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14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- Cronenberg Keeps Me Out of Canada, 5 September 2001 Author: Chris (hungadunga@hotmail.com) from Birmingham, UK
Rabid or Rage ( do American's therefore not know what Rabid means ) begins and ends like Lawrence of Arabia: a motorcycle crash and a high body count. The similarity ends there.Marilyn Chambers - the woman who occupies the dreams and fantasies of millions - seemingly recovers from this accident only to develop an appetite for blood.Rabid is a modern, urban vampire film, and who better to direct it than Cronenberg.In the hands of another, this film would be horrifically mediocre. The lonely country lane, the frozen body, the subway attack, the Santa shooting in the mall and the dark movie theatre - Cronenberg knows how to imbue a sense of emptiness and despair into each scene. The film is full of pathos and 70's paranoia. Fear of woman (especially such a sexual one - Eve and such like), fear of government and fear of those around us - Cronenberg feeds off such hysteria, just as Chambers feeds off her victims. The underarm worm is quite clearly a female penis.I don't mean to make Rabid sound grand or profound. It isn't really. It's just Outbreak meets Vampire Circus. I do think, however, that Cronenberg always seeks to challenge Western values and boundaries by using hidden evils, distortions and deformed humanity.Marilyn of course looks fantastic, and she is frequently topless. As an adolescent I was attracted and haunted by the idea of being attacked by such a woman. "No, no, don't go, it's freezing cold - hold me." You know that if you do, death will shortly follow, but who could resist?
8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- Shows elements of a genius at work...., 23 February 1999 Author: Glyn Ingram (mringram@hotmail.com) from London, England
David Cronenberg's second major movie can be viewed as a kind of sequel to "Shivers," which, in more ways than one, deals with similar themes and issues as that of the aforementioned movie. Whilst Cronenberg showed originality and a genuine talent during each of the movies he made in the 1970's and early 1980's, it probably wasn't till "The Fly" and "Dead Ringers" that finally confirmed him as one of the greatest and most talented film-makers working today. Whilst movies such as "Rabid" and "The Brood" merely suggest a strong and original presence of talent coming from behind the camera (With, perhaps, an edge of genius), if one is watch each of Cronenberg's movies from "Shivers" onwards (Ending with his most recent "Crash"), his career is an interesting one to follow, simply because its obvious how his worked has matured and improved over the several decades, whilst following virtually identical themes and motives throughout. Cronenberg's obessions and passions are obvious in every one of his pictures, making him the true author of all his movies."Rabid" is the mildly shocking story of a bizarre strain of rabies which spreads across many citizens of Montreal, following a revolutionary skin-graft operation which takes place on a beautiful, young motorcyclist (Maralyn Chambers).In its favour, "Rabid" is an automatically above-par horror tale, simply because its fascinating in a way most horror movies are not. Cronenberg also shows more control and ability than with "Shivers" this time around, with an improved narrative and a better control over his characters. Considering its low budget origins, it's generally quite a well made picture, and, because Cronenberg is so very fascinated with 'The changing of the flesh' or 'The new flesh' (A theme in virtually all of his pictures'), it becomes equally as fascinating for his audience. We come away asking questions at the end of the picture; whilst "Rabid" may be a clear fantasy, it also works as a metaphore for the outbreak of any disease. It also has numerous disturbing and memorable images, now something we should come to expect in a Cronenberg movie. There's a wonderful air of sexuality in the movie, too, and, in the past, I've read some good writings on the picture, where themes such as loneliness and want play an important role in its narrative.However, the film is also diappointing in many ways. The picture soon becomes repetitive when it should probably be taking a different Road altogether - Watching Ms. Chambers drain blood from victim after victim soon becomes tiresome (Though it's important to note that during such scenes, the movie is mostly un-gory and horrid - Being gruesome isn't what Cronenberg wants to do here). The movie also boasts some incredibly bad performances; whilst Chambers isn't bad (Her performance holds parallels with that of Natasha Henstridge from "Species), Frank More is truly terrible as her boyfriend. There is also big questions hanging over Chamber's motives in the movie - One can't help but wonder why she doesn't do one in a million things to stop her blood-obsessed rage e.g. Get her arm cut off! We're just not told enough about what the disease has done to Chambers; does she want to kill? If not, why doesn't she get help? If she does want to kill, what caused this? Has the strange penis-object taken partial control of her brain too?Perhaps the film's most ameturish and significant aspect is in the way the script never actually explains how Chambers develops the blood-sucking 'Penis' in her arm - Whilst Cronenberg's original cut of the movie had a scene left in to give an explanation, it was eventually removed because he felt it broke the tension. It's probably the script that's the movies biggest fault, or maybe we can credit it more to Cronenberg's liking for cutting-to-the-bone during editing.Overall, "Rabid" is a decent, unsettling horror movie that is well worth a look, and, even if its flawed and contains numerous faults, its far superior to the many hundreds of horror pictures out today.
