Director – David Cronenberg (Scanners, Rabid)
Starring – Paul Hampton (Babylon 5, Deadly Exposure), Joe Silver (Deathtrap, Rabid), and Lynn Lowry (The Crazies, Model Hunger)
Release Date – 1975
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 4/5
Over the years I’ve been fortune enough to review several films by David Cronenberg. With a career that has spanned almost 50 years he has directed many iconic films over the years. In 1975 he released the horror film Shivers starring Paul Hampton and Lynn Lowry. This film would go on to gain a cult following and would he would be crowned king of body horror. This is a movie I had seen before but I didn’t recall any of it. Vestron Video recently announced the release of the film on blu which gave me the perfect time to revisit it…or watch it for the first time. Regardless, I couldn’t wait to see it so I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a copy my way for review. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a wealthy apartment complex where the people are friendly but one if them is harboring a dark secret. He has manufactured a parasite that spreads through sexual interaction. A doctor and nurse soon find themselves face to face with several infected who have heightened sexuality after they come in contact with others infected. Soon the entire complex is infected forcing the doctor to run for his life. **Spoiler Alert**
After I took the dive into the seedy world of Shivers I realized that I may not have actually watched this one before because I would have remembered this one if I had seen it before. It was a sexually driven horror film that brings real life horrors to the big screen. STD and so on are extremely dangerous and scary for a young adult so a horror film centered around that is enough to make any viewer’s skin crawl.
The acting in this one is decent for what it is but the characters are not that entertaining. The character’s carry the film to an extent but their unenthused performances and cliched personalities brings very little to their scenes. The story for this one really works especially now with the younger crowd who are exploring their sexuality. STDs mixed with the mindless infected is an effective horror piece. It is a little on the goofy side but the impact is still there.
Finally, this one has some blood with some fun practical effects but for those of you looking for gore will be very disappointed. The practical effects of the tumors and so on is very entertaining and may make some of the viewer uncomfortable but they do their job. Overall, Shivers is a fantastic film that has great atmosphere and a solid story. The acting is a little underwhelming but the film is still worth it. The blu from Vestron looks great but I have seen better transfers from much older releases.
Special Features:
NEW* Audio Commentary with Writer-Director David Cronenberg and Co-Producer Don Carmody
NEW* “Mind Over Matter” – An Interview with Writer-Director David Cronenberg
NEW* “Good Night Nurse” – An Interview with Actress Lynn Lowry
NEW* “Outside and Within” – An Interview with Special Make-Up Effects Creator Joe Blasco
NEW* “Celebrating Cinépix” – An Interview with Greg Dunning
Archival 1998 David Cronenberg Interview
Still Gallery with Optional Archival Audio Interview with Executive Producer John Dunning
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spot
Radio Spots
