Our third double feature pairs a hardcore remake with a softcore rip-off, taking prolific source material and fusing it with a body horror twist.
David Cronenberg (a mainstay of the 666 Fridays program) fuses his auteuristic mode of horror filmmaking with '50s schlock in THE FLY, a film that has managed to plant itself firmly within the contemporary cultural consciousness despite being over three decades old. Taking the original film's premise to the extreme, The Fly recounts the story of an eccentric scientist (played masterfully by Jeff Goldblum) who transforms into a human/fly hybrid creature after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong. Bolstered by strong performances from its supporting cast - including Geena Davis and John Getz - Howard Shore's impressive score, and Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis's unforgettable make-up effects, The Fly is an incredible entry in Cronenberg's filmography and demands to be seen on the big screen.
An elevated but decidedly B-grade riff on Ridley Scott's Alien, Roger Donaldson's SPECIES is an infamous sci-fi flick from the late VHS era in which a motley crew of scientists and government agents attempt to track down Sil (Natasha Henstridge), a seductive and alluring extraterrestrial-human hybrid, before she successfully mates with a human male, a catastrophic event that could end humanity as we know it. Spruiking incredible creature design by H.R. Giger - who also designed the creatures in Alien - the film also riffs on Terminator 2: Judgement Day, among a number of other sci-fi classics, comprising a sort-of ultimate set-piece rip-off compilation film on a decidedly big budget.
Friday 6th September
214 min
R18+
Retrospective
