Movie · 1986 · Horror, Science Fiction · 1h 36m · R · English
Curator score: 8.5/10 (729.5K ratings)
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Overview
When Seth Brundle makes a huge scientific and technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.5/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 4.00/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 81
TMDB: 7.4/10
Director
David Cronenberg
Production
SLM Production Group, Brooksfilms
Cast
Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel, Leslie Carlson, George Chuvalo, Michael Copeman, David Cronenberg, Carol Lazare, Shawn Hewitt, Typhoon, Ann Green
Curator Review
Verdict
A landmark body-horror tragedy that turns a high-concept sci-fi premise into something intimate, grotesque, and surprisingly emotional. It’s as much about love, ambition, and bodily decay as it is about mutation, and the practical effects still land hard.
Best for
body-horror fans
viewers who like tragic sci-fi
fans of practical effects and creature design
people who enjoy bleak but emotional horror
audiences interested in Cronenberg-style transformation stories
Skip if
you’re squeamish about graphic bodily decay
you want a fast, joke-heavy horror movie
you prefer clean, action-driven sci-fi
you dislike bleak endings and emotional devastation
Overview
The Fly is one of the great examples of horror becoming heartbreak. What starts as a mad-science premise gradually turns into a deeply sad story about identity, intimacy, and the body failing in public. David Cronenberg keeps the focus tight, so every mutation feels personal rather than merely shocking.
Worth noting
Jeff Goldblum gives the film its strange, magnetic center, and Geena Davis grounds it with real warmth and dread. The movie’s practical effects are notorious for a reason, but they work because they’re tied to character and consequence, not just spectacle.
Bottom line
This is essential viewing if you like horror that hurts as much as it disgusts. It’s nasty, tragic, and oddly tender, with a final stretch that lingers long after the credits.
Top Letterboxd reviews
𝑀𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠 (4★) · 15997 likes
Peter Parker had it easy.
Sam Kohn (4★) · 14614 likes
Would’ve been a 10 if Goldblum had rubbed his little hands together like a fly.
urbestbrunette (1★) · 6768 likes
I'm 11 years old, I was told to watch this.
I normally don't write reviews, but I have written because I am so traumatised by this movie.
Everything about this movie is disgusting, the jaw being pulled off, the finger nails having goo out of them, and the vomit.
I say you should be at least 21 to watch this, you will be traumatised otherwise. If you are under 21, and you still live with your parents, just ask for a permission slip. There is a naked woman, and a naked man, they are doing the sitting method. I cried.
DO NOT WATCH THIS.