The Brood

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Arguably the best and most personal of director David Cronenberg's early films, The Brood is an extremely unsettling horror film about familial disintegration and emotional trauma taken to a monstrous extreme. Art Hindle (Black Christmas) stars as a man embroiled in a bitter custody struggle with his estranged wife (Samantha Eggar), who is undergoing therapy at psychiatrist Oliver Reed's controversial institute. Reed's treatment causes his patients to give form to their inner conflicts, and Eggar--whose psyche is at the boiling point from childhood abuse as well as the custody trial--creates a horde of homicidal humanoid children who enact bloody revenge on anyone who has threatened their "mother." Cronenberg's first feature with name actors and composer Howard Shore has its share of gruesome moments, but the film's subtext--how emotional violence impacts a family--is its most chilling aspect. --Paul Gaita

Description

From famed writer-director David Cronenberg (The Dead Zone, The Fly, Scanners)comes a chillingly twisted masterpiece of psychological horror. Oliver Reed (Gladiator) and Samantha Eggar (The Astronaut's Wife) star in this shocking, intense thriller about how misdirected rage can literally take on a life of its own. Behind the walls of his secluded Somafree Institute, Dr. Hal Raglan (Reed) experiments with "Psychoplasmics," a controversial therapy designed to help release pent-up emotions in his patients. He keeps his star patient Nola (Eggar) in isolation, but as she vents her fury during their sessions, brutal murders befall the people she's angry with outside the institute. What is the connection between Raglan's methods and these monstrous killings? The answer will unleash a whole new breed of terror!

Customer Reviews:

Slow-paced yet rewarding psychological thriller.......2007-09-05

You'll need patience to sit through this movie. The story picks up very slowly, and a lot of it is basically dialogue-driven, yet when there is action, it is absolutely terrifying in its execution.

The premise revolves around the unconventional methods employed by a psychiatrist Dr Raglan [played to chilling effect by Oliver Reed] whose treatment of Nola [Samantha Eggar] causes her to release her pent-up anger that manifests itself in the form of humanoid children [deformed, no sexual organs etc] who proceed to exact revenge upon her behalf on those she deems as coming between her and her child. It is left to her estanged husband [Art Hindle] to save his daughter and put an end to the good doctor's manipulations.

Although the pacing was very slow in the beginning, the action does pick up midway through, and patient viewers will be rewarded with a gripping climax, not to mention shocking scenes that leave vivid impressions on one''s mind. Check out Cronenburg's other effort that was also gripping, Videodrome.

Scary in any generation.......2007-06-23

One of the best psychological horror films of all times. Reed is so good in this movie that you'll find yourself thinking that all this bizzare stuff is actually feasible.

Watch it alone for the full effect.

Brooding psychological horror.......2007-05-03

David Cronenberg's 1979 film was an effective and highly disturbing horror piece, perhaps the first fully realized work of his career. Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar brought class to what could have turned into an over-the-top genre workout. The notion that whenever a character walked into a darkened room, a killer dwarf could come leaping out of the shadows armed with a paperweight or whatever was at hand proved reliably unsettling. One of the most chilling scenes actually takes place in a fully lit elementary teacher's classroom, proving there is no safe haven. But beyond the obvious scares is the creepiness of the psychiatrist character played by Reed, whose aggressive therapeutic techniques push Eggar to physically manifest her anger in a manner that drives the plot and sets up an effectively shocking visual for the climax. The psychological subtext keeps the viewer engaged as much as the suspense of the situations and the menacing music by Howard Shore.

Not the best, but.......2006-12-28

Maybe it was that it was an old horror film but I didn't care for this movie that much. I searched this movie out and other movies out because they were David Cronenberg films. I really do like his work and the way they are written, but not this one. I thought that the acting was very corney and the atmosphere of the movie was not that good either. All through this movie I was wondering where the story was. The only reason that I gave this movie a 3 star rating was that it was a David Cronenberg film and it had a twist in the end.

why is cronenberg alone in this world?.......2006-10-25

usually a maverick film maker does a few features and then right along side comes five or six imitations. not so with mr cronenberg. he has a monopoly on science-fusion-fear of tech and the mythos of psychosis. he has the enormous brain to take a very simple thing and elongate it to posit all of its potential without seeming either preachy or overdrawn. he shows stories that scare and disgust and at the end leave that burning hole like we entered a world, got our heads chopped up a bit, and somehow escaped through a generous and maybe too convenient wormhole. for this viewer, the brood was the first (of his chronologically) to set that standard. it takes place in a world of EST-like proportionality and Gerstalt-ian tactics that probably existed in another plane of our reality and somehow fell just short of our noses, where the shrinker, played with usual strong-arming by oliver reed, is holding his very special patient (samantha eggars) away from her husband and daughter, though not really against her will. don't want to spoil anything (aside: hey, don't reviews always go too far with detail and tempt you to lie and say you have seen a pic just to amass a gigantic amount of viewed pieces without the effort. no bones here, boy) else for the unfamiliar, except to say that sometimes our anger and raw emotions have to go somewhere when they exit our bodies. where, you might ask? mr. cronenberg will show you and then the way out. but you have to sit and baste here awhile first.

