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Runtime: 110 mins
Directed by: #JenSoska, #SylviaSoska
Starring: #LauraVandervoort, #BenjaminHollingsworth, #PhilBrooks (C.M. Punk)
Grimmfest Feature by: DarrenTilby
Synopsis: Rose dreams of becoming a famous fashion designer, but a terrible accident leaves her scarred beyond recognition. Undergoing a radical untested stem cell treatment, Wallflower Rose becomes the belle of the ball and starts to realise her ambitions. But everything in life comes at a price and Rose's new found perfection is no exception as she unwittingly sets off a bloody spiral of contagion.
Grimmfest say: The Soska Sisters' much anticipated reimagining of the Cronenberg classic dials down the bleak psychosexual despair and nihilism of the original in favour of something rather more mischievous. Walking a graceful line between uncomfortably creepy and oddly comic, and filled with in-jokes and sly nods to the entire Cronenberg oeuvre, the film engages with the themes and spirit of the original, but stirs some sly satire into the mix, too. Vandervoort makes for a strong and sympathetic lead, MacKenzie Gray delivers a show stealing turn as the fashion industry guru, Gunther (imagine David Johansen channelling Udo Kier), plus there's a typically eccentric turn from the great Stephen McHattie, as the world's most insensitive doctor, and the Soskas themselves cameo as spiteful twin models Bev and Ellie. In short, it's a whole lot of unwholesome fun. But be careful: it's got sharp teeth, too – and it bites.
What I'm Expecting: #Cronenberg's #Rabid – one of his earliest pieces – is a peculiar beast: it's rife with the kind of #Cronenbergian #bodyhorror so many of us horror fans would come to revere, and there are hints of the greatness #Cronenberg would achieve later on in his career. And yet, I really don't care for it. It's not that it's bad, not at all, it's just not that interesting either. In fact, it's, dare I say it, quite tame, at least by #Cronenberg’s standards. And I think this is why the word "#reimagining", instead of “#remake”, interests me so much. It's a word that not only #Grimmfest has used, but the #Soskas themselves...and it excites me very much. This is exactly what I would hope to see: a film that doesn't try to imitate what the original did but rather uses that premise to tell its own version of that story for a more modern audience. For me at least, Jen and Sylvia #Soska's #Rabid has the potential to greatly surpass the original—and I couldn't be more excited to see it.
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