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One of David Cronenberg’s early low-budget horror films, SHIVERS establishes what would go on to be the trademark of his work — a mix of sex and violence. Throughout all his work, there is an unsettling preserve line that is crossed between horror and sexual perversion. It makes his films haunting. SHIVERS does just what its title advertises.

Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton, LADY SINGS THE BLUES) is a doctor at a new exclusive Canadian apartment complex. He’s having an affair with his nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry, CAT PEOPLE). Some of the men in the complex, including businessman Nicholas Tudor (Allan Kolma, upcoming W.), are complaining of painful abdominal lumps. When the gruesome scene of a murder-suicide is discovered in one of the apartments, Dr. St. Luc discovers the unorthodox experiments of Emil Hobbes (Fred Doederlein, SCANNERS), who believes the human race has become too rational and needs to tap into its primal side, making him develop a parasite that turns its hosts into sexual fiends.

Turning zombies into sex-crazed rapists, Cronenberg twists the conventions set forth by George A. Romero in disturbing ways. He certainly doesn’t hold back from his scenario, presenting children as victims of this horrible plague in addition to adults of all ages. The inherent nature of slug-like creatures invading the human body sexually will give any viewer the willies. A much-copied scene features actress Barbara Steele in a bathtub when the parasites attack. An allusion to the spread of VDs during the swinging ’70s cannot be avoided.

While the film features some interesting ideas, the thin character development and often-wooden acting doesn’t build interest other than curiosity. I can only imagine the squirming of the audience if we actually knew and cared about the victims. At just under an hour and a half, the film seems padded with attack scenes meant to show off another gross make-up effect, which are pretty good for the film’s bargain budget.

The sex and violence caused a stir in Cronenberg’s native Canada upon its release, which was the most profitable film of the year. Parliament debated its artistic value and conservative newspaper writers wrote editorials criticizing the National Film Board for partly funding the horror flick. Subsequently Cronenberg found it harder to get public funding afterward and even claims he was kicked out of his apartment due to the controversy.

In the Cronenberg canon, it launched the early part of his career, which brought us the underrated THE BROOD. It even holds up better than some of his more well known films like DEAD RINGERS. Depravity has always been a part of the horror genre, but it has always a measure of how it was handled that allows a depraved theme to make a depraved film. Current torture porn purveyors should pay attention to how Cronenberg walked that line.

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