The Beauty and Horror of Transformation
Upon its release, The Fly was perceived as a simple remake of the original 1958 version and a basic addition to the horror genre. It was expected to be another “Monster Movie.” What audiences received was something a lot more personal, profoundly moving, and lasting. David Cronenberg adapted a story of hubristic science and turned it into a human tragedy that dealt with obsession: the physical and emotional collapse that follows a relentless pursuit of genius.
The Fly centers on a scientist, Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who, during a bungle experiment, merges his DNA with a housefly. Under a deep layer of grotesque horror, the movie becomes a love story with Brundle and journalist Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis). Brundle and Quaife’s love is both the center focus of the film and the source of its tragedy.
Cronenberg’s theme is what it is to be human, to change, and the desperate nature of love in trying, often unsuccessfully, to lift the burden of self. These themes are central to this work, the horror genre, and every soft work of literature.
Science, Ego, and the Madness of Progress
Seth Brundle does not follow the archetype of the ‘mad scientist’. Brundle is more of a ‘gentle poet’. His teleportation devices signify the desire to transcend the restraints of the physical body and the will to conquer and exploit nature. Ironically, this very ambition and drive Brundle possesses leads to his downfall.
Cronenberg is intrigued by the philosophy of the transformation and how scientific advancement embodies some of our most profound fears. The sleek, metallic, and womb-like telepods and their capacity to ‘rebirth’ the biomatter also echo the Dark side of Brundle’s ‘invagination’ of self. Brundle’s metamorphosis starts with a sense of rapture where he believes he overcomes the teleological restraints of humanity, but with the ‘mutation’ science degrades and ‘madness’ is the teleological inversion to ‘enlightenment’.
The Fly is a very blatant metaphor exploring the themes of mortality and illness. Brundle’s suffering resonated with many, specifically Western audiences in the early 80’s, and was equated to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The story is a reflection of how illness transforms the body and how love endures, or collapses, under its weight. Cronenberg does not confirm or deny the relation to the HIV/AIDS.
When Love Watches You Rot
The most devastating aspect of the film is the perspective of Veronica. Geena Davis gave the character a performance that deserves to be described as heartbreaking. She is helpless as she witnesses the man she loves fall apart, both physically and mentally, and is unable to restore him. Because of the sadness in their relationship, The Fly is able to attain a rare emotional gravity that elevates it above the genre.
Brundle uttered the line, “I’m an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over.” The quote encapsulates both the horror and the humanity present in the film as the character faces a monstrous transformation, yet retains self-awareness.
Goldblum and Davis were in a real-life relationship during production, which gave their performances an almost painful authenticity. They were emotionally weighted, but their chemistry was also electric. Davis described in interviews that watching Goldblum “disappear” under the make-up each day caused her to really feel as though she was losing him. This was a meta experience that bled into her performance.
The Body as a Battlefield
Cronenberg has always been fascinated by the body as a vessel of horror, and The Fly stands as his most visceral statement on that obsession. The makeup and practical effects — designed by Chris Walas, who won an Academy Award for his work — remain some of the most disturbing in cinema history.
Brundle’s gradual decay is filmed with clinical precision. His fingernails fall off. His skin peels away. His teeth rot. Yet Cronenberg avoids cheap gore — each grotesque moment serves a purpose. The transformation is not sudden but painfully slow, forcing the audience to confront the physicality of death.
What’s remarkable is that, despite the horrific visuals, the film maintains empathy for Brundle. He’s never reduced to a monster; he’s a man trapped inside a failing body. That’s where The Fly transcends traditional horror — it doesn’t scare us with external threats but with the inevitability of our own fragility.
Jeff Goldblum’s Unforgettable Descent
Jeff Goldblum’s performance is a masterclass in controlled chaos. His transformation from quirky scientist to tragic creature unfolds with nuance and intensity. In interviews, Goldblum shared that he approached the role as if Brundle were “a man with a terminal illness,” ensuring his portrayal was grounded in sorrow rather than shock.
His physical performance — twitching, stumbling, obsessively scratching — was informed by both animal studies and method acting. Cronenberg encouraged him to find beauty in discomfort, to show how transformation can feel both ecstatic and horrifying. The result is a performance that’s equal parts terrifying and tragic, cementing Goldblum’s place as one of the most distinctive actors of his generation.
Examining the telepods — A Study of Cronenberg’s Attempts at Integration
There were problems with the production of The Fly. The film was originally going to be directed by Robert Bierman, but Cronenberg took over after Bierman suffered a personal loss. Completely succeeding Bierman, Cronenberg had total creative authority. Originally a campy monster film, The Fly became a case study in the psychological disintegration of the human being.
Cronenberg’s own fears of aging, illness, and losing one’s identity were also taken into consideration. The director considered Brundle’s metamorphosis his reflection of “the ways we betray our bodies over time.” The film bears Cronenberg’s signature, from the minimalist set design to the clinical tone, and the dark humor.
With the director, the composer Howard Shore had also repeated collaborations. This time, rather than a traditional horror film, he composed the score to The Fly as a tragedy with operatic and mournful elements. Each of Brundle’s once brilliant, now grotesque, fading notes captures his descent from man to grotesque memory as he fades from man to memory. Each note captures his descent.
The Monster Is Us
By the time the film gets to the heartbreaking climax, The Fly is less about mutation and more about compassion. The last scene—where Veronica has to mercy kill Brundle—remains a truly haunting moment in the history of horror. It is not about fright, it is about love, the love that deems compassion more important than survival.
What does not go away and lingers long after the credits is not the fly creature but the horrifying memory of a loved one witnessing someone slowly disintegrate. It is a testament to Cronenberg that he uses horror not as escapism but as a measuring tool. It shows our fears of disease, the obsession of our western culture with perfection, and the inability to control our personal evolution.
In The Fly, science and sentiment are in violent collision. The experiment that was to be the perfection of man instead exposed the man in all his flaws. The most horrifying part is not what Brundle becomes, it is that his story is all too human.
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