The Fly – ‘Don’t be afraid.’

From Howard Shore‘s portentous opening score right through to the bloody end, The Fly (1986) remains a sci-fi/horror essential. The atmosphere is so consistently creepy that no matter how many times it’s seen, one cannot help but feel the hairs on their skin stand on end. We know things are going to take a dark turn as soon as we see the opening shot of a swarming crowd, followed by a wide-eyed Jeff Goldblum declaring to Geena Davis (who, confusingly, has exactly the same hairstyle), “What am I working on? Uh … I’m working on something that will change the world, and human life as we know it.”

What follows is a masterclass in sci-fi, horror and visceral filmmaking from director David Cronenberg, who would go on to make some of my favourite recent films such as Eastern Promises and A History Of Violence, the latter perfecting his groundbreaking style. In The Fly he beautifully builds tension, ably assisted by Shore’s buzzing, jittery strings and Goldblum’s buzzing, jittery performance.

The screenplay, originally by Charles Edward Pogue (a name that sounds appropriately like Edgar Allan Poe) and largely rewritten by Cronenberg, has a thread of dark comedy running throughout, and never shies away from areas of contention. Like all good sci-fi, The Fly addresses ethical issues such as euthanasia, personhood and abortion — the latter in a particularly raw fashion. It also tackles the idea of bodily intrusion, in a similar way to Ridley Scott’s Alien.

Visually, Goldblum’s transformation is stunningly disturbing, thanks to a combination of his performance and extensive visual effects. No one wants to see someone pulling out their fingernails, as District 9 and Black Swan would learn 20 years after The Fly. Furthermore, the climbing on the walls and ceiling effect is floorless. I mean flawless. I also love the idea of the insect inside of us lying dormant until eventually, “The insect is awake.”

So this Halloween, join The Fly in his big, dark, scary horror-bunker in a film about fear; fear of technology, fear of nature, fear of everything — “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

Clacked by Dan Meier
on Oct 10, 2011 @ 09:00 EST5EDT