Customer Reviews

Rabid (Special Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Movie: medium

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.

David's first pick for this movie, was Sissy Spacek, but she refused to do it. However , this movie wouldnt have fit her, this part really calls for someone sexy, not that she isnt sexy but this part required a blond bombshell. Enter Marilyn Chambers.

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.

Rose recovers while in a coma in a small hospital for plastic surgery after a motorcycle accident where she has had a groundbreaking emergency operation. When Rose wakes up she finds herself having frantic desires for human blood. Unknowingly Rose infects everyone she comes in contact with as she consumes their blood with a frightening blood-borne disease that rapidly spreads among the human population. Rabid carries Cronenberg's insignia as it displays a troubling story concerning science, which offers a decent cinematic experience for those who seek horror.

I am a pretty big fan of Marilyn Chambers work from the 1970's. The neat thing about this movie is the chance to see her work under a different type of camera. I was born in 72 the year Behind The Green Door came out so I obviously didn't learn about what Marilyn is most noted for until I was much older. Rabid allows someone who does'nt appreciate adult films to still see Marilyn in her glory days. You still get a couple glimpses of her in an unenhanced frontal expose, which in all honesty don't seem to follow the plot, but just enjoy it. Let's face it today her looks back in the 70's are so appealing and natural vs. many of the pierced/tattooed/enhanced mangled freaks that walk the streets now a days.
The opening scene of Rabid shows Rose(Marilyn) and her boyfriend enjoying a highspeed motorcycle ride on a chilly Canadian day. When I close my eyes I can picture Ms. Chambers behind me on my ride, hugged up on me as we speed down the highway, very cool. The crash scene wasn't very elaborate due to technical limitations and there doesn't seem to be an explaination for the "blood sucking proboscis-like" appendage that mysteriously sprouts from Marilyn's armpit.
I suggest just enjoying Rabid for the simple special effects and natural good looks of Marilyn Chambers of the 70's.

Rabid was the second film of David Cronenberg after Shivers. Both films are very similar in theme and were the excellent start to Cronenberg's great career. With this new digitally remastered "Special Edition" Rabid, for the first time in a region 1 release, can be seen in its original aspect ratio, which is a real treat.

The film concerns a woman named Rose, played by porn star Chambers in a surprisingly great performance, who gets into a serious motorcycle accident and has radical, experimental surgery in order to save her life. She survives the accident only to find that the surgery has given her a growth. This growth also has a taste for human blood. Before too long Rose is on the prowl looking for anyone to ease her hunger. However, when she attacks her victims do not die. Instead they turn, rather quickly, into flesh craving zombies. Soon the whole city of Montreal is taken over.

The film holds up well over the years. The extreme low budget doesn't take away from the intensity of the plot. This was a film made by a director still learning the craft. Therefore, it isn't a perfect film, but the themes it deals with are pulled off well. Rabid is much more than just a horror film. It's a film about relationships and characters that don't fully have control over their actions. The viewer really feels for Rose at the end of film. Although she was responsible for the outbreak, it really wasn't her fault. She was being moved by forces from within her body that were more powerful than her mind. That is a theme that Cronenberg would return to again and again.

This new release is pretty well done. The colors aren't as bright as the UK release, but it's a good enough transfer for the price. There is also a commentary and interview with Cronenberg on the disc which are pretty interesting. This disc is worth the upgrade from the lower quality, full frame release from a few years ago. If you're a fan of Cronenberg or of good quality horror films in general, this is a must see. Even if you aren't into horror films I would recommend it. The gore is little and the plot is much more than the average scary movie. Cronenberg is after all known as the director of "the thinking man's horror film."

Plot: After a motorcycle accident, Rose (Marilyn Chambers of Behind the Green Door and oh so much more) develops an unexplained lesion and a desire for human blood. She searches out victims to satisfy her unshakable craving secondarily infecting them with a rabies-like disease.

(...)

a modern vampire story, also an epidemic started by the girl "marily chambers" who suddenly and as far as I remember without any cause transfers to a woman who can suck blood through a needle in her armpit, and also communicates a disease that is similar to rabies, whoever she sucks the blood, turns out to be a vicious creature who want to kill and bite...
a cult movie of its own kind.. nice for a young marilyn chambers character. 3 stars because of the eccentricity, and some killing scenes I still remember, like a pneumatic hammer through a car door..and wet scenes of marilyn in a 'chamber'

Let's not get carried away. This film is not a masterstroke from Cronenberg nor is it entirely terrible. But the film veers from side to side and in effect there are many parts of the film which have moments of genius mixed with moments of terrible scenes.

Cronenberg himself has admitted that he had a moment of crisis while making the movie. He thought the whole film sounded ridiculous and maybe it wasn't worth it. He's got a point no matter what way your take on this film. It does border on the patently ridiculous but remember we're talking about a standard horror movie here. It's a cheap thrill'n'scare movie that most people would watch at a drive by cinema. We know there's going to be some cagey b-movie standard acting so we're not exactly taxing ourselves are we?

Ah yes which reminds me, Marilyn Chambers actually doesn't do a bad job at giving " serious acting " a go. Cronenberg jokes that he doesn't know whose idea it was to tell her that his movies were " serious " but she acts well. I've never seen any of her porn material ( and I don't really want to either ) but there are times here when her history in porn might have helped her in his role. Actually give Ivan Reitman credit here - it was a brilliant idea to get Chambers in for this film - people are definitely going to take an interest if a porno star wants to make a go at serious acting ( especially men )

There are some brilliantly shot scenes like when somebody takes a drill to a car with people in it ( that WOULD frighten people ) and the ending too which is rather chilling and is an effective ending for the film.

