore; it’s almost plotless, resembling more like a pornographic counterpoint than a traditional love story. Yet, there’s a raw honesty in its erotic monotony and the manner in which it ensnares us just as effectively as the characters are trapped by their transgressive desires (and perhaps the formative traumas that fueled them).
In the pre-web era, one could argue, as Roger Ebert and others did, that no one would be attracted to car crashes. However, if such a fetish didn’t already exist, Cronenberg might very well have birthed it with “Crash.
8.
Cosmopolis (2012)
In a unique and captivating fashion, no one crafts dialogue quite like David Cronenberg – peculiar alien dialogue, a sci-fi lexicon of unusual terminology, and philosophical banter. This distinctive storytelling ability made him an excellent match for postmodern author Don DeLillo, whose characters converse in distinctive, repetitive, and at times absurd language. Cronenberg incorporates such conversations in the film “Cosmopolis”, where Robert Pattinson portrays a young billionaire navigating Manhattan in a luxury limousine, observing the collapse of his financial empire – and by extension, the global economy – with an uncaring, almost sociopathic detachment. The intentionally stiff dialogues, many taking place within a plush coffin on wheels, explore how capitalism has fundamentally altered the essentials of communication itself. And just as DeLillo seemed to eerily predict a financial crisis, so too did Cronenberg create an apocalyptic allegory that eerily mirrors 2025, a time when wealthy oligarchs shrug off their own senseless assault on the dollar.
7.
A Dangerous Method (2011)
Due to the psychological nature of his films, it’s not surprising that Cronenberg was drawn to portray a pivotal period in the lives of Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender), Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley). What might be less apparent is why some viewers found it dull rather than a clever, understated comedy exploring the irrational aspects of what’s supposed to be rational. Despite their aura of unquestionable authority, Jung and Freud, portrayed superbly in nuanced and dramatic ways respectively, grapple with trivial disagreements and insecurities. The film even starts off like a horror movie, with Knightley expressing intense emotion as her character, a patient of Jung’s, is transported to the institute. _A Dangerous Method_ may have biographical elements, but it’s too sharp-witted (and funny!) to be categorized with the more conventional biopics that less daring filmmakers produce when seeking inspiration from real lives.
6.
Crimes of the Future (2022)
In this rendition, our esteemed pioneer of body horror, David Cronenberg, revisits and reflects on the genre he originated, before moving forward. Adopting the title of one of his early works, Cronenberg doesn’t complete a full circle but instead scrutinizes his own legacy through the lens of a futuristic narrative. The story revolves around an artist (Mortensen, embodying the director as candidly as Cassel does in The Shrouds) who excels in extracting mutated organs from his body. Set in a world where humanity is transforming grotesquely due to our excessive plastic pollution in the oceans, Crimes of the Future appears bleak and disturbing on paper but surprisingly endearing and laid-back in its execution. The film brims with innovative ideas – exploring the pretentions of the art world, the pressures on legends, and the essence of sharing a life and career with someone. By the conclusion, Cronenberg’s onscreen avatar achieves a tranquil acceptance of the prospect of becoming something completely novel. This peaceful resolution seems fitting for an ever-changing visionary like Cronenberg.
5.
A History of Violence (2005)
What violence do we condemn and what do we accept? The protagonist, portrayed by Mortensen, is an upstanding citizen whose peaceful life is disrupted by mysterious gangsters. This movie seems to reference various archetypes such as Hitchcock’s wrong men, Eastwood’s gunslingers, Lynch’s Americana, the killers of Hemingway and O’Connor. However, it’s not what it appears; there’s a deeper, stranger mystery hidden beneath its seemingly ordinary Midwestern setting. As William Hurt’s character, a kingpin with a soul patch, enters the scene, questioning his “broheim” with amusement, one wonders if Cronenberg is satirizing the very stories he seems to be telling. The humor here feels more ironic than distressing, making it difficult to take the movie at its surface level.
4.
Naked Lunch (1991)
Prior to Charlie Kaufman, there was this complex metafilm, a cinematic venture that failed commercially due to its unusually strange narrative for mainstream audiences. Instead of mirroring every seemingly arbitrary plot point from its William S. Burroughs source material, Naked Lunch seeks to capture the bizarre essence of the classic work. It intertwines some extraordinary plot elements with aspects from the author’s life, transforming it into a unique biopic enlivened by its science fiction metaphors. In an incredible twist, the portrayal of a drug-addled writer seems refreshing when the drugs are exterminator powder and the typewriters are sentient talking bugs designed by the renowned practical effects artist Chris Walas. Peter Weller delivers a stoic performance as the Burroughs-inspired character William Lee, navigating literature through sci-fi espionage. The film’s cohesion is also maintained by an ending that ominously connects creative and sexual awakening, while providing a fresh interpretation of the phrase “kill your darlings.
3.
Videodrome (1983)
In simpler terms, “Videodrome” might not be David Cronenberg’s best movie, but it is undeniably his most distinctively ‘Cronenbergian.’ It explores themes like psychological distortion, enigmatic technological conspiracies, and profound statements like “the television screen is the retina of the mind’s eye.” The story revolves around Max Renn (James Woods), a TV executive who becomes dangerously influenced by a mysterious snuff film he investigates. This film was once considered a warning about the harmful effects of television, but its concerns seem particularly relevant in today’s era of YouTube, Fox News, and Facebook. Isn’t it striking how the story of a man transformed by the media he consumes mirrors our current reality? Yet, Max’s transformation is not more dramatic than that of the filmmaker himself, who was moving from exploitation films to a higher level of creative maturity and philosophical exploration. Long live the new era of Cronenberg’s work.
2.
Dead Ringers (1988)
When Jeremy Irons received the Best Actor award for “Reversal of Fortune,” he made sure to acknowledge David Cronenberg during his acceptance speech, saying “some of you may comprehend why.” Those who watched him in “Dead Ringers” a few years prior undoubtedly did. In an understatement, Irons’s double role as the twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle is one of the most underrated masterpieces in modern acting; with just a glance, you can distinguish which brother is being portrayed … even when one is pretending to be the other or their personalities start to dangerously merge. “Dead Ringers,” a film that showcased Cronenberg’s highest level of technical and dramatic skill, has scenes of physical discomfort (the tools used for operating on mutated women are particularly unsettling). However, it goes beyond surface-level shocks, delving into the heartrending descent of codependency and shared madness that Irons masterfully embodies.
1.
The Fly (1986)
The tagline for David Cronenberg’s masterful work of operatic mad-science, “The Fly,” remains his most successful film after four decades. Fear is certainly one response to this movie, but it offers much more than mere shock value. It tells the story of a brilliant physicist who inadvertently combines his DNA with that of a housefly. This 1980s update of a ’50s B-movie genre presented viewers with a plethora of disturbing images, ranging from peeled fingernails to disemboweled monkeys. However, Cronenberg’s intention was not merely to disgust but also to evoke deep emotion. This is achieved through the compelling performances of Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum, particularly Goldblum’s emotive acting under layers of prosthetics to portray a sympathetic monster since Karloff’s creation. As a result, “The Fly” becomes a profound exploration of terminal illness and the terror of witnessing a loved one succumb to it. One wonders what ingenious device Cronenberg used to blend such an audacious hybrid? The pinnacle of this achievement is the Brundlefly itself, a daring fusion of tragedy with the most revolting scenes ever seen in a Hollywood production.
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2025-04-28 19:56