SciFiNow – September 2019

FLASHBACK

THE BROOD

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heebie-jeebies too during the fi lming of an
earlier autopsy scene: “We actually shot in
an actual autopsy room in a real hospital –
where we look at the dead fetus of one of
these things.
“We had fi nished what we intended to do,
then David said to me: ‘Why don’t we grab
a shot where [you’re] coming through the
door? Just go out that door and we’ll frame it
and then you come in.’ So, I went out there,
closed the door and I’m waiting and waiting
for action... then suddenly I felt funny, turned
around and realised this was kind of a storage
room for corpses! So, then I was waiting for
action and for some reason there was a delay,
tweaking a light or something like that and it
seemed like I was in there for hours!”
However, the actor was able to make light
of his experiences working on a Cronenberg
movie. “I always joke that the most directing
that I heard David do on The Brood was after
he looked at a scene, his only comment would
be ‘more blood!’” laughs the actor. “In fact
I had a special T-shirt made at the end as a
wrap gift with the words: ‘More Blood!’ with
blood dripping on it!”
Cindy Hinds, the brave child actor who
portrayed his tormented daughter Candice,
was also fortunately left unscathed by the
experience working on The Brood. “David
found a way for her to channel fear. Once
she’s screaming I don’t think he did any tricks
like not telling her what was going to happen,”
assures Irwin. “He really went the distance
with her and it was a really close partnership

and bond that they had.”

Mark Irwin believes The Brood was quite

a therapeutic experience for the director at

the time, who was perhaps venting a lot of

his own demons on-screen. “David has a

bachelor of science in medicine and is one

of the few directors I know who has a degree

in something other than fi lmmaking,” he says.

“So, the gooey things about medicine, life

and about death are things that sort of appeal

to him and I’m glad he was working on his

demons on the fi lms that I did with him. Any

inner trauma he had he put in the script and

then in the movie. There’s nothing better than

that kind of therapy!”

The Brood remains a chillingly atmospheric

achievement; masterfully maintaining a

melancholic mood that carefully builds to

an extraordinary climatic crescendo. All the

elements that we have come to expect from

a classic Cronenberg body horror pic are

in place: from a brooding score courtesy

of Howard Shore (in his fi lm composing

debut), master class cinematography from

Mark Irwin, an eclectic cast of actors giving

exceptional performances, along with a

strong psychological theme that manifests into

something grotesquely external and is realised

by explicit make up and body horror effects.

All of this results in a movie that is deeply

cerebral, utterly disturbing and thus a truly

unforgettable viewing experience.

The Brood is available on Blu-ray from

Second Sight.

5 STANDOUT

SCENES FROM

THE BROOD

KITCHEN MURDER

This unsettling scene sees Nola’s mother

(Nuala Fitzgerald) unwisely wander off to

the kitchen. After surveying the mess made

by the brood, her eyes catch a glimpse of the

hideous tormentor. What ensues is the stuff of

Hitchcock-induced nightmare.

KINDERGARTEN CALAMITY

In a scene perhaps even more unsettling than

the kitchen attack, a couple of the brood

casually enter Candice’s kindergarten room

and abduct the poor girl. Their attention then

turns to her teacher, (Susan Hogan) as they

pick up some wooden mallets and pound the

woman to death in front of the other kids.

IT’S UNDER THE BED!

In a state of drink-fuelled depression following

the murder of his ex-wife, Barton Kelly (Henry

Beckman) decides to stay in the house of his

former love. Things take a turn for the worse

when he sneaks upstairs and hits the bed...

before hands emerge from beneath and

ultimately put him to rest with a paperweight.

NEWBORN LOVE

During their fi nal confrontation, Nola

(Samantha Eggar) reveals the grotesque

brood birth sac to Frank (Art Hindle), before

biting open the sac and licking the bloody

newborn. It was a scene that was edited by

American censors upon theatrical release but

remained intact for UK audiences.

HEREDITARY

Traditionally, Cronenberg doesn’t believe in

happy endings. When father and daughter

drive off into the night at the end, the fi nal shot

has the camera pan down to Candice’s arm

to reveal the formation of small pimply bumps:

the tell-tale signs of her late mother’s anger-

induced condition being passed on...