The Brood

"The Fly" (1986)

Director David Cronenberg's early films like "Shivers," "The Brood" and "Videodrome" all examined how modern medicine and technology could wreak untold havoc on the human body. These themes reached their peak in Cronenberg's near-perfect remake of "The Fly." ... moreHe took the pulpy original's basic concept (man invents telepod, man fuses with fly in telepod, man turns into insect) and made it a tragic meditation on what happens when intelligent life is reduced to its most primal essence. The horror comes because scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) knows what is happening to him every step of the way and can do nothing to stop it.

Goes well with: "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1932), "Altered States" (1980)

('The Fly'/20th Century Fox Film Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection)