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A man tries to uncover an unconventional psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders.

Director:

David Cronenberg
1 win & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Oliver Reed ... Dr. Hal Raglan
Samantha Eggar ... Nola Carveth
Art Hindle ... Frank Carveth
Henry Beckman ... Barton Kelly
Nuala Fitzgerald ... Juliana Kelly
Cindy Hinds ... Candice Carveth
Susan Hogan ... Ruth Mayer
Gary McKeehan ... Mike Trellan
Michael Magee Michael Magee ... Inspector
Robert A. Silverman ... Jan Hartog (as Robert Silverman)
Joseph Shaw Joseph Shaw ... Coroner
Larry Solway Larry Solway ... Lawyer
Reiner Schwarz Reiner Schwarz ... Dr. Birkin
Felix Silla ... Creature
John Ferguson John Ferguson ... Creature
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Storyline

A man's wife is under the care of an eccentric and unconventional psychologist who uses innovative and theatrical techniques to breach the psychological blocks in his patients. When their daughter comes back from a visit with her mother and is covered with bruises and welts, the father attempts to bar his wife from seeing the daughter but faces resistance from the secretive psychologist. Meanwhile, the wife's mother and father are attacked by strangely deformed children, and the man begins to suspect a connection with the psychologist's methods. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The Ultimate Experience Of Inner Terror See more »

Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Joe Dante cut the American theatrical trailer for this movie. See more »

Goofs

Nearing the end when Nola (S. Eggar) is breaking open her latest brood sac with her mouth, the first blood spatter onto her face does not match with that shown in next scenes. See more »

Quotes

Lawyer: The law believes in motherhood. If Candy doesn't show up at Somafree next weekend your wife can take legal action immediately.
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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to Dr. Denton: Sleepware. See more »

Alternate Versions

Almost all graphic violence was removed by the Ontario Censor Board when the film was first released in Canada. This version was later released on the Astral Video label. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Fear of the Flesh: The Making of 'The Fly' (2005) See more »

User Reviews

 
Cronenberg Grows
9 July 2003 | by Krug StilloSee all my reviews

A very personal film for Cronenberg who was going through a divorce during the time of its making, The Brood has all the Cronenbergian motifs, plus great characterisation and a great performance from all involved.

Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed) who is experimenting with metaphysical rage runs the Summerfree Institute. There he encourages his patience to indulge in allowing their inner anger to materialise in warts and blisters on their body. One of his patience is the demented Nola (Samantha Eggar) who has taken Raglan's therapy to the next stage. Her rage is apparently so potent that it results in The Brood, a savage group of dwarfs that emerge from the cysts on Nola's body. Unfortunately, Nola has another child, Candy and when her ex-husband, Frank (Art Hindle) finds that his wife is too unstable to look after their child he suppresses parental access. Nola goes even more insane and the brood ventures out to kill all those she believes have or may cause her harm. Although the carnage isn't excessively violent, the scene where Nola produces one of the dwarfs from a bloody sack and licks it clean leaves a nasty aftertaste.

Cronenberg has long been associated with fear of biological change, but is surprising that not many have picked up on his fascination, or dread of organisations. There's the Starliner Towers (Shivers), Keloid Clinic (Rabid), Summerfree Institute (The Brood), ConSec (Scanners), Spectacular Optical (Videodrome), Bartok Industries (The Fly), The Mantle Clinic (Dead Ringers), PildrImage Manufacturers (eXsistenZ).


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1979 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

The Brood See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

CAD1,400,000 (estimated)
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

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