Shivers (They Came from Within) (The Parasite Murders) (1975)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Austen R

  
  Shivers is Cronenberg's formative movie in many ways. He really refines his focus on sex and violence, and takes body horror to new heights. This is a huge step up from his two experimental films. The synopsis on RT should suffice. I have nothing to really add. It's an… More
  Shivers is Cronenberg's formative movie in many ways. He really refines his focus on sex and violence, and takes body horror to new heights. This is a huge step up from his two experimental films. The synopsis on RT should suffice. I have nothing to really add. It's an interesting story that observes both claustrophobia and paranoia. If that's your thing, this movie will not disappoint. It's definitely my thing, so I give Shivers and both its subtitles an 84%.

• Ken S

  
  A rape-atorium of a movie. Imagine Night of the Living Dead, but with sex-ed up Canadians instead of Zombies. The film VERY watchable. The story is told well, the acting is mostly acceptable, and it's sprinkled with nudity. It is however, hideously shot. I've seen… More
  A rape-atorium of a movie. Imagine Night of the Living Dead, but with sex-ed up Canadians instead of Zombies. The film VERY watchable. The story is told well, the acting is mostly acceptable, and it's sprinkled with nudity. It is however, hideously shot. I've seen alcoholics that were better lit than this movie. All the hard, double and TRIPLE shadows make the whole thing looks like it was lit with halogen work lamps. I can only assume there was no diffusion in Canada at the time this film was shot.

• Tim S

  
  I didn't find this movie all that appealing. It's pretty boring most of the time and takes itself way too seriously.

• Anthony L

  
  Early Cronenberg, much better than his more recent projects I find. It?s disturbing and a little ridiculous but I love it. Who else could make a film about zombie rapists and get away with it!?

• Cassandra M

  
  Before he became a respected director, upon the release of classics such as The Fly and Videodrome, David Cronenberg was the director of cheap little films such as Rabid and this one; Shivers. Of the two movies mentioned, Shivers is certainly the weakest of the two, but then again it… More
  Before he became a respected director, upon the release of classics such as The Fly and Videodrome, David Cronenberg was the director of cheap little films such as Rabid and this one; Shivers. Of the two movies mentioned, Shivers is certainly the weakest of the two, but then again it was also the earliest, so budget constraints are more likely to have been a bigger problem and it was also made before Cronenberg was a fully fledged professional. While the film is lacking in many elements that are needed to make a successful film, things such as coherency and interesting characters, it does feature lots of horror, and that just about pulls it through. Obviously, due to the man in the director's chair, it's not a straight horror and the film focuses primarily on the psychological terror of changes occurring in one's body, and although Cronenberg explored this idea much better in films such as the aforementioned The Fly and Videodrome, along with other films such as The Brood and Dead Ringers, he doesn't do a bad job here. The film is halfway between a zombie flick and an alien film such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and it certainly could have been a lot better if it had been more professionally handled. The film is typical of this type of movie in the seventies as it is cheap looking and the camera work, lighting and other techniques aren't exactly high quality either. None of the cast stands out, and the acting is terrible on the whole. Still, these things are part and parcel of this sort of movie and personally, I quite like it. The movie is very much of the 'schlock' persuasion, and the way it fuses a fast paced plot with sex and violence will ensure that fans of that type of film will be happy. The creature effects in the film aren't very spectacular, but at least they look real enough not to simply look stupid. Some of the images that Cronenberg presents to his audience are shocking, and a lot of the fans of this movie no doubt will be so for that reason. Personally though, I just like it.

• Curtis L

  
  One of Cronenberg's best movies, which isn't saying a lot. About a bunch of 'sex crazed' genetically engineered parasite hosts, who basically just hold each other wearing full clothing and puke worms into each other's mouths. Fun to see, but no replay value.

