Shivers (1975)

Dir: David Cronenberg

Canadian auteur David Cronenberg's first 'proper' feature film is a suitably nasty precursor of things to come from the king of 'venereal horror'. The basic premise is that a man-made, fast-breeding parasite (it looks like a phallic turd!) invades an all-mod-cons apartment block and infects its way through the residents, turning them into sex-crazed zombie lunatics. What sounds like typical B-Grade grindhouse fare, archetypal of the era, is elevated by Cronenberg's remarkable screenplay. The film plays like a hyper-paranoid Freudian nightmare, a taboo-trashing tornado of unpleasantry and obsession quite unlike anything else around at the time. As horror debuts go, "Shivers" is one of the most memorable, subversive and icily atmosphere I can think of. There's also an amazing shot, towards the end, of Lynn Lowry ascending from the water that must rank amongst my favourites of all-time for being so simultaneously creepy, dangerous and erotic. Recommended. ***