Cronenberg at the Cinema Arts Centre
This weekend, as part of its annual all-night horror movie marathon, the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, New York, will screen David Cronenberg’s 1979 film The Brood. In this chilling portrait of family dysfunction, a troubled woman undergoes a radical form of therapy, administered by an unconventional psychiatrist at a remote institute. Meanwhile, her daughter, who has been left in the care of her estranged husband, develops mysterious bruises on her back and falls victim to a group of childlike demons. Featuring Howard Shore’s hair-raising debut film score, this deeply personal take on the trials of parenthood and the trauma of divorce—which Cronenberg described as his version of Kramer vs. Kramer—establishes the mix of body horror and psychological terror that would soon become the director’s trademark. A perfect movie to enjoy in the dead of night, The Brood screens in Huntington on 35 mm this Saturday. In the meantime, revisit critic Carrie Rickey’s liner notes for our release.
