David Cronenberg's name might be synonymous with the body horror genre. Still, the director has a much more comprehensive array of films that highlight what he's really after: humanity – grotesqueries, quirks, and all. Whether examining the need to go up against systems of control or tampering with dangerous scientific experiments, Cronenberg is a filmmaker whose distinct vision has created an incredible body of work.
With his latest film, Crimes of the Future, in some way, serving as a reflection, it's an excellent time to dive into the filmmaker's oeuvre and pluck out some of his best features – although he's a rare exception in which everything is worth watching.
10 Naked Lunch Is A Feast For The Senses
For what it's worth, David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch (1991) sets about the task of tackling a notoriously difficult novel. The book in question, by William S. Burroughs, is a drug-addled journey that eschews clarity in favor of voice and mood. The man finds himself in the Interzone, where he's descended upon by various agents vying for supremacy.
The book is, in many ways screed against conformity, and an ode to consciousness. The film, which is much easier to follow, is as much a tribute to the author who wrote the book as it is an attempt to make some sense of the slippery narrative.
9 Scanners Is A Head-Popping, B-Movie Gem
What Scanners lacks in formal precision, it more than makes up for head explosions. The story follows a young, volatile telepath/telekinetic whose powers are beyond his control. He's recruited by an agency called ConSec in order to stop a fellow psychic from waging a mass war against the others – who will also head-pop anyone who stands in his way.
The film marks a significant step forward into larger realms for Cronenberg, who, at the time, only had lower-budget body horror films under his belt. With the introduction of mind control and invisible wars, Cronenberg stepped out of horror into something else.
8 Existenz Is An Uncanny Journey Into A Game World
David Cronenberg's 1999 film, eXistenZ, had the misfortune of appearing in the same year as The Matrix. While very different from the Keanu Reeves cyber-actioner, the film still has some points of overlap. Notably, the use of cyberspace to challenge what the characters, and subsequently audiences, know about reality.
The film stars Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh (whose character created the game world) as a tag team traipsing across a digital landscape (one of the better, more absurdly accurate representations of a video game brought to life), all while would-be assassins hunt them down.
7 The Brood Is Full Of Bad Children
David Cronenberg's The Brood (1979) is, in many ways, the apotheosis of his early interests. Appearing after a handful of shorts, two body-horror features (Rabid, and Shivers), and a totally out-of-left-field film about a race car driver (Fast Company), The Brood is a bitter, creepy little film that was reportedly written in the throes of the director's divorce.
As a man investigates a controversial therapy method (used on his wife), a strange string of attacks occurs, all committed by children. While the film is in no way comparable to Cronenberg's later works, it's still a necessary step for the director in terms of honing his craft, and isolating his most precious themes.
6 Crimes Of The Future Is A Late Masterpiece
The latest film by David Cronenberg, Crimes of the Future (2022), takes its name from a short film that the filmmaker directed back in the '70s. However, the connection stops there. The latest film to use the title tells the story of Saul Tenser, a performance artist who is confronting the very real possibility that he is no longer relevant.
Saul has a unique quality: he grows organs whose purposes are yet to be defined. He and his partner/collaborator perform public surgeries to remove the extraneous organs. The duo crosses paths with a man whose deceased son had a gift that might signal the future of humanity.
5 Eastern Promises Is A Modern Crime Classic
Eastern Promises (2007) is one of Cronenberg's finest films, and the second collaboration with actor Viggo Mortensen. The film tells the story of a man named Nikolai, a chauffeur/enforcer for the Russian mob operating in London. When a midwife comes across a journal that could lead to the organization's downfall, she becomes a target.
The film is a rich, multi-layered crime story packed to the brim with thrills. The twists and turns are fascinating, as Cronenberg shows that he's more than just a guy concerned with the limits of the human body.
4 Videodrome Is A Disturbing, Body Horror Thriller
Videodrome is David Cronenberg's most abstracted foray into some of his favorite subjects: mind control, body horror, sleaze, and – for better or worse – an unwavering interest in the human body. The film stars James Woods as Max Renn, the president of a TV channel who's constantly searching for the next piece of titillating subject matter. Fortunately for him, he stumbles upon "Videodrome," a broadcast that shows various extreme forms of torture.
What begins as a pursuit of success by any means becomes one man's descent into madness as he uncovers the truth about the channel, and its strange ability to transform those who are absorbed by it.
3 A History Of Violence Is A Taut, Low-Key Masterpiece
Based on the graphic novel of the same name, David Cronenberg's 2005 film, A History of Violence is a subdued masterpiece that shows the director in total control. The story is about as lean as they come, about a man named Tom who lives a nice, quiet life in a small town, generally minds his own business, and tends to his family.
When someone recognizes Tom, a group of men is sent to confront him. But, after a particularly vicious episode in Tom's diner, some unwanted publicity busts his world wide open. A History of Violence is a lean, mean thriller with a fantastic lead performance by Viggo Mortensen as a man who might not be who he says he is.
2 Dead Ringers Is A Sad, Haunting Tale Of Brotherly Love
Dead Ringers (1988) is one of the most haunting films not just in David Cronenberg's catalog, but of all time. It tells the story of twin gynecologists whose perverse pleasures include pretending to be one another and going on dates.
When they meet a woman whose womb has a physical anomaly, the twins' interest is piqued, and a complex web of love and betrayal is subsequently formed and undone. Portraying the twins is Jeremy Irons in a masterful turn as brothers whose slight idiosyncrasies become the canyons that threaten to tear them apart. Dead Ringers is undeniably Cronenberg's saddest film.
1 The Fly Is Cronenberg’s Greatest Achievement
David Cronenberg's greatest film is The Fly (1986). Starring Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, the film tells the story of a scientist whose greatest invention is just about to see the light of day: a teleportation device that will surely change the entire world. However, there are a few kinks in the machine, and when a lone fly straggles into the teleporter, Seth's DNA becomes fused with the insect's.
At first, all is well, if not better, as Seth exhibits superhuman strength and agility and more or less becomes something of a superhuman for a very brief time. However, that quickly dissolves as Seth's rapidly deteriorating state starts turning him into a fly-like monster.