film

The Fly (1986) is one of the defining sci-fi horror works of the 1980s, combining gruesome practical effects with surprising emotional depth. Directed by the great body horror auteur David Cronenberg, it stars Jeff Goldblum as the brilliant but socially awkward scientist Seth Brundle, whose experimental teleportation device appears set to revolutionise transport. After testing the machine on himself, Brundle gradually discovers that a housefly entered the chamber unnoticed, triggering a horrifying genetic fusion.

As his body mutates into something increasingly monstrous, his relationship with journalist Veronica Quaife, played by Geena Davis, becomes a heartbreaking struggle against the inevitable. Far, far more than a showcase for spectacular body horror, The Fly explores mortality, disease, obsession and the fragility of human identity. Chris Walas's Oscar-winning makeup effects remain astonishingly convincing, and Howard Shore's powerful score deepens the emotional intensity of the unfolding tragedy.