The Fly (1986)

October Challenge Day 4

I was in the mood for a little horror, little Sci-Fi, little classic, and settled comfortably on the 1986 marvel: The Fly.

I've seen this film before - in fact, seen it as recently as this most recent New Years! Because that's what normal people do. They watch The Fly to welcome in the new year! Normal!

Although I've seen this film several times over the last few decades, a few new things popped out to me:

#1: Why am I always so surprised how gross this film becomes? WHY. This film is disgusting and I can't understand why it always surprises me.

#2: Further solidifies my belief that many wonderful horror films were made in the 1950s but only a few were selected to be reborn in the 1980s as GREAT films.

#3: If you replace the fly aspect with a drug then this is a horror story on a whole new level....

This is a remarkable horror film. Engaging, sympathetic, intriguing, dramatic, GROSS GROSS GROSS, horrifying, and still heartfelt - all while being about a man, his pursuit for good and science - and a fly. Creative geniuses for the win again!

What really struck me during this most recent viewing was the uncanny resemblance to watching someone descend into a madness - through drugs and alcohol, for instance - and this scientist making a mistake in his work.

A harmless mistake. No one saw it coming. Just this one time won't harm anything. I have it under control.

Anyone who has watched someone loss their mind, body, and soul to drugs and/or alcohol, will understand what I'm talking about here. The transformations in face, body, and personality. The anger. The night/day of behavior and predictability. The horror of watching it happen (by the person or the public) and feeling completely helpless. You get it.

All of these things happen in the film, to a startlingly mirror image of real life events. Except in the story it's a fly that infests a human's DNA. In reality, it's other items that infest our well being.

I didn't mean for this to happen.

There are very few *good* "mad scientist" movies out any more. Almost seemed they hit their peak in the '30s with a few occurrences in the '70s and 80s. Perhaps what startles me most about any mad scientist story is that the scientist doesn't scare me - it's who they become as a result of their blind pursuits that scare me. Blind, well intended, pursuits. Oh, hello there Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

This is an excellent horror film. An excellent moral story. An excellent gore fest. It's an excellent film. Pairs with good ideas that are made bad by booze, and maybe some mediocre steak.

I watched this film on Hulu. Use the Find It! Watch It! links on Horror Habit's side bar to locate where else you can find this goretastic scream fest.