Cinema Shock

SCANNERS: The Head Explosion Heard ’Round the World | David Cronenberg: The New Flesh

After the deeply personal horror of THE BROOD, David Cronenberg returned with a more commercial effort — and a bigger budget — in what would become his breakout film: SCANNERS.
Released in 1981, SCANNERS blends science fiction, espionage, and psychic body horror into a film that’s perhaps best remembered for one legendary moment of practical effects: the infamous exploding head. But there’s more to this movie than just gore.
In this episode, we’ll trace the film’s chaotic production, how Cronenberg had to begin shooting without a finished script, and how SCANNERS helped elevate his status as an international cult filmmaker.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, merchandise, and more: http://cinemashock.net
 

An Interview with Spencer Garrett

In this bonus episode, our own Mr. Todd A. Davis sits down with legendary character actor Spencer Garrett.
Throughout the interview, they discuss Garrett's entire career, working on everything from STAR TREK to STAR WARS, and with directors like Quentin Tarantino, Michael Bay and, most recently, Adam McKay on the new HBO series WINNING TIME: THE RISE OF THE LAKERS DYNASTY.
Enjoy this bonus episode and be sure to subscribe to Todd's STAR TREK podcast, Computer, Resume Podcast, available everywhere!

THE BROOD: Birth of Rage | David Cronenberg: The New Flesh

After two successful low-budget horror films, David Cronenberg was suddenly one of Canada’s most bankable directors. But rather than immediately dive into another body horror spectacle, he took a detour with FAST COMPANY, a drag racing drama that would ultimately serve as a stepping stone to one of his most acclaimed early films: THE BROOD.
Released in 1979, THE BROOD is widely considered to be Cronenberg’s first masterpiece — and his most personal film. Written during and inspired by his contentious divorce and custody battle, the film is a raw, angry piece of psychodrama dressed up in monster movie clothing.
In this episode, we’ll explore how THE BROOD was financed during Canada’s short-lived “tax shelter era,” why critics accused Cronenberg of misogyny, and how the film’s nightmarish depiction of rage and repression helped cement his reputation as a provocateur of psychological horror.
 
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, merchandise, and more: http://cinemashock.net

RABID: Marilyn Chambers in Cronenberg’s Contagious Classic | David Cronenberg: The New Flesh

 
In the second episode of our series David Cronenberg: The New Flesh, we continue exploring the director’s early years with 1977’s RABID—a film that pushed the boundaries of body horror even further than its predecessor.
Starring adult film icon Marilyn Chambers in her first major mainstream role, RABID tells the story of a woman who undergoes radical surgery after a motorcycle accident… and wakes up with a strange, phallic stinger under her arm that turns her into a literal carrier of disease and death.
In this episode, we’ll dive into how Cronenberg followed up the controversy of SHIVERS, why Chambers was cast, and how RABID reflected his growing fascination with transformation, contagion, and the politics of the body.
We’ll also explore the film’s production and release through the lens of Canada’s tax shelter era, and how RABID cemented Cronenberg’s place as a rising provocateur in horror cinema.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, merchandise, and more: http://cinemashock.net

SHIVERS: The Birth of the New Flesh | David Cronenberg: The New Flesh

Our latest Cinema Shock series, David Cronenberg: The New Flesh, takes a deep dive into the early films of the Canadian auteur that helped define the genre of body horror.
 
We begin with 1975’s SHIVERS, Cronenberg’s first commercial feature and a landmark in Canadian cinema. A film about a parasitic STD that turns a luxury high-rise into a sex-crazed nightmare, SHIVERS shocked audiences and critics alike—earning both condemnation in Parliament and instant cult status.
 
In this episode, we trace Cronenberg’s origins in the Toronto underground film scene, the controversial government funding that helped launch his career, and how SHIVERS established the obsessions—flesh, disease, transformation—that would define his work for decades to come.
We also explore the film’s production history, its reception, and the legacy it left in its wake—both for Cronenberg and for Canadian genre cinema as a whole.
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Coming Up:
RABID (1977)
THE BROOD (1979)
SCANNERS (1981)
VIDEODROME (1983)
THE DEAD ZONE (1983)
THE FLY (1986)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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BATTLE ROYALE: Kinji Fukasaku’s Ultraviolent Cult Classic | Cinema Shock Roulette I

 
Our first pick in the new Cinema Shock Roulette series is a movie that needs no introduction—but it’s getting one anyway.
Released in 2000, Kinji Fukasaku’s BATTLE ROYALE shocked audiences with its graphic depiction of schoolchildren forced into a government-run deathmatch. Based on the controversial novel by Koushun Takami, the film was instantly polarizing—banned in multiple countries, attacked by politicians, and impossible to ignore.
In this episode, we trace the film’s journey from pulp novel to cultural lightning rod. We dive into the production, the Japanese censorship debate, the political context that made the film so dangerous, and how BATTLE ROYALE became a global cult phenomenon that still resonates today. And yes, we’ll talk about THE HUNGER GAMES comparisons, too.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, merchandise & more: http://cinemashock.net

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS: How Lana Wachowski Rewrote the Code One Last Time | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

As we reach the end of our journey through the filmography of Lana and Lilly Wachowski, we return to the world that made them household names—only this time, it’s a little different.
Released nearly two decades after the original trilogy, THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS was helmed by Lana Wachowski alone, marking the first solo directorial effort by either sibling. The result? A film that’s not just a sequel, but a reflection on legacy, grief, identity, and storytelling itself.
In this final episode of The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity, we explore how this fourth MATRIX film came to be—from the personal tragedy that inspired Lana’s return to the franchise, to Lilly’s decision to step away from it entirely. We also dig into the casting changes, creative choices, and meta-commentary that define RESURRECTIONS—and where it fits in the Wachowski canon.
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Coming Up:
BATTLE ROYALE (2000)
Up next: Long Live the New Flesh: The Body Horror of David Cronenberg
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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SENSE8: The Wachowskis’ Global, Queer, Sci-Fi Masterwork | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

Throughout this series, we've explored the films of Lana and Lilly Wachowski—but we couldn't ignore the one project that might be the purest expression of their creative voice: the Netflix original series SENSