I almost did a 31-day marathon without a single Cronenberg film. That would have been unconscionable for me. It's a very similar film to Shivers in subject matter and tone, in that it deals with infection (particularly of a sexual nature), but handled much more adeptly. It helps that he got much better at providing a tiny emotional core at the heart of this film, which makes the climax hit all the harder, even though it ostensibly has a happier ending (at least for humanity, if not Marilyn Chambers) than his first film. The psuedoscience is sharper, the acting is miles above Shivers (porn star Chambers acquits herself quite well, especially as she becomes more despondent and helpless as the film rolls to a conclusion), and Cronenberg's eye is more confident and experimental. It's not the masterpiece he would give us next (The Brood), but it's not far off, either.
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