Rabid

The New Flesh:
David Cronenberg’s Body Horror, Part II

In the second episode of our series David Cronenberg: The New Flesh, we continue exploring the director’s early years with 1977’s RABID—a film that pushed the boundaries of body horror even further than its predecessor.

Starring adult film icon Marilyn Chambers in her first major mainstream role, RABID tells the story of a woman who undergoes radical surgery after a motorcycle accident… and wakes up with a strange, phallic stinger under her arm that turns her into a literal carrier of disease and death.

In this episode, we’ll dive into how Cronenberg followed up the controversy of SHIVERS, why Chambers was cast, and how RABID reflected his growing fascination with transformation, contagion, and the politics of the body.

We’ll also explore the film’s production and release through the lens of Canada’s tax shelter era, and how RABID cemented Cronenberg’s place as a rising provocateur in horror cinema.

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Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.

This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, and Todd A. Davis.