The Brood (1979)

Episode 464, 2 Guys and a Chainsaw Horror Movie Review Podcast

Todd: Hello and welcome to another episode of Two Guys and a Chainsaw. I’m Todd. 

Craig: And I’m Craig. 

Todd: Well, it’s about time we got back to another tribute episode, an actress that, uh, we have seen all over television and, uh, has actually played in at least one of the earlier movies that we’ve done. Curtains had passed away.

Her name is Samantha Egger. She was an. English actress. I didn’t realize this because I don’t know if I had ever seen her with a British accent. Anytime I’d seen her, at least in my head, it’s always been American who came over to the States, uh, back in the seventies or so, moved to the States and started starring in horror films.

Before she started moving up through television, did the Love Boat, did all kinds of TV shows. Star Trek, the Next Generation, all the way up to Disney’s Hercules in 1997. She was Hera in that one. Oh. So, uh, she’s had quite a career and I think she’s one of those actresses where, at least for me anyway, I hear the name.

I’m not quite sure who she is, but when I see the face I’m like, oh yeah, it’s that lady. So, uh, we decided to do one of her most famous roles over here, the Brood by David Cronenberg from 19 79, 1 of David Cronenberg’s. Earlier works. I would say I had seen this before as a kid, I think maybe on television.

It came on and I just popped in and out of it. So the only thing I really remembered about it was the ending. So I was very excited, uh, to come back and revisit this, have an excuse to do that, and celebrate, uh, Samantha ER’s life. How about you, Craig? Had you seen the brood before? 

Craig: I don’t think so. I really don’t think so.

I mean, there were parts of it that were a little bit familiar, but I think that’s just from seeing clips of it here and there, because I’m shocked that I haven’t seen it because it’s well known. It’s, you know, kind of, I don’t know if you’d call it a cult classic or I don’t know. All of Cronenberg stuff is weird and kind of in its own category, but I don’t think I had seen it.

Before this, and I honestly, the, the, the actress that we’re talking about, I, she’s not somebody that I am super familiar with, but her face is super familiar to me because there are a couple of images of her from this movie that I have seen. So many times there, there’s one, I’m looking at it on IMDB, right, where she’s kind of backlit or lit kind of from above.

So her hair is kind of glowing all around her, and I’ve seen her face a million times. I’ve, I’ve seen this movie talked about, I think that maybe. It had been spoiled for me at some point. I kind of had an idea of what was going on, but no, this is the first time I’ve actually, I, I believe I’ve sat down and watched the whole thing.

Todd: Yeah, it’s uh, it’s quite a movie and again, like you said, it’s one of his more famous ones. Uh, maybe just ’cause it’s one of his earlier ones, but it definitely put her on the map and it has a lot of other stars in it. It’s got Oliver Reed. Uh, we had, uh, done burnt offerings, I believe. With Oliver Reed in it and were impressed with his performance and that, and I was really impressed with his performance in this as well.

He just has an intensity here as this Dr. Hal Raglan and the other person in this movie, art Hindel, a guy who I looked at and I was like, God, he looks so much like Peter Dinklage and I’m, I was just like, I know I’ve seen this guy around before, but I’ll be darned if I can. You know, remember why, I mean, he’s been all over the place.

He’s been an, he’s still a working actor to this day, has a really good striking look to himself. These really cool eyes, very expressive. And I think the thing that really struck me the most about this movie and why I thought it was also a. Turned out to be a good one for showcasing Samantha Eggers talents is David Cronenberg really gets up in people’s faces here.

This is all about, it’s it’s mostly drama in, in a way. 

Craig: Yeah. 

Todd: And it’s in some ways kind of soap opera like I thought. And he just, uh, it’s really just about the tension between these characters and there’s constant tension between all the characters in this movie. Everyone seems to be hiding a little something or suspicious of something, and he’s really up in their faces as they’re interacting with each other, and you can just see it.

And I think it’s a rare actor who can pull this off in a sustained way without it getting super corny and super cheesy. And I, I don’t think it really got that far, but it, it’s definitely a heightened sort of sense in this film. I thought everything’s a little heightened. 

Craig: Yeah. I mean, the cronenberg is kind of like that, and I, I.

I feel like he does, and I’m totally spit balling because I didn’t do any research at all. I just watched the movie. But I feel like I, I do remember seeing something about how he was inspired to write this. By his experience with his own divorce and custody stuff. Mm. And there’s definitely that element of it here and, and I feel like his other movies are like that too.

They’re metaphors for some real human experience, like you said. It really does mostly feel like drama, except there’s this kind of weird mystery in the background. And it reminded me of a couple of things. It reminded me, gosh, I, I’m not gonna be able to, um, think of the name of it, but that movie, oh gosh.

Deep Red. Is that the one? 

Todd: Yeah. Maybe 

Craig: Donald. Donald Sutherland. And there’s a mysterious little person in a red 

Todd: Oh, 

Craig: slicker. 

Todd: Don’t look now. Don’t look now, 

Craig: don’t look now. It reminded me of that a little bit. 

Todd: Well, the, the lit