10 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :- David Cronenberg's second feature film!, 14 October 2004 Author: Captain_Couth (sirjosephu@aol.com) from Sacramento, CA
Rabid (1977) is a strange film about a parasitic virus that inhabit's the body of a young woman (Marilyn Chambers). She receives this strange mutation after a new experimental procedure is performed upon her after she and her boyfriend were involved in a motorcycle accident. The doctors at a plastic surgery clinic save her life but her body revolts and mutates against the new cellular structure. The staff at the clinic and it's patients must answer for trying to defy nature.A very good film from David Cronenberg. He further explores the topic of man fighting mutations from within or trying to change human nature. it's a topic that he returns to from time to time. He started off from Shivers and continued it in Rabid, The Brood, Scanners and Videodrome. Like most of his earlier films, this one was shot in around around the province of Quebec. Partially funded by the Canadian government, this twisted low budget wonder is a must for cerebral horror fans and Cronenberg devotees. Rabid benefits from the director's trademark clinical and cold aura.I have to highly recommend this flick. the one I saw clocked it at almost 92 minutes. I haven't seen this film in awhile. I watched it on a D.V.D. import from Canada. I don't know how long the U.S. release was but this version seemed to have a little more blood than the one I watched seven years ago on an old V.H.S. copy. The Canadian Disc had a feature length commentary by David Cronenberg, a twenty some odd minute interview and a few other extras. The movie was restored and in it's proper film format.Highly recommended.
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- Good, ambitious low-budgeter., 20 June 2002 Author: capkronos (capkronos00@hotmail.com) from Ohio, USA
I really enjoy gritty, low-key horror films like this one. The story revolves around Hart (Frank Moore) and Rose (porn queen Marilyn Chambers), a young couple involved in a motorcycle accident. Rose undergoes an emergency experimental skin graft operation and emerges as a plague-spreading pseudo-vampire who extracts blood via a syringe-style growth that has developed on her body. It's an interesting, original take of vampirism, especially the aspect that her victims get sick and turn homicidal ("Rabid," I guess).In my opinion, this is Cronenberg's best 70s movie (I enjoyed it more than THEY CAME FROM WITHIN/SHIVERS and THE BROOD, also good horror films). The story is intelligent, very well thought out and full of political and social context if you want it. The horror scenes are creepy and effective. Chambers is beautiful and has a killer body, for sure, but she also delivers a surprisingly good performance. You can tell she was savoring this non-hardcore role and probably hoped for more of the same after this, but it just wasn't in the cards for her. Too bad. The rest of the cast was acceptable.I wish they made more films like this nowadays!
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :- Creepy early Cronenberg, 10 November 2007 Author: SickBoySimon from Brentwood, USA
The second big-screen feature from Canadian horror genius David Cronenberg was this twisted well-done low budgeter.Following a motorcycle wreck, a young woman receives skin grafts that cause her to have a murderous thrust for blood - which leads to a deadly plague.Rabid is one nicely done little shocker. It has a clever storyline that's a unique take on the vampire/zombie genres. The makeup work is gruesomely good, the atmosphere cold and fitting, and the low-budget ambiguously well used to create a horror film that was a bit ahead of its time. In addition the cast isn't bad. Star Marylin Chambers, though better known as a porn actress, does a decent performance as the victim of the strange infection. Frank Moore is also good as Chambers' boyfriend who must save her before disaster strikes.While granted that Rabid isn't as great as the films that Cronenberg would later unleash (The Brood, Videodrome, Dead Zone etc.) it is never the less a solid sophomore effort that well-foreshadowed the greatness Cronenberg would achieve in his later films.*** out of ****
5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- A Plague on all Your Houses, 24 October 2004 Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC
Two bikers careen and crash in the Canadian countryside very close to a cosmetology clinic. The girl biker has received serious injuries and needs lots of surgery involving skin grafts. After that there is virtually no scientific or general explanation for how this young lady develops a blood-sucking mouth in her armpit, that after having bitten its victims transfers the same desire for blood; thus creating a plague in Montreal of all places. Now, the story has some obvious holes that needed to be filled and were not, but writer/director David Cronenberg can make even the most absurd stuff seem real and scary. This was his real second feature after Shivers, and he delivers the goods with some artful direction, more than ample suspense, and a pervasive mood of uneasiness in a city being besieged by a viral plague. Money constraints seem obvious as well. Whatever happened to the French detective? I found his character rather interesting.Cronenberg made me jump from my seat more than a few times, and his style really absorbs all elements of the film even when you know what is going to happen - the shock is still there. A lot of people haven't ever been fond of Cronenberg's work, but I think that in the world of horror he is definitely one of the underestimated craftsmen. As a final note it would be remiss of me not to mention Marilyn Chambers. She does a pretty good job acting here. I found her very believable and beautiful. After all I guess there are worse ways to go then being sensuously cradled in Ms. Chambers arms as she caresses your hair and her carnivorous armpit dweller locks into your bloodstream. Perhaps. Perhaps not. I don't know - guess I'll chew on it a bit.
