They Came from Within (1975)
"Shivers" (original title)

The residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building are being infected by a strain of parasites that turn them into mindless, sex-crazed fiends out to infect others by the slightest sexual contact.

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writer:

David Cronenberg

Stars:

Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, Lynn Lowry

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Hampton	...	Roger St. Luc
Joe Silver	...	Rollo Linsky
Lynn Lowry	...	Nurse Forsythe
Allan Kolman	...	Nicholas Tudor (as Alan Migicovsky)
Susan Petrie	...	Janine Tudor
Barbara Steele	...	Betts
Ronald Mlodzik	...	Merrick
Barry Baldaro	...	Detective Heller (as Barry Boldero)
Camil Ducharme	...	Mr. Guilbault
Hanka Posnanska	...	Mrs. Guilbault
Wally Martin	...	Doorman
Vlasta Vrana	...	Kresimer Sviben
Silvie Debois	...	Benda Sviben
Charles Perley	...	Delivery Boy
Al Rochman	...	Parkins

Storyline

A scientist living in an apartment complex kills a girl and uses acid to destroy her internal organs, and then kills himself. While investigating, a doctor discovers that the scientist was doing experiments on the use of genetically engineered parasites as organ transplants. Soon, other people in the complex begin showing signs of carrying the parasites, spreading the things through wanton orgiastic abandon, and the complex begins suffering an attrition problem.

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Plot Keywords:

parasite | apartment | apartment building | doctor | violence | 

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Taglines:

Going MAD is just the beginning...

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 July 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

They Came from Within

Filming Locations:

Île-des-Soeurs, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 179,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC), Cinépix, DAL Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Cronenberg cast Lynn Lowry as Nurse Forsythe because of her haunting eyes and strange screen presence.

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Goofs

While the nurse is in the apartment with the old couple she locks the door with a chain, but after-wards she leaves the apartment (leaving the chain out and unlocks the door). Later in the movie when the mob tries to break in the door it's firstly locked and then the chain is also visible holding the door closed. The old couple is still sitting in the couch in the same position which indicates they never manually re-locked the door or put up the chain a second time.

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Quotes

Forsythe: He tells me that even old flesh is erotic flesh, that disease is the love of two alien kinds of creatures for each other, that even dying is an act of eroticism.

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Connections

Referenced in Empire of the Censors (1995)

User Reviews

Decent Cronenburg Film

SHIVERS (aka THEY CAME FROM WITHIN) is another pretty twisted outing from freak-o Canadian director David Cronenburg. SHIVERS is not nearly as memorable as some of Cronenburg's other works (VIDEODROME, THE FLY or my personal favorite - THE BROOD...) but it is still worth a look for anyone that is into Cronenburg's strange cinema.

SHIVERS is about parasites that enter their human hosts and cause them to do all kinds of strange sexual and violent things. Pretty cool concept that is handled well, and the film is both weird and entertaining as only Cronenburg can do it. Again, not the best of his films by any means, but still solid. Give it a shot - 7.5/10