So all in all it's not as good as later films such as Scanners, Videodrome, Dead Ringers or even Crash ( even though I have a love hate relationship with that movie ) in it's affecting creepiness. It's best looked at as a sophomore effort from Cronenberg and while it has serious flaws in the film, it has moments of demented magic too given it's nature. And remember it's a b-movie so you shouldn't expect much

I remember seeing this film as a child, curiosity had me revisit it last night. Some films stand the test of time, even if filmed in the 1970's, they can still be viewed enjoyably today. An example would be The Exorcist or One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. This film, Rabid, just screams 1970's and does not stand the test of time. The music, clothes, hair, even the film used just does not date well...therefore making it a cringe worthy viewing today.
The movie is more gross than scary. Marilyn Chambers develops some kind of drill in her armpit that sucks people's blood...the victims then exhibit rabie like symptoms..it isn't really explained what is going on, or why she gets this mutant thing under her arm...I'm not going to destroy this film in my review, I am just saying it doesn't date well..

Every once in awhile when I am feeling reflective I like to watch a David Cronenberg film. I have seen quite a few of them at this point, from some of his earliest stuff like "Shivers" to his seminal reworking of "The Fly" starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. One thing you will always get out of a Cronenberg film is a serious look at how technology and human beings interact. Like science fiction author J.G. Ballard, Cronenberg's films embrace a synthesis of man and machine that is exceedingly grim, not to mention gory as all get out. The overarching theme in his cinematic examinations seems to be that humans simply do not know enough about the technology they develop, or if they do, their arrogance in the ultimate abilities of mankind always leads them charging into experiments despite the risks. That we are just not far seeing enough to predict the outcome of using new drugs, messing around with human genetics, or exploring future psychopathologies about car accidents may be a good message to take from a Cronenberg film. "Rabid" constitutes Cronenberg's cosmology in embryonic form. Released in the late 1970s, this film is classic Cronenberg made with a low budget and the inclusion of adult film star Marilyn Chambers in the lead role. While "Rabid" suffers from its miniscule budget and slightly uneven pacing, even the most jaded of horror film fans will find plenty to like in this picture.

"Rabid" opens with an unfortunate motorcycle accident that injures Hart Read and his girlfriend Rose. Fortunately for the two cyclists, the incident occurs within shouting distance of a medical clinic run by Doctor Daniel Keloid, a surgeon specializing in a radical new reconstructive surgery. Keloid wants to mass market a type of skin that will grow on its own once grafted to the human body. He sees the arrival of Rose as a perfect opportunity to test out his new invention, and he promptly does so without obtaining the permission of Rose or her injured boyfriend. Messing around with Mother Nature is always a big no-no in a Cronenberg film, and "Rabid" is no different. Rose slowly recovers from her injuries but soon realizes that the operation changed her in fundamental ways. For one thing, she has a strange wound under her armpit and a ravenous urge to feed upon the blood of other people. This blood hunger soon inspires Rose to flee from the clinic, and it isn't long before she wreaks havoc on any members of the local population who fall into her orbit. Worse, her "wound" turns out to harbor a particularly vicious little tooth used to siphon off the red stuff from her victims. In the process of feeding, the tooth spreads a sort of super rabies that turns people into drooling, mindless zombies. It isn't long before the rabies spreads like a wildfire through Montreal as both Rose and the victims of her attacks infect other people. The only hope for civilization is to find a way to discover who is the carrier of the disease (the person who has it but is immune to its effects) in order to fashion a vaccine.

I cannot count the times I said to myself as I watched Rabid that this movie would have been much better with a big budget. Cronenberg is constructing an apocalyptic film, but is constantly undermined by his inability to create a sense of impending doom. At one point in the movie, Rose wanders through a shopping mall after the public is fully aware that a killer plague is on the loose. Not only are people wandering through the mall as though nothing is happening, but the soldiers guarding the place don't seem in the least bit concerned that customers are roaming around. They actually gun someone down in the mall, apparently never realizing none of this would be necessary if the government ordered everyone to stay home until the crisis blows over. Moreover, people still drive through the streets in cars despite the intermittent attacks of zombies who throw themselves on the windshields of the vehicles. The government does take some action: sharpshooters on roofs pick off the zombies attacking cars, two or three guys in decontamination suits spray a cleanser on the automobile, and a garbage truck pulls up to dispose of the body. Still, what are you doing on the streets if you are not sick? GO HOME AND LIVE!

I still found much to like about "Rabid." Marilyn Chambers does an adequate job of portraying the increasingly panicked Rose, and even does a few nude scenes just in case you forgot about her background. The slobbering zombies occasionally provoke interest, although the makeup is strictly no budget stuff. There's a nice car crash, decent shootings, and the tooth in the armpit thing is somewhat disturbing. I did chuckle over naming a plastic surgeon who is developing a new type of skin "Keloid," since the dictionary defines that term as "a thick scar resulting from excessive growth of fibrous tissue." I even liked the tragic ending that leaves us guessing about the fate of the human race. Overall, though, "Rabid" is arguably a minor entry in David Cronenberg's filmography. I am not saying this movie is bad, but watch "Dead Ringers," "Scanners," or "The Fly" before viewing this effort.

The DVD offers only a trailer and a few bios. The transfer of the film is not the best I have seen, but is watchable. I don't understand why Cronenberg does not record commentaries for his films (at least he hasn't on the few I have watched on DVD), but he really should do so in the future. Despite its notable flaws, "Rabid" does emit a downbeat message, some gore, a few funny scenes, and some nice shots of Canada.