StarCraft Widescreen DVD Movie Special Limited Edition

Average customer rating:

INFO...

StarCraft Widescreen DVD Movie Special Limited Edition

Manufacturer: Blizzard Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FULXII

Customer Reviews:

INFO..........2007-02-18

A galaxy on the brink of destruction. For the first time, the epic cinematics from StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War have been collected onto one disc and digitally remastered for enhanced picture quality on your DVD player. Finally, you can witness the struggle for galactic domination in its full, uninterrupted glory! Features Points: 36 minutes of cinema-quality digital animation; Exclusive director's commentary. Original development artwork and never-before-seen storyboards from the Blizzard Film Department; Cinematic trailers for StarCraft, Brood War, Diablo II, the Diablo II Expansion Set, and Warcraft III.

Classic Gangster Movies (Ma Barker's Killer Brood / Gangs, Inc. / Gangster Story)

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Classic Gangster Movies (Ma Barker's Killer Brood / Gangs, Inc. / Gangster Story)
Starring: Classic Gangster Movies
Manufacturer: Bfs Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000069HRP
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Description

3 Great Movies on 1 DVD. Star Power, Exciting Genre with Extras on each DVD.

Average customer rating:

Not in keeping with actual events, and sappy as well.

Ma Barker's Killer Brood
Starring: Lurene Tuttle , Tristram Coffin , Paul Dubov , Nelson Leigh , and Myrna Dell
Director: Bill Karn
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00009NH8L
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Customer Reviews:

Not in keeping with actual events, and sappy as well........2005-07-15

Supposedly based upon the life of Ozark matriarch Ma Barker and her four felonious public enemy sons, this meanly made low budget example of drive-in movie schlock actually treats several incidents in the real-life career of the notorious Barker/Karpis Gang which was very active during 1931/35 from the Midwest into Southeast U.S., but so contorts the truth in order to create a lurid melodrama that a viewer is alienated from the proceedings, especially in light of obvious cut-rate production values. Al Karpis was the confirmed master hand behind the Gang's string of sinful successes whereas the factual Ma Barker, although enjoying holding open house for various fugitives, only travelled with her family and was patently incapable of organizing more than luncheons, whereas in this poorly scripted travesty Lurene Tuttle as a tommygun wielding sadistic sociopath performs a raft of maniacal actions, including running over a policeman twice, all while planning the Gang's adventures and serving up heist advice to respectful triggermen such as John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly and Baby Face Nelson.

Average customer rating:

When Beatniks Attack or Hepcats From Hell...
Peter Falk as a Psychopathic Drug Dealing Beatnik Murderer !

The Bloody Brood
Starring: Jack Betts , Barbara Lord , Peter Falk , Robert Christie , and Ron Hartmann
Director: Julian Roffman
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Detectives | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000D1FGX
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Customer Reviews:

When Beatniks Attack or Hepcats From Hell..........2004-04-02

Peter Falk is Nico, a smack dealer who poses as the leader of a merry band of beatniks. Nico's not just cool man, he's like crazy baby! He watches an old bum die and decides it is the ultimate kickeroo. Later at a swinging party, complete with goofy dancing, goatees, bongos, and a sea of turtleneck sweaters, Nico and his croany decide to feed an unlucky messenger boy a fatal ground-glass burger just to watch him die. Thankfully, the victim's non-beatnik brother Cliff (Jack Betts) sets out to catch those responsible for his sibling's death. Cliff delves into the dark, dank, terminally hep underbelly of beatnik culture looking for clues. He turns out to be one of the only ones among them with either a conscience or a brain. He is finally helped by a girl (Barbara Lord) who is disillusioned with Nico. Together, they attempt to cramp Nico's style. THE BLOODY BROOD is full of quasi-philosophical musings about life, death, work, etc., and priceless quotes like, "Did he die, or was he murdered by life?" WOW! That's deep, man! So, just pull up a floorpillow, put on your sandals and raybans, and tune into the scene! ...

