Shivers

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Shivers

R

Released Oct 10, 1975

1h 28m

Horror

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

59%

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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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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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

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acsdoug D

The film obviously suffers from a low budget, including what could be the crappiest "luxury" apartment building in existence. If you're nostalgic for some 70s drive in movie schlock then you could give this one a try.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/21/25

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Nick O

Hostile parasite slugs turn the residents of a yuppie apartment complex into braindead, drooling sex zombies in this early David Cronenberg puke-fest!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/26/25

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Jason S

🌀COLLECTION RATING 86%

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/25

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Aldo G

Uneven acting and poor tech credits negatively affect this early Cronenberg effort. But, there is no denying you're in the hands of a future filmmaking great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/21/24

Full Review

matthew d

One of my cherished favorites......hot chicks great actors retro decor.....I don't know how you beat this sexy dystopian tale of a doomed Canadian Apartment

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

Full Review

Thomas W

awful garbage ........

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/05/24

Full Review

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David Cronenberg

Director

Paul Hampton

Roger St Luc

Joe Silver

Rollo Linsky

Lynn Lowry

Nurse Forsythe

Allan Kolman

Nicholas Tudor

Susan Petrie

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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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