MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #26 - 'The Fly' (1986)

5/5 Stars!

In 1958, “The Fly” was released into theaters starring David Hedison and Vincent Price. The movie is okay as a 1950s low-budget B movie, but by the ‘80s, the story really needed a revamp. The idea was presented to 20th Century Fox to make a movie that contained a gradual metamorphosis throughout the film rather than just creating a monster instantly.

Fox balked at the idea and backed away from the project. However, Fox made a deal with producer Stuart Cornfeld that they would distribute the movie so long as Cornfeld got the financing for the movie through someone else.

The production company ended up being Brooksfilms, the production company of comedian and director Mel Brooks. Eventually, the script found its way into the hands of director David Cronenberg, but he was working on what would be his unproduced version of “Total Recall” at the time.

Seth Brundle prepares to teleport himself in 'The Fly'!

The producers then hired a young British director named Robert Bierman to direct the movie. However, a tragic family accident occurred and Bierman’s daughter was killed in South Africa. While the producers waited for Bierman, he eventually decided that he could not direct the movie. Brooks understood and freed him from his contract.

It was at this point that “Total Recall” had fallen through with Cronenberg and he became available for the job. Due to his willingness to put up with the extensive make-up needed for the role, Jeff Goldblum was hired to play Seth Brundle, the film’s lead.

At first, Cornfeld was against casting Geena Davis because she was Goldblum’s real-life girlfriend at the time. Thankfully, all of the other auditions that Cornfeld made Cronenberg sit through were apparently disasters and Cornfeld relented on Davis’ casting.

The movie revolves around Seth Brundle and Davis’ Veronica Quaife. Seth is a scientist that has made an amazing discovery and Veronica is the journalist who is covering its development. Seth has figured out how to teleport inanimate objects from one “telepod” to another, thus inventing teleportation.

Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum star in 'The Fly'.

Unfortunately, Seth is having trouble figuring out how to teleport living beings. Meanwhile, Seth and Veronica form a romantic relationship and one day, she inspires Seth with new information that he can put into the computer in order to teleport the living.

After a successful attempt with a baboon, Seth decides to enter the pod himself and everything seemingly goes right at first. What Seth didn’t realize, though, was that a fly flew into the pod with him and now he is starting to take on the form of a fly. This also means that his mind is slipping as the fly’s mind begins to take over.

The slow metamorphosis of Seth into a fly is a grotesque one as Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis’ special makeup effects are still top notch even by today’s standards. It’s no wonder that the duo won an Academy Award for the movie for Best Makeup.

Even though the effects are great, the movie would still not work if it was not for two things. The first is the story. This is not a traditional horror story with a lot of deaths, but instead it is a genuine body horror story as we feel for what Seth is going through and what Veronica is feeling while trying to figure out a way to save him.

After teleporting himself, Seth begins to feel that something has gone wrong.

The movie is also a tragic love story between Seth and Veronica. This is a loved one that Veronica is trying to save, but all she can really do is sit there and watch as he decays further and further, similar to how a loved one has to watch someone slowly being ripped away from them due to a terrible disease such as cancer.

The final thing that makes the movie work along with the effects and the story are the performances. There are really only three primary performances. Goldblum and Davis have an undeniable chemistry with each other. Goldblum also does amazing bodywork as he slowly transforms into a giant fly and Davis is perfect as the strong yet still distraught Veronica.

I do want to take a second to mention John Getz as Stathis Borans. He’s a former lover of Veronica’s and her editor-in-chief at the magazine she works for. He is a perfect antagonist to Seth and Veronica’s relationship and Getz is great at getting you to both hate and sort of like him at the same time. He’s a creep, to be sure, but he’s not entirely evil, either. Getz understood the assignment.

For me, I feel that this is David Cronenberg’s true masterpiece as the “father of body horror”. It not only contains the award winning special effects, but it has a  genuinely good story and performances which only help to enhance the horror. After almost 40 years, the movie still hits hard!