Shivers (They Came from Within) (The Parasite Murders) poster & wallpaper
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Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, Lynn Lowry, Alan Migicovsky, Susan Petrie ... see more see more... , Barbara Steele , Ronald Mlodzik , Joan Blackman , Dorothy Davis , Arthur Grosser , Vlasta Vrana , Joy Coghill , Sonny Forbes , Wally Martin , Fred Doederlein , Edith Johnson

A gripping exercise in body horror and social paranoia, prolific Canadian director David Cronenberg's debut feature offers a startling look at modern isolationist society with a parasitic twist. When ... read more read more...a scientist experimenting with a new form of organ transplants kills a young female resident of a fortress-like apartment complex before subsequently committing suicide, the investigation into her death leads to a frightening discovery. Originally conceived by the misguided scientist in a bid to aid organ transplant, an overzealous parasite quickly escapes into the complex in search of a host. One by one, the unsuspecting residents fall prey to the parasite, and the result is an aggressive horde of sex maniacs who will stop at nothing to satisfy their primal lust and pass the infection on through sexual contact. When the resident doctor learns the sinister truth behind the malevolent creation, only one man stands between an apartment complex overflowing with id-driven zombies and the outside world. Will he be able to stop the rapidly spreading parasite before it escapes into society, or is it only a matter of time until he, too, falls prey to its rapturous effects and gives in to the temptations of the flesh? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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60% liked it

7,563 ratings

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84% liked it

19 critics

R, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Release Date: January 1, 1975

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 1998

Stats: 433 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (433)

  • vendettagainst
    August 23, 2011
    vendettagainst
    Shivers is Cronenberg's formative movie in many ways. He really refines his focus on sex and violence, and takes body horror to new heights. This is a huge step up from his two experimental films.

    The synopsis on RT should suffice. I have nothing to really add. It's an interes... read moreting story that observes both claustrophobia and paranoia. If that's your thing, this movie will not disappoint. It's definitely my thing, so I give Shivers and both its subtitles an 84%.
  • kenstachnik
    October 18, 2010
    kenstachnik
    A rape-atorium of a movie. Imagine Night of the Living Dead, but with sex-ed up Canadians instead of Zombies. The film VERY watchable. The story is told well, the acting is mostly acceptable, and it's sprinkled with nudity.

    It is however, hideously shot. I've seen alcoholics tha... read moret were better lit than this movie. All the hard, double and TRIPLE shadows make the whole thing looks like it was lit with halogen work lamps. I can only assume there was no diffusion in Canada at the time this film was shot.
  • FilmFanatik
    February 5, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    I didn't find this movie all that appealing. It's pretty boring most of the time and takes itself way too seriously.
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Early Cronenberg, much better than his more recent projects I find. It?s disturbing and a little ridiculous but I love it. Who else could make a film about zombie rapists and get away with it!?
  • matertenebraum
    August 25, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Before he became a respected director, upon the release of classics such as The Fly and Videodrome, David Cronenberg was the director of cheap little films such as Rabid and this one; Shivers. Of the two movies mentioned, Shivers is certainly the weakest of the two, but then agai... read moren it was also the earliest, so budget constraints are more likely to have been a bigger problem and it was also made before Cronenberg was a fully fledged professional. While the film is lacking in many elements that are needed to make a successful film, things such as coherency and interesting characters, it does feature lots of horror, and that just about pulls it through. Obviously, due to the man in the director's chair, it's not a straight horror and the film focuses primarily on the psychological terror of changes occurring in one's body, and although Cronenberg explored this idea much better in films such as the aforementioned The Fly and Videodrome, along with other films such as The Brood and Dead Ringers, he doesn't do a bad job here.

    The film is halfway between a zombie flick and an alien film such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and it certainly could have been a lot better if it had been more professionally handled. The film is typical of this type of movie in the seventies as it is cheap looking and the camera work, lighting and other techniques aren't exactly high quality either. None of the cast stands out, and the acting is terrible on the whole. Still, these things are part and parcel of this sort of movie and personally, I quite like it. The movie is very much of the 'schlock' persuasion, and the way it fuses a fast paced plot with sex and violence will ensure that fans of that type of film will be happy. The creature effects in the film aren't very spectacular, but at least they look real enough not to simply look stupid. Some of the images that Cronenberg presents to his audience are shocking, and a lot of the fans of this movie no doubt will be so for that reason. Personally though, I just like it.
  • puffchunk
    July 1, 2008
    puffchunk
    One of Cronenberg's best movies, which isn't saying a lot. About a bunch of 'sex crazed' genetically engineered parasite hosts, who basically just hold each other wearing full clothing and puke worms into each other's mouths. Fun to see, but no replay value.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    May 18, 2008
    cancercapricorn2002
    The basic premise of the movie is that a parasite has been released into an apartment complex (called Starliner) on an island in Quebec. The idea of a sexual violence-inducing disease is a familiar Cronenberg theme and one that he repeats in his later movie Rabid. The plot is pre... read moretty straight forward; the parasite spreads via sexual contact, passing from mouth-to-mouth. Those infected immediately develop a voracious and violent sexual appetite, thus spreading the parasite further.

