7. The Fly — The Story Could Have Been Far Less Gross
David Cronenberg's The Fly is famous for transformation horror.
Scientist experiments with teleportation.
Something goes wrong.
Scientist becomes increasingly fly-like.
Science fair cancelled.
The basic concept comes from George Langelaan's 1957 short story and had already been adapted into a 1958 movie starring Vincent Price.
But Cronenberg's version took the concept much further into body horror.
The transformation became gradual, disgusting and emotionally devastating.
And that's what makes the movie work.
Seth Brundle doesn't simply wake up one morning and announce:
“Honey, I appear to be a fly.”
Instead, we watch him deteriorate.
Hair disappears.
Fingernails come off.
His body changes.
His humanity slips away.
It's essentially a tragic love story where the third act involves way too much bodily fluid.
