A gross, tragic, and surprisingly tender body-horror classic that turns a sci-fi premise into a full emotional meltdown. It’s one of Cronenberg’s most accessible films, with unforgettable practical effects and a genuinely sad love story at its core.
The Fly
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Horror · Science Fiction
Fri · 1h 36m
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Overview
When brilliant, eccentric scientist Seth Brundle makes a huge technological breakthrough in teleportation, he decides to test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a common housefly manages to get inside the device and the two become one.
Director
David Cronenberg
Cast
Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Curator Review
Verdict
A gross, tragic, and surprisingly tender body-horror classic that turns a sci-fi premise into a full emotional meltdown. It’s one of Cronenberg’s most accessible films, with unforgettable practical effects and a genuinely sad love story at its core.
Best for
body-horror fans
viewers who like tragic science fiction
practical-effects enthusiasts
fans of bleak but emotional horror
Skip if
you’re squeamish about mutation and gore
you want clean, idea-driven sci-fi without horror
you prefer light or campy monster movies
Overview
The Fly is the rare horror film that gets more heartbreaking as it gets more revolting. Cronenberg takes a simple teleportation premise and turns it into a slow collapse of body, identity, and romance, with Jeff Goldblum giving the kind of performance that makes the transformation feel both monstrous and deeply human.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the balance: the film is nasty, yes, but it’s also mournful, funny in flashes, and emotionally precise. The practical effects are legendary for good reason, but they never feel like empty spectacle; every grotesque stage of decay lands as part of a tragic arc.
Bottom line
This is one of the defining body-horror films, but it’s also one of the best science-fiction cautionary tales about ambition, intimacy, and the limits of control. If you can handle the imagery, it’s essential viewing.
Top Letterboxd reviews
𝑀𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠 (4★) · 16332 likes
Peter Parker had it easy.
Sam Kohn (4★) · 14938 likes
Would’ve been a 10 if Goldblum had rubbed his little hands together like a fly.
urbestbrunette (1★) · 7206 likes
I'm 11 years old, I was told to watch this. I normally don't write reviews, but I have written because I am so traumatised by this movie. Everything about this movie is disgusting, the jaw being pulled off, the finger nails having goo out of them, and the vomit. I say you should be at least 21 to watch this, you will be traumatised otherwise. If you are under 21, and you still live with your parents, just ask for a permission slip. There is a naked woman, and a naked man, they are doing the sitting method. I cried. DO NOT WATCH THIS.