***When inner rage is personified***

A man (Art Hindle) investigates a pop psychologist’s unconventional therapy techniques after his daughter shows signs of abuse when visiting her mother (Samantha Eggar) undergoing the secretive treatments. The mystery deepens when people linked to the situation wind up slain by… the Brood. Oliver Reed plays the strange, formidable doctor.

“The Brood” (1979) is a psychological drama/horror written & directed by David Cronenberg after his divorce & custody battle, which makes sense once you see the movie. As my title blurb states, the theme concerns the personification of internal rage, whether conscious or subconscious, which wasn’t a new concept in 1978 when the film was made; think “Forbidden Planet” (1956). A couple issues of the Man-Thing comic also addressed the issue in 1974. To forge the script Cronenberg combined this element with the oft-used idea of nefarious offspring a la “Village of the Damned” (1960) and “Children of the Damned” (1964).

One highlight is Reed’s intense performance and understated, intimidating presence. He was one of Brando’s few contemporaries that matched his brooding magnetism. Another highlight is the setting of Toronto in the late winter (or early spring), particularly the awesome Somafree facility in the country. The realistic tone is good and the movie has the confidence to take its time, but some parts & dialogues are too slow, which tempts your mind to wander. Also, the movie scores poorly on the female front.

The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes and was shot in Toronto & Mississauga, Ontario.

GRADE: B-