Peter Falk as a Psychopathic Drug Dealing Beatnik Murderer !.......2003-11-20

First, I should mention that the edition I've seen is not this one, but the one put out by SWV - - I mention this, because sometimes same movie/different cut can almost amount to a different movie (even a different ending), but that may not necessarily be the case. - Whatever, see an unbelievably young Peter Falk make his film acting debut in a North of the border (Canadian) film as a "cool" cold blooded drug dealing "beatnik" who commits a murder just for the kicks of it. He does it by feeding "ground glass" to a young "square" all American type delivery boy, who's brother gets on the case, makes the scene and tries to pin it on him. - - In all honesty, I had a lot of trouble believing that you could actually kill someone by feeding them glass... so (proving myself to have way to much time on the internet) I looked it up... and one of those "urban legend" sights confirmed : though a popular way of killing someone in many murder/mystery books and movies... it is quite unrealistic... but still, its just a movie right ?

While this film lacks the cool daddy-o finger popping hipness and quirk of my all time favorite "beatsploitation" film THE FAT BLACK PUSSYCAT, and at times has all the excitement of a COLUMBO episode (you can tell the director *was* definitely a square) its still a good film if you're a b-movie junky... or you just want to get the kick out of seeing a very young Peter Falk playing the warped leader of a "beatnik" gang. Incidentally, I kinda dug that Maynard G. Krebs type character... I have a bobble head at my bar in Tokyo that looks just like him !

If you're interested in Beatnik culture in general, check out RHINO'S BEAT GENERATION box [set] while you're at it... and again, SWVs double FEATURE DVD the BLACK CAT which is coupled with THE FAT BLACK PUSSYCAT.

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Ma Barker's Killer Brood / Gang Busters
Starring: Ma Barker's Killer Brood-Gangbusters
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001UZWMK
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Description

Tired of being poor, Katherine Barker encourages her kids to steal -- starting with the church collection plate! By the time they're adults, Mama's not only planning the clan's capers, but joining them on jobs: "Shoot him, Herman, shoot him!" Under her homespun tutelage, Ma Barker's Killer Brood rob an armored car, kidnap a bank president, set fire to a quack plastic surgeon, and even throw a party with Baby Face Nelson, Machine Gun Kelly, and "Johnny" Dillinger as guests. Though it plays havoc with the facts, Ma Barker's Killer Brood is how things should have been; after seeing this hilariously over-the-top B movie bio-pic, it's impossible to think of Ma Barker as anyone other than character actress Lurene Tuttle (Psycho) who's baking cherry pies one minute, then mowing down Feds with a machine gun the next! As a G-man puts it: "If you didn't know the old witch, you'd swear she was somebody's sweet old grandmother!" Crime films just don't come crazier than this! Plus, after twice disguising himself as a one-armed man -- and getting arrested both times! -- "Master Criminal" John Omar escapes from prison only to be buried alive in Gang Busters, an oddball "true" anti-crime epic which chooses for its subject not Public Enemy No. 1, or Public Enemy No. 2, or even Public Enemy No. 3, but Public Enemy Number Four! And remember, kids: "Some punks never learn!"

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S.
Starring: Victor Peeters , Isnel Da Silveira , Blaine Reininger , Vincent Eaton , and Koen Van Kaam
Director: Guido Henderickx
Manufacturer: Strand Releasing
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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April's Shower

ASIN: B00007ELFU
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Description

A beautiful, but emotionally damaged bisexual woman known only as S. (Natali Broods) searches for love and purpose in this violent, sexy film. Fleeing from her loser boyfriend in New York, S. lands a job in a peepshow in Brussels and has a relationship with fellow stripper, Marie.

Product Description

BESIDE THE ABOVE MENTIONED TITLES THIS SET ALSO INCLUDES: The Train Killer / The Chain Reaction / The Death Merchants / Embassy Deadly Impact. [16 full length action movies on 4 DVDs]

Average customer rating:

Slow-paced yet rewarding psychological thriller
Scary in any generation
Brooding psychological horror
Not the best, but
why is cronenberg alone in this world?

The Brood [Region 2]
Starring: Oliver Reed , Samantha Eggar , Art Hindle , Henry Beckman , and Nuala Fitzgerald
Director: David Cronenberg
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000056CU8

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Slow-paced yet rewarding psychological thriller.......2007-09-05

Scary in any generation.......2007-06-23

Brooding psychological horror.......2007-05-03

Not the best, but.......2006-12-28

why is cronenberg alone in this world?.......2006-10-25

DVD:

DVD

DVD