Huh! This one is a decent enough little horror flick that starts out in the worst of places...a plastic surgeon’s operating table. In Canada. Potential rabies outbreak? Questionable movie theater showings. Martial Law. But this. This is why you should never pick up a hot hitch-hiker.
One of Cronenberg’s early flicks here, continuing his rather odd fascination with suspect medical procedures that helped pen the “body horror” label he’s known for. With the main female lead being played by Marilyn Chambers, more known for her other kinds of filmatic roles in the not quite as mainstream film industry
The plot here, it’s okay in itself for the genre. But definitely a very well done film technically and does a great job taking Romero’s Night of the Living Dead theme to the next level. Dawn of the Dead came out a year after this, for reference. Themes of plague, response, media and weird not-pineal gland monsters popping out of unmentionable places are all involved here. The concept is fucked up, and presented surprisingly well. Too bad the vaccine card thing looks all too familiar these days, without the benefit of a hot chick starting it all. Well, as far as I know. Still could be that interspecies bat/penguin thing, which could also produce suspect results. I guess. I’m not a doctor, nor have I ever played one on TV, so I have no idea. Apparently there was a remake of this in 2019. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess this one is better.
