Rabid (Special Edition) [Import]

Of all of Cronenberg's movies, this is one of my least favourite. It is like Shivers, but on a grander scale, though I actually prefer Shivers to this. Maybe I liked the phallic/crap-like parasites of Shivers over the phallic "fang" housed in Rose's armpit.

There is some good gore and action, and perhaps most interesting (as Cronenberg likes to point out on the commentary) are his "prophecies:" an epidemic (like AIDS or SARS), stem-cell research, our increasing dependence on telephones, plastic surgery "resorts," etc.

DVD: medium

Picture looks good, though I'm no expert on the technical side of things. The twenty-minute interview with Cronenberg is interesting, but it was part of the VHS release of the film. His commentary is (as usual) well done. Plus there are some stills and the trailer. Certainly not bare bones, but I was hoping for more from this DVD.

So overall, I would give this a MEDIUM. A must for Cronendrones like myself, but for others I would recommend the wonderful Criterion editions of Naked Lunch and Videodrome (and Dead Ringers if you can get your hands on one), along with Spider and eXistenZ.

Marilyn plays Rose, a chick who has a bike accident and is experimented on resulting in a disease on anyone that touches her and turning them flesh eating mad . Nice plot, kinda reminds me of an aids epidemic or something like that. Now that would be scary.

You can catch this film on the Independent Film Channel during their "Indie Screams" week. (Check local listings.)

The gory. A nurse getting her finger cut off by a doctor and doctor starts eating the finger!!!

The good. Marilyn in the nude! (I wish there more of these scenes), There is also a great car crash in the movie where a car falls on the highway only to be run over by a truck. (What bad luck for the driver)

The shocking. A dept. store Santa Claus being gunned down (Accidentally).This scene probably is the most scandalous in the film, even I was suprised that something like this was written in the script. Shame on you David. :-)

The saddest. Some of the music is well done,especially the sad melodramatic music. The end is sad too, (Poor Marilyn being thrown in the trash truck after she herself is the victim of the virus she has spread). Her acting in this movie is pretty good, I was suprised.

Great funny lines like " what the fu*k are we running here a nursery." "You carry a plague youve killed hundreds of people!."

The best thing I can say is that it has some great shots of Marilyn Chambers beautiful figure. Wow!!! No wonder she makes her living off the xxx industry nowadays.

She does kinda have that Cybill Shepherd type that look that just oozes goddessness, so her presence in the film is felt.

My vote a 6 and half out of 10. Believe it or not this film cost an average of $90,000 to make, David is no cheapskate.