Any artist, no matter their medium, would easily concede that personal pain and trauma are some of the best fuel for truly great art. In was through this conceit that director David Cronenberg turned his own personal turmoil into his first true masterpiece, 1979’s The Brood. Leave it to Cronenberg to turn his own issues of divorce and child custody into an examination of body horror, failed science and “children” with no belly buttons.
The Brood primarily revolves around the Carveth family. Frank (Art Hindle) is concerned for the well being and safety of his daughter Candice (Cindy Hinds) at the hands of his ex-wife Nola (Samantha Egger). Nola is a patient at the Somafree Insitute of Psychoplasmics where she is undergoing treatment to control her fits of rage. The steps and methods imposed to control and excise these outbursts, as implemented by the ominous Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed), are beyond controversial and often leave patients with physical marks and scarring. A true foreshadowing of what lies ahead.
The film moves at a steady pace, building up tension as the true research that Raglan is conducting slowly gets revealed, often with murderous consequences. Nola’s rages are not only growing more unwieldy, but they have taken on a physical form that no one, including Frank and Candice, are safe from. All of this builds to a final act that simply must be seen to be believed. It will surely stay with the viewer for the rest of their days.
Despite being hampered by a cast of varying degrees of ability and an extremely tight budget, Cronenberg still manages to shine here. The director has made a career of relaying grand ideas in minimal, often grotesque ways and The Brood was the first genuine example of him nailing that. While some might find his sense of pacing a bit drab and lacking in “action,” I find it to be a necessary aspect to his brand of storytelling. It’s all about the payoff, but the payoff isn’t as sweet without the build up to it.
High-Def Presentation
It always feels like a crapshoot on how older films that haven’t been given much (or any) love are going to look once they hit the high-def format. Second Sight manages to come out shining again with a transfer for The Brood that is truly impressive. The Brood comes to Blu-ray with a MPEG-4 1080p AVC transfer that is surprisingly solid. Colors bound off the screen, particularly reds which are used quite prominently throughout the film. There is a fine level of film grain throughout that maintains the film’s natural look superbly. There are some dodgy scenes near the end of the film and a bit of age spots in a scene or two, but overall it’s the best this film has ever looked and is sure to be a pleasant surprise to its many fans.
The audio mix isn’t mind-blowing, but it’s solid enough. It is presented in a LPCM 2.0 track, which more than adequately suits the films humble budgetary constraints. Dialogue is clear and centralized and the score features prominently without ever becoming overwhelming. Nothing extravagant, just solid.
Beyond The Feature
One aspect of Second Sight that I’ve come to love is there attention to special features and their treatment of The Brood is no exception. The highlight of course is Cronenberg: The Early Years, which features the director himself discussing how his early works and how he got into filmmaking in the first place. It’s a shame he didn’t contribute a commentary for the film, but at least he indulged his fans with this brief bit of insight. The other highlight is seeing the return of producer Pierre David in Producing The Brood. Pierre’s interview on the Scanners Blu-ray was fun and full of information regarding Cronenberg’s early work and it’s a delight to see him back sharing more. The other features give a well balanced look at the overall production of the film and make this a must own for Cronenberg’s fans.
The following is a complete list of all included special features.
- Meet the Carveths – Art Hindle & Cindy Hinds interviewed by Fangoria Editor Chris Alexander
- The Look of Rage – Interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin
- Producing The Brood – Interview with producer Pierre David
- Character for Cronenberg – Interview with actor Robert A. Silverman
- Cronenberg: The Early Years – Writer/Director David Cronenberg discusses how he broke into filmmaking
The Brood is the second of Cronenberg’s early works that Second Sight has brought to the high-def world and it’s another home run for the label. The film itself is an incredibly engaging examination on trust and relationships, told in a way that only David Cronenberg could tell it. It is compelling cinema that overcomes its meager financial means to tell a captivating story filled with an ample amount of horror and gore. Second Sight has gone to great lengths to give the film not only a worthy transfer but has also created a set of compelling features to make this a must for any Cronenberg or cult/horror fan as well as any discerning cinema lover that isn’t afraid to take a chance on something a bit left of center.
