DAVID CRONENBERG'S SHIVERS (1975) - THE BIRTH OF BODY HORROR?

SHIVERS (1975) is a wonderfully squirmy milestone in body horror — and David Cronenberg’s sleazy, slimy debut.

A high-rise residence is thrown into chaos when a strange parasite begins turning tenants into uninhibited, sex-crazed versions of themselves. Part science fiction, part sleazy exploitation, Shivers introduced many of the themes that Cronenberg would return to again and again throughout his half-century behind the camera: disease, transformation, sexuality, technology, ethics, identity, and isolation.

Not bad for a government-funded Canadian horror flick that can also be described as: “sex slugs take over the world.”

Produced by Ivan Reitman (Stripes, Ghostbusters, Kindergarten Cop), Shivers also features a perfectly off-kilter pair of performances from horror legends Barbara Steele and Lynn Lowry, alongside gloriously gooey practical effects by makeup maestro Joe Blasco.

The film caused a media firestorm in Canada when word got out that taxpayer dollars had helped fund such a graphic and subversive movie — but that controversy only boosted its cult status and ticket sales.

In the 50 years since its release, Shivers has been reappraised as a bold, brainy, and deeply weird classic of horror cinema — a film that helped define Cronenberg’s voice and changed the genre forever. 

Join AC and his awesome panel of guests ( Emily Barney, Jason Coffman, Kate Hansen, John McDevitt, Cullen Wade) as we revisit Shivers, dissect its legacy, and celebrate one of the most bizarre and brilliant debuts in horror history.
---------------------------------
EMILY BARNEY is a Chicagoan studying Czech language. She has an obsession for Czech and Slovak movies, which she blogs about at emily-barney.com. She's also a lifelong horror movie fan, the weirder the better.

JASON COFFMAN is the Unrepentant Cinephile. Former contributor to Daily Grindhouse and Film Monthly (RIP). Director of Housesitters and occasional "recording artist." Proud owner of 35mm prints of Andy Milligan's Guru, the Mad Monk and Zalman King's Two Moon Junction. On Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/rabbitroom/

KATE HANSEN is a music teacher with a penchant for horror. She has been published in magazines like Ultra Violent and Horrorhound. She likes dogs, enjoys the smell of campfires, collects VHS, is afraid of heights, and has only ever received two speeding tickets. 

JOHN MCDEVITT is a lifelong cinephile who programs two recurring film events in Chicago: SUPER-HORROR-RAMA!, a weekly horror gathering with film screenings at Sideshow Gelato, and Fetish Film Forum, a monthly screening series about fetish, kink, leather, and BDSM at the Leather Archives & Museum. John is fascinated by all genres of cinema and appreciates horror most of all for its willingness to explore what makes us uncomfortable and for the compassion it often extends to its characters and the viewer.

CULLEN WADE is the author of S(p)lasher Flicks: The Swimming Pool in Horror Cinema, out in 2025 from McFarland Books. Follow him on letterboxd @tobe_whooper and Bluesky @cullenwade.bsky.social
--------------------------------
Keep Searching, Keep Exploring, and, most of all, Keep Sharing the Scare!