Year: 1977
Country: Canada
Subgenre: Vampire/Zombie/Body Horror
Runtime: 91 Minutes
Director: David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg is unquestionably one the best living horror directors, so any of his films are worthy of recommendation, but I have personal love for this particular film that goes way back. This was one of the first Cronenberg's that I ever saw, and it was just such an experience for me. I remember at the time thinking it was basically a vampire film...a weird take on vampires to be sure, but still vampires. My experiences of it since have evolved. It could just as easily be classified as a zombie film; and, in fact, I've seen a number of fans remark that it's Cronenberg's Night of the Living Dead. What I didn't know at the time I first saw it was that Cronenberg was a preeminent director of body horror. That he also had a philosophy about philosophy, so to speak. That he had a shit load of f'n profound things to say about technology that dates back to his earliest films. Knowing all of that now, I think I understand why this resonated with me when I was a teen. It is quite simply one of his more straight forward horror stories. And, while it contains a lot of the technological body horror he is known for, the story is quite simple. For that reason, I think it's a great place to start with Cronenberg's work. Highly recommended, but I suspect I am biased. Oh, did I mention it's a Christmas movie?
