Two years after his claustrophobic sex-parasite horror “Shivers”, David Cronenberg’s sophomore effort dropped in 1977, bringing his unique style of infectious body-horror to the city of Montreal. Eager to build on the success and controversy of his debut, “Rabid” is a somewhat more refined but larger-scaled story of trauma and social disconnection, set in the midst of a rabies-induced pandemic.
It starts with two young lovers, Hart and Rose, taking a motorcycle ride through rural Canada. After a freak accident leaves Rose critically injured, the nearby-but-remote Ketoid Clinic are forced to take her in and perform an experimental surgery on her abdomen to save her life.
Surviving the surgery, Rose is left with a compromised intestinal system that now has to resort to drastic measures to attain nutrients in a digestible way. Through “neutral field tissue” her left armpit develops a blood-sucking appendage, through which she must now sustain herself.
What starts as a simple need to feed, quickly turns into a city-wide pandemic, as Rose’s surviving victims soon become carriers of a rabies-based virus that sees people turning crazy and infecting the nearest person they can find.
As this unfolds, the dutiful, milquetoast boyfriend Hart endeavors to get back in touch with his “Typhoid Mary” girlfriend, hitching rides and talking to her through disjointed phone calls. This marks the first real deep-cut theme on the part of Cronenberg as a filmmaker; demonstrating how trauma and circumstance can drive couples apart.
In this case to apocalyptic effect.
As one would expect. it all goes to shit. Hart eventually catches up with Rose and tries to talk sense to her, but in a foolish act to vindicate herself as the start of the plague, she locks herself in with one of her infectious-ridden victims, only to become a victim of her own naivety. Meanwhile, Montreal has fallen into Marshal Law and society all but collapsed.
The movie ends grimly with Rose’s corpse being collected into a garbage truck on patrol to collect the other deceased.
Her attempt to redeem herself, failed. Hart’s attempt to connect and save her, failed.
“Rabid” is blunt, unapologetic, and out to make you feel bad.
It’s the movie where Cronenberg definitely began to understand himself as a horror movie director, although his next effort would prove ultimately more bizarre than any horror-based madness he could possibly muster.
I’m talking Drag Racing.
An entire movie about 6-second long races.
I’m not even kidding.
This review was expedited in memory of the late great Ivan Reitman, who served as Executive Producer and Music Supervisor for this movie.
God Speed Mr Reitman and thanks for everything.
