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Shivers

Play trailer Poster for Shivers R Released Oct 10, 1975 1h 28m Horror Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After a scientist living in a posh apartment complex slaughters a teen girl and kills himself, investigators discover that the murderer had been carrying on experiments involving deadly parasites. Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton), a doctor living in the building, and his aide, Nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry), then realize that the parasites are on the loose, attacking fellow tenants. And those who become hosts turn into erotically obsessed maniacs who pass the bugs on through violent sex.
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Shivers

Shivers

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Critics Consensus

Shivers uses elementally effective basic ingredients to brilliant effect - and lays the profoundly unsettling foundation for director David Cronenberg's career to follow.

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Critics Reviews

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Vincent Canby New York Times The film is so tackily written and directed, so darkly photographed and the sound so dimly recorded, that it's difficult to stay with it. Rated: 1.5/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review Almar Haflidason BBC.com Despite all the nastiness there is a compulsive nature to this film that makes it very hard to switch off even when in full gory swing. Rated: 4/5 Apr 11, 2001 Full Review Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle Shivers, written and directed by Cronenberg, is a paranoid, prurient sexual nightmare. Rated: 3/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Shivers is an ingeniously engineered slash of thoroughly modern horror that, like George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, charts a social breakdown by tearing through our most intrinsic taboos. Sep 8, 2023 Full Review Tom Meek Cambridge Day Kitschy, creepy and pretty much the film...that announced Cronenberg as a cutting-edge horror force... Rated: 3/4 Nov 13, 2020 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an absolutely interminable piece of work... Rated: 1/4 Jan 22, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Timur B Quite good thrash, acting is not great but sufficient for this type. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/11/23 Full Review BigD J Nowhere near the 85% so-called "critics" gave it. This film is extremely rapey and has several very strange, unnecessary child molestation scenes with no real rhyme or reason to it. In typical weird Indy fashion with of course the Italian film shock effect. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/26/23 Full Review JJJJJJ J Orgy Zombie film. Fairly good but not great. The plot keep me interested through but it never really grab me in a horror sense. I think it probably could have been better and more engaging with a few changes, but it wasn't terrible as is. Just more of a good B film than actually thoughtful movie. I'd recommend for any horror films, or even slasher/genre fans. If your not a hardcore though probably a skip. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/07/23 Full Review Alejandro E Like other directors in their "first feature," Cronenberg put on the table how he would define the horror genre in his own words. The result, in addition to being visceral, is quite satisfactory and, incidentally, is a destructive criticism of life in condominiums. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/22/23 Full Review David W With Shivers, David Cronenberg explores the difficult subject of parasite-induced sexual violence. This requires a delicate balance that he maintains reasonably well. This film, his third and at the time longest, demonstrates how Cronenberg is so effective at body horror. He grosses you out while freaking you out. Most imitators only succeed at the former. Fans of his next film, Rabid, will notice similarities in style, tone, and key film elements. Still, the difficult subject matter means that, while I enjoyed the film and found it interesting, I would only watch it again under certain circumstances. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review HIP-HOP ITALIA Shivers utilizza un'ottima regia ed una trama semplice ma efficace per colpire lo spettatore Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Shivers

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a scientist living in a posh apartment complex slaughters a teen girl and kills himself, investigators discover that the murderer had been carrying on experiments involving deadly parasites. Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton), a doctor living in the building, and his aide, Nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry), then realize that the parasites are on the loose, attacking fellow tenants. And those who become hosts turn into erotically obsessed maniacs who pass the bugs on through violent sex.
Director
David Cronenberg
Producer
Ivan Reitman
Screenwriter
David Cronenberg
Distributor
Vestron Video, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co
Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), DAL Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 10, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 8, 2016
Runtime
1h 28m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Flat (1.85:1)
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