David Cronenberg is the king of body horror. Almost every one of his films could be included on a list like this, but I like The Brood best. In this early career outing, Cronenberg looks at motherhood and the Human Potential Movement bullshit of 1970s and turns everything blood red. The Brood tells the tale of a woman undergoing “psychoplasmics,” a radical therapy where patients physically manifest their psychological trauma, sometimes in the form of bruises, bite marks and suppurating boils, and later in the form of evil “children.” The main character, Nola, gives birth to one of the titular brood in a particularly startling and disturbing scene that will not sit well with anyone contemplating having a child of their own.
Where to stream: HBO Max, The Criterion Channel, IndieFlx