RABID-Canada-1977

Written and Directed by David Cronenberg

Cast

Marilyn Chambers as Rose

Frank Moore as Hart Read

Joe Silver as Murray Cypher

Howard Ryshpan as Dr. Dan Keloid

Also starring

Patricia Gage

Susan Roman

Roger Periard

Rabid is a film directed by David Cronenberg (The Fly, The Dead Zone). It stars Marilyn Chambers (yes, the late adult film actress) as Rose. Frank Moore plays Hart Read, Roses’ boyfriend. The two of them are traveling on Hart’s motorcycle when they are involved in an accident. Hart suffers a dislocated shoulder. However Roses’ injuries require plastic surgery and she becomes the “guinea pig” of Dr. Dan Keloid. Dr. Keloid performs a new type of plastic surgery on her in which her intact tissue is grafted to the burned areas of her body on the hope that it will differentiate and replace the damaged area. The operation is a success…kind of. Rose heals, but she also develops a need for human blood. She doesn’t bite her victims in the way of the traditional vampire. Under her armpit is a new orifice that hides a phallic-like stinger that she injects into her victims to draw their blood. The ones that survive have no recollection of what happened to them and after a period of about 8 hours they show the symptoms of rabies (rage, foaming at the mouth). They attack others and pretty soon there is an epidemic going on and martial law is declared to keep things from getting too far out of hand. Throughout all this Rose continues to stack up victims of her unnatural thirst and seems to have no idea that she is the Patient Zero who started the epidemic.  I’m not going to give away the ending. If you haven’t seen the film check it out and let me know what you think. If you have then let me know how I did summarizing it and point out any mistakes I may have made.

    David Cronenberg is a director whose central theme in his films has always been the monster within us, not the monster without. He is known as the Director of Venereal Horror. Rabid is his second feature film and was preceded by Shivers aka They Came from Within.

TRIVIA

Frank’s motorcycle which he restores after Rose’s crash is a 750cc Norton Commando.

 

The song that plays on the radio in Hart’s workshop is Marilyn Chambers’ own disco single “Benihana” (about 25 minutes into the film).

 

½

Related articles

• New Images: Robert Pattinson and Sarah Gadon in David Cronenberg’s ‘Cosmopolis’ (slashfilm.com)
• David Cronenberg’s son tackles celebrity, disease with debut feature (ctv.ca)
• First images from Cosmopolis to be released at Lisbon & Estoril Festival tomorrow (thinkingofrob.com)
• Eveningstar Cinema to Screen “A Dangerous Method” Through March 29, 2012 (thevalleyvoice.org)
• Cosmopolis Teaser Reviews (thinkingofrob.com)
• First Look At David Cronenberg’s ‘Cosmopolis:’ VIDEO (towleroad.com)
• David Cronenberg talks about Robert Pattinson with ‘Interview Magazine’ (thinkingofrob.com)
• ReFramed No. 21: David Cronenberg’s ‘The Brood’ (1979) (Short Ends and Leader) (popmatters.com)
• ‘The Flame Alphabet’ Brings to Mind David Cronenberg’s Early Films (Review) (popmatters.com)
• Read the hilarious audience notes from a 1980s screening of David Cronenberg’s Videodrome [Video] (io9.com)
• Robert Pattinson Teams Up With Cosmopolis’s David Cronenberg For Voice Work (popsugar.com)
• Rabid skunks attack US (go.theregister.com)
• David Cronenberg pulled structure from chaos in A Dangerous Method (arts.nationalpost.com)
• From Marilyn Manson To Axl Rose (dlisted.com)
• Crazy Red-Band Teaser Trailer for David Cronenberg’s COSMOSPOLIS (geektyrant.com)
• ‘Cosmopolis’ Trailer (screenphiles.com)