The Brood

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The Brood

R

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1h 32m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A mad doctor (Oliver Reed) tries psychoplasmic therapy on a raging woman (Samantha Eggar) soon to be a mother.

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Critics Consensus

The Brood is a grotesque, squirming, hilariously shrill exploration of the bizarre and deadly side of motherhood.

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

One of the films that gave rise to the term "body horror," David Cronenberg's 1979 shocker is a characteristic mix of the sombre, the wacky and the viscerally grotesque.

Oct 30, 2020

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Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

[Cronenberg's] rapid fire direction keeps you bouncing back and forth between laughter and shock with only minor stops for explanatory dialogue and his satirical sophistication never stoops to cheap parody.

Apr 28, 2018

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Michael Sragow

The New Yorker

A cinematic bad dream that generates recurring nightmares.

May 4, 2015

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

This genuinely creepy and upsetting stomach churner from David Cronenberg offers an intriguing metaphor for both unexplained bodily changes and the mental abuse some parents heap on their offspring.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 31, 2024

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The picture is Cronenberg’s most satisfyingly melodramatic work, fully realized for emotional consequences over typical horror revulsion, and a crucial stepping stone in the advancement of one of today’s most important filmmakers.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 3, 2023

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Though not entirely successful as a piece of entertainment, it represents an important stage in the development of body horror cinema.

Rated: 2.5/5

May 15, 2023

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James M

Totally amateur laughably bad terrible acting no sense of tension. Stupid story not frightening in the least. It’s shocking that David Cronenberg made this. It’s like a made for TV movie. They obviously took some liberties with this script. Reminds me of that one Star Trek episode with those crazy kids.boring.a lot of dead time where nothing happens. It got a lot better with scanners. I should’ve rented that instead

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/25

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Alexandro R

ESTE FILME ESTÁ ENTRE OS TOP 05 QUE JÁ ASSISTIR UM OBRA PRIMA DO TERROR.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

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k.b. r

Those bloody things wreaked havoc all over the place'/!!!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/26/24

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Alec B

If you look past the surface level genre elements the themes have aged remarkably well (rage, even understandable rage, is a destructive force that harms everyone and sometimes therapy enables instead of helping) Also, while you may not have experienced anything literally like what happens in this movie, break-ups/divorces can certainly feel like this.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/24

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Jens B

🎃 Finally dipped into Cronenberg's early work and: Fascinating stuff! The Brood is a mix of social drama—more specifically, divorce drama—and body horror. The often graphic images and themes are further intensified by the strong focus on the child’s perspective. 🔨 For me, The Brood can be viewed in two ways: First, as a sci-fi horror film with body horror elements, where mutant children hunt humans and kidnap other children. And second, as a raw reflection of a family crisis: We see signs of abuse on the daughter's back, alleged affairs, conversations with lawyers, and a once-loving couple locked in battle, with a bloody newborn between them. Cronenberg also hints that family trauma, domestic violence, and perhaps mental illness(?) are passed down through generations. 👧🏼 As for how exactly Oliver Reed’s therapy works, I can't say. But it's definitely fun to watch him in action.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

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Mason M

It feels like it should just be another bad 1980s monster horror movie, but Cronenberg has a strange way of making those movies good. It is mostly saved by it's disgusting ending.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/14/24

Full Review

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David Cronenberg

Director

Oliver Reed

Dr. Hal Raglan

Samantha Eggar

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Synopsis

A mad doctor (Oliver Reed) tries psychoplasmic therapy on a raging woman (Samantha Eggar) soon to be a mother.

Director: David Cronenberg
Producer: Claude Héroux
Screenwriter: David Cronenberg
Distributor: New World Pictures
Production Co: Elgin International Films Ltd.
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 25, 1979, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2016
Runtime: 1h 32m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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