David Cronenberg is the undisputed master of body-horror. His unique eye brought the most gruesome and bizarre nightmares into a film in a bunch of unforgettable films through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. And although he has stepped into more conventional drama films in the last years, his sick mind still works on another level as can be seen in his super low-budget short film The Nest (2013). The guy that signed essential titles like Shivers (1975), The Brood (1979), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), Naked Lunch (1991) or eXistenZ (1999) marked with Rabid (1977) his second feature film and one of the most celebrated ones in his filmography.
The premise for Rabid (1977) has all the ingredients for a Cronenberg film. A young woman develops a taste for human blood after experimental plastic surgery, and her victims turn into blood-thirsty zombies, leading into a city-wide epidemic. Over 40 years later, somebody has had the courage to make a remake, or at least an adaptation of the main concept of the original film. and that is how we get in hands this new film, Rabid (2019), co-written and directed by the Soska sisters, the Twisted Twins, the duo responsible of other horror films like Dead Hooker in a Trunk (2009), American Mary (2012), See No Evil 2 (2014) and the segment “T is for Torture Porn” in ABCs of Death 2 (2014).
John Serge, the writer of thriller TV movies like Dead on Campus (2014), Killer Crush (2015) and Killer Mom (2017), signs the screenplay of Rabid (2019) together with Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska. In this adaptation, Rose is a quiet woman, working in the fashion industry. She aspires to be a fashion designer until that dream is seemingly shattered when a horrific accident damages her face. When she is offered a chance to fix her face through skin grafting, she jumps at it. It works and she is beautiful. But she is unprepared for the terrifying results that follow.
Laura Vandervoort, known for appearing in titles like Jigsaw (2017) and the TV series Bitten (2014–2016) and V (2009–2011), plays the main role in the movie. Together with her, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Ted Atherton, Hanneke Talbot, Stephen Huszar, Mackenzie Gray, Stephen McHattie, Kevin Hanchard, Heidi von Palleske, Joel Labelle, C.M. Punk, Edie Inksetter and Tristan Risk also star.
Rabid (2019) has been taking part of several film festivals along last year, including FrightFest, Fantasy Filmfest, MOTELX – Lisbon International Horror Film Festival, Shockfest Film Festival, Splat!FilmFest Horror Film Festival and Sitges Film Festival. After a limited theatrical release and being available in digitals platforms since December 2019, now it is scheduled for a DVD and Blu-ray release on February 4, 2020, including an audio commentary with directors & writers Jen & Sylvia Soska and interviews with actress Laura Vandervoot. Here you can watch the final trailer for Rabid (2019):
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