    I think Cronenberg was making a statement about the time during which the movie was made. There was something he wanted to say about the dark side of the sexual revolution which was in full swing in the early 70's. A line spoken late in the film by one of the main characters seems to sum it up; she's describing a dream she's had in which she's having sex with an old, dying man. She's having trouble because he's old, sick and smells bad, and in the dream the man says to her that all flesh is erotic flesh, that every act is an erotic act, whether it's breathing, eating, or even dying. Merely existing is to be sexual. Even disease is nothing more than the love of two alien species for one another. In other words, those infected by this parasite/disease/mentality (the three are all the same in this film) are entirely consumed with self-gratification, even at the extreme expense of others. This was certainly a prevalent attitude of the 70's and even 80's; there's a reason why that generation was frequently referred to as the "Me Generation."

    Another interesting point about this movie is how much of it was later lifted for Alien. Dan O'Bannon, the writer of Alien, admitted to having seen Shivers (at least according to the interview with Cronenberg included on the DVD). Like the alien, the parasites jump on people's faces, burn their way into the body when necessary but prefer to enter through the mouth, take up residence in the stomach, etc. Even the name of the apartment complex, Starliner, is reminiscent of the setting for Alien on the starliner Nostromo. There's clearly a good deal of influence here.

    I'm a Cronenberg fan, so I may be a bit biased here, but I'd definitely recommend this movie. One can already see foreshadowings of Cronenberg's other films, especially Videodrome and to some degree ExistenZ in it. While Shivers may be a bit outdated in some ways now (especially in the wardrobe department!) and not nearly as polished as Cronenberg's later work, I think it generally has held up well. Like all of his films, however, there are some extremely disturbing scenes in this one, at least for some viewers -- in this case involving cannibalism, sexual behavior and incest, not to mention rape -- that might be just a little bit difficult to stomach for some but to sum up this film is well worth looking at if your a fan of the genre.
  • thefog1331
    March 27, 2008
    thefog1331
    Take 28 Days Later but instead of rage infected crazy British people you get parasite infected horny Canadians.
    It breaks down like this:
    An insane doctor implants a parasite into the local slut who in turn infects others with it. The parasite causes a person to experience an e... read morextreme form of wanton lust and what you wind up with are zombie-like residents who really, really like you.
    Alot.
    It may sound goofy but David Cronenberg (his first major film) handles the material seriously and maturely which makes for an exceptionally creepy film.
  • pier007
    October 28, 2007
    pier007
    The perverse king of venereal horror started his long career with this disturbing and enjoyable low budget freak show. A glimpse of what was yet to come.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    September 15, 2007
    MidnightMadwoman
    A lot of people confuse this one with Slither, and I can see why. It's about some sort of farmed disease-worm that somehow becomes independant of its original host and turns everyohne in an apartment building into bisexual nymphomaniacs. Pretty weird, but it's pretty entertaining... read more and the effects are impressive. The acting and dialogue seem a little stiff and kind of take away from this movie, but all in all it was pretty good.

View All Shivers (They Came from Within) (The Parasite Murders) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

The film is so tackily written and directed, so darkly photographed and the sound so dimly recorded, that it's difficult to stay with it. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Shivers, written and directed by Cronenberg, is a paranoid, prurient sexual nightmare. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
April 1, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Cronenberg's revolution is fraught with both dread and allure Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
August 21, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Cronenberg makes the most out of the sterile building and creates some memorably shocking images. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
September 8, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Cronenberg shows his stuff as an inventive auteur. Full Review

Ken Hanke
November 20, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Early Cronenberg. Crude, but effective.

Nick Davis
August 15, 2003
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

Cronenberg got more sophisticated later, but this is still a gross-out chiller to be proud of.

Walter Chaw
March 9, 2003
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

Unusually heady for a zero budget shocker, finding its sources for fear in the mind/body disconnect between man and the basement of his sexual nature. Full Review

Christopher Null
October 6, 2002
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

Deliciously disgusting. Full Review

October 5, 2002
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The second half is a nearly non-stop explosion of gore and nudity, as well as incest, rape and lesbianism. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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