The Fly (1986)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel
If you haven't seen The Fly by now, this movie's f*cking 40 years old — just go watch it. David Cronenberg's body horror masterpiece takes a simple premise — scientist accidentally fuses his DNA with a fly — and turns it into one of the most effective, disturbing, and weirdly emotional horror films ever made. This is the first Cronenberg film we've covered properly on the show, and it immediately jumps into the conversation with the all-time greats of the genre. Jeff Goldblum delivers what might be the performance of his career, and once the body horror kicks in, it goes absolutely hard.
In this episode, we discuss:
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Goldblum or Nothing — Could anyone other than Jeff Goldblum play Seth Brundle? We break down his mesmerizing slow decay and the way his eyes track like a fly through most of the film. Plus a quick case for Cronenberg as the undisputed king of body horror.
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Pacing Is Everything — 35 minutes before the fly even enters the telepod, and it's never boring. A full love story, character development, and world-building all before the goop starts flying. It's a masterclass in structuring a horror film.
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The Museum of Brundle Parts — Fingernails falling off, teeth dropping, a literal cabinet of discarded body parts. We dig into the practical effects, the dark humor, Brundlefly's “how to eat” scene, and the gymnastics stunt double who is so obviously not Jeff Goldblum.
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How's He Getting Food, Man? — The pregnancy subplot gets introduced and immediately abandoned. We have questions about how a man who never leaves his apartment keeps getting fresh donuts, where the fuck he keeps getting these baboons, and why Brundlefly busts in like Kool-Aid Man.
We Also Talked About:
– The Face with Two Left Feet (1979) (Internet Archive) — A bizarre Italian Saturday Night Fever knockoff about a hotel cook who vaguely resembles John Travolta and falls for a club DJ at the height of disco fever. His friends shave his mustache and the gag runs for another 45 minutes. It was fine.
– The Thin Blue Line (1988) (DailyMotion) — Errol Morris's landmark true crime documentary investigating the 1979 murder of a Dallas police officer and the wrongful conviction it produced. Laid the groundwork for modern true crime storytelling.
– It Ends (2025) (Amazon) — A claustrophobic indie film where four friends on a last road trip discover they're on a road that doesn't end. 90% of the movie is four people in a car. Intriguing but ultimately non-eventful.
– June 17th, 1994 (2010) (Netflix)— ESPN 30 for 30 doc about the most chaotic day in sports history: OJ's Bronco chase, the Knicks in the NBA Finals, the World Cup kicking off, and Arnold Palmer's final US Open round — all on the same day.
– I Pity the Fool (Netflix) — A Mr. T documentary that starts as a decent profile of the man behind the persona and devolves into a weird, one-sided takedown. Even Hulk Hogan put down the shtick sometimes.
– Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos (Tubi) — A raw, well-made documentary about the Cro-Mags founding member and hardcore punk legend, with appearances from Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, and Roger Miret.
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