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :- Surprisingly decent, 28 August 1999 Author: Jocey from usa
I'm a fan of David Cronenberg, so I've gradually been unearthing his earlier work. I watched Rabid last week, and, too my surprise, it was a pretty good B horror flick. Sure, it had plenty of bad acting (though Marilyn Chambers was good-*gasp*), was a bit too long for what it was, and was uneven overall, but I could definitely see the genius that was too come from this very young Cronenberg. Interesting flick--give it a try. **Another interesting note--look for Ivan Reitman's name in the opening credits as a producer**
7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :- An Interesting Sampling of Early Cronenberg, 19 January 2004 Author: Baron3000 (Baron3000@comcast.net) from Chicago, IL
`Rabid' is a film that fits quite nicely, albeit inconspicuously so, in David Cronenberg's full body of work. The film carries its director's signature on it in terms of content, but lacks the Cronenbergian style that viewers would later see more developed in films such as `Videodrome,' `The Fly,' and `Dead Ringers.' Here, in what is essentially Cronenberg's second `commercial' feature film, we as an audience are treated to many of the same themes that pop up in the later films of this master of the sci-fi/horror fusion genre: faceless medical/scientific corporations that do more harm than good, a main character that is reluctant to serve whatever purpose he or she is destined to perform for good or evil, and a pervading sense of an impending plague or epidemic that cannot be prevented. In `Rabid' along with Cronenberg's first feature `Shivers' this last theme is exemplified in an almost completely literal way.While the technically amateurish (when compared to later Cronenberg films) nature of `Rabid' may seem off-putting to some, it nevertheless does not detract significantly from the wildly original content at the film's core. Cronenberg has crafted a story so unique and yet so accessible that it is hard to dismiss this or any of his films as puerile or insignificant. The situation and events presented in `Rabid' seem straight out of a science fiction novel or comic book and yet they tap into some of our deepest and most contemporary fears. What one must do when watching early Cronenberg is to remind oneself that the director was still trying in many ways to fully find himself and the best way to express his ideas. And if the viewer will put the technical inefficiencies of `Rabid' aside, he or she will find a truly enjoyable and frightening film.The performances are all-around good, although they never seem to be able to rise above the level of typical sci-fi/horror acting. Marilyn Chambers, the most interesting casting decision of this film, plays her part relatively well, although her perpetual forced-innocent attitude becomes a bit tiresome as the film progresses. Frank Moore shows a considerably larger range of emotions than any other actor, but when nothing much is happening in terms of action, his stoic look and bland dialogue only serve to reiterate the fact that not much is happening. Bob Silverman, a minor player in a few of Cronenberg's films, also shows up for a brief cameo, although those used to his idiosyncratic performances may be left a little disappointed.On the whole, `Rabid' is an interesting film to watch if for no other reason than to get a sampling of the director's unique sense of story and theme. In terms of technical style it definitely looks dated and is lacking in many departments, something that Cronenberg would later correct in his films from the 80's. But what this film lacks in style it more than makes up for in substance. Cronenberg is a genius in his own right, a master of the scientific side of horror and fantasy. Fans of the director will most certainly want to seek this film out, while newcomers may want to view a few of his later films before delving into this and his other early works.
5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- Sometimes effective, sometimes dull, 11 December 1998 Author: KennyF from New York, NY
This is Cronenberg's disappointing follow-up to the great "Shivers." Once again, the "monster" is a disease that turns the victims into crazies. The underlying subtext that sexual appetite makes you crazy is reinforced by the casting of porn star Marilyn Chambers in the lead role (she's not bad). There are some good scares and some great grotesque images (especially the frozen twisted corpse that was used in the film's poster). But the story is by turns confusing and, until the military is brought in at the end, repetitive. It feels overlong for what it is. Cronenberg had some nice directorial touches--I like the way he uses brightly lit, underpopulated buildings as a backdrop for the horror.
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :- A marginal improvement over Shivers, 3 December 2007 Author: trixster7 from Edmonton, Canada
It's only marginally better than Cronenberg's earlier work Shivers and in some ways, it feels like a sequel to it. It takes the hyper-sexualized, extra-gory zombies that the first film utilized and expands them over a wider area. No longer just contained to an apartment complex on an island, these bad boys are free to roam around downtown Montreal. The slices of apocalyptic action near the end of the film elevate this one above the earlier film, as it's a much darker consequence to the story's identical problem. Basically all the technical aspects remain the same, from amateurish acting to dated sets to a distinctive atmosphere, and the warning against scientific tampering is still there, but the aforementioned wider scope and subtle nods to the sociopolitical environment of 1970s Montreal make this one just a bit better. Cronenberg was just warming up, though.
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