Shivers

Cronenberg's early horror sees a mad scientist experimenting with parasites that turn residents of a high-rise apartment into ferocious nymphomaniacs.

A doctor plays God as he gives life to a part-aphrodisiac, part-venereal-diseased parasite that disrupts neighbourly norms in a high-rise apartment complex. With the bug unleashed, infected residents transform into sex-obsessed zombies who desire nothing more than to violently propagate their sick desires, floor by floor. Cronenberg’s early feature exposes humanity's most grotesque impulses.

Shivers met its share of both acclaim and controversy, with its contentious content and larger societal commentary sparking heated debate within Canada’s Parliament. Since then, the importance of the film has only grown more apparent, with its scientific fixations and grotesque bodily-transformations laying the foundation for Cronenberg’s beloved recurring motifs.