The Brood (FIlm Review)

1979 New World Pictures
Written and Directed by: David Cronenberg
Starring: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Nuala Fitzgerald, Henry Beckman, Susan Hogan, and Cindy Hinds
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time:92 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 8/10

Frank's wife is not well. Nola is severely mentally disturbed, suffering from the longterm effects of a physically and emotionally violent mother, and the inaction of a codependent, alcoholic father who did nothing to stop the abuse from happening. In steps Dr. Hal Raglan and his Somafree Institute of Psychoplasmics, where Nola moves to become a patient. When Frank notices cuts and bruises on his daughter, Candice, after she visits her mother, Frank decides it's time to take action--he must have sole custody to protect Candice from her dangerous mother. In order to help his patient, Dr. Raglan ramps up Nola's experimental therapy...and that's when the murder begins. Child-sized, gnome-like creatures begin killing everyone close to Nola...and they want Frank and Candice next.
David Cronenberg's 1979 film, The Brood, feels like someone working out a difficult divorce through their art. Indeed, this was Cronenberg's intention, as The Brood highlights a divorced father's fears at an extremely heightened and violent level. It's all here, from worrying that the divorce will harm the child, to the nightmare of an ex-wife moving on with a new and monstrous family. 
Art Hindle plays Frank as a likable every man who just wants to protect his daughter. Samantha Eggar is always, in my opinion, incredible, and she gets to play a sort of Lady Macbeth here, raising her terrifying voice, making horrific proclamations, as all her most negative emotions become horrifically corporeal. Oliver Reed portrays the The Brood's true villain, the doctor who ignores the grotesque negative side-effects of his actions for the sake of his research, striking a quietly intimidating and authoritative visage, perfectly emblematic of the "wife's new lover" figure Cronenberg seems to be positing. Of course, this is Cronenberg, so the main question is, "How is the gross stuff?" The answer is, thankfully, "Perfectly disgusting." Nola's new army of children come in the form of excellent makeup work and gross and all the gooey, nasty practical effects that viewers expect from Cronenberg. On top of that, Howard Shore offers a brilliant musical score, his first collaboration with Cronenberg in a working relationship that has become permanent. Overall, the thematic depth, great acting, generally creepy mood, swift pacing, and Cronenberg's excellent script and direction, along with surprisingly great production values considering the low-budget, put The Brood into classic horror territory.