• David L

  
  The basic premise of the movie is that a parasite has been released into an apartment complex (called Starliner) on an island in Quebec. The idea of a sexual violence-inducing disease is a familiar Cronenberg theme and one that he repeats in his later movie Rabid. The plot is pretty… More
  The basic premise of the movie is that a parasite has been released into an apartment complex (called Starliner) on an island in Quebec. The idea of a sexual violence-inducing disease is a familiar Cronenberg theme and one that he repeats in his later movie Rabid. The plot is pretty straight forward; the parasite spreads via sexual contact, passing from mouth-to-mouth. Those infected immediately develop a voracious and violent sexual appetite, thus spreading the parasite further. I think Cronenberg was making a statement about the time during which the movie was made. There was something he wanted to say about the dark side of the sexual revolution which was in full swing in the early 70's. A line spoken late in the film by one of the main characters seems to sum it up; she's describing a dream she's had in which she's having sex with an old, dying man. She's having trouble because he's old, sick and smells bad, and in the dream the man says to her that all flesh is erotic flesh, that every act is an erotic act, whether it's breathing, eating, or even dying. Merely existing is to be sexual. Even disease is nothing more than the love of two alien species for one another. In other words, those infected by this parasite/disease/mentality (the three are all the same in this film) are entirely consumed with self-gratification, even at the extreme expense of others. This was certainly a prevalent attitude of the 70's and even 80's; there's a reason why that generation was frequently referred to as the "Me Generation." Another interesting point about this movie is how much of it was later lifted for Alien. Dan O'Bannon, the writer of Alien, admitted to having seen Shivers (at least according to the interview with Cronenberg included on the DVD). Like the alien, the parasites jump on people's faces, burn their way into the body when necessary but prefer to enter through the mouth, take up residence in the stomach, etc. Even the name of the apartment complex, Starliner, is reminiscent of the setting for Alien on the starliner Nostromo. There's clearly a good deal of influence here. I'm a Cronenberg fan, so I may be a bit biased here, but I'd definitely recommend this movie. One can already see foreshadowings of Cronenberg's other films, especially Videodrome and to some degree ExistenZ in it. While Shivers may be a bit outdated in some ways now (especially in the wardrobe department!) and not nearly as polished as Cronenberg's later work, I think it generally has held up well. Like all of his films, however, there are some extremely disturbing scenes in this one, at least for some viewers -- in this case involving cannibalism, sexual behavior and incest, not to mention rape -- that might be just a little bit difficult to stomach for some but to sum up this film is well worth looking at if your a fan of the genre.

• A.D. V

  
  Take 28 Days Later but instead of rage infected crazy British people you get parasite infected horny Canadians. It breaks down like this: An insane doctor implants a parasite into the local slut who in turn infects others with it. The parasite causes a person to experience an… More
  Take 28 Days Later but instead of rage infected crazy British people you get parasite infected horny Canadians. It breaks down like this: An insane doctor implants a parasite into the local slut who in turn infects others with it. The parasite causes a person to experience an extreme form of wanton lust and what you wind up with are zombie-like residents who really, really like you. Alot. It may sound goofy but David Cronenberg (his first major film) handles the material seriously and maturely which makes for an exceptionally creepy film.

• Pierluigi P

  
  The perverse king of venereal horror started his long career with this disturbing and enjoyable low budget freak show. A glimpse of what was yet to come.

• Emily A

  
  A lot of people confuse this one with Slither, and I can see why. It's about some sort of farmed disease-worm that somehow becomes independant of its original host and turns everyohne in an apartment building into bisexual nymphomaniacs. Pretty weird, but it's pretty… More
  A lot of people confuse this one with Slither, and I can see why. It's about some sort of farmed disease-worm that somehow becomes independant of its original host and turns everyohne in an apartment building into bisexual nymphomaniacs. Pretty weird, but it's pretty entertaining and the effects are impressive. The acting and dialogue seem a little stiff and kind of take away from this movie, but all in all it was pretty good.

• Daniel P

  
  Fascinating early Cronenberg film; an interesting concept and relevant themes (better developed in later works) are somewhat scuppered by amateurish performances and the general ceaselessness of the story.

• Edward S

  
  A competently made film with an interesting premise that escalates nicely in a comprehensive 1st, 2nd and 3rd act. Solid horror film.

• Sylvester K

  
  Really bizarre, but very inventive. Sex can be scary!!

• Lauren D

  
  I lurve Cronenberg, but it seemed kind of pointless. Reading the plot summary, I thought it would be my kind of movie, but nothing happened. And the acting was bad.

• Nicky M

  
  It took me awhile to see this early Cronenberg flick but glad I did. It is dated being from 1975, but some things still hold strong. Almost a zombie type outbreak but with overpowering sexual urges (I'm hungry, hungry for... LOVE!) that actually goes too far (another Cronenberg… More
  It took me awhile to see this early Cronenberg flick but glad I did. It is dated being from 1975, but some things still hold strong. Almost a zombie type outbreak but with overpowering sexual urges (I'm hungry, hungry for... LOVE!) that actually goes too far (another Cronenberg staple) with scenes of rape, hints @ incest, and mention of pedophile. A cheesy, over the top stab at the sexual freedom of the 70's that obviously has influenced movies such as Slither, Night of the Creeeps, and 28 Days Later.

• Anthony V

  
  Still holds its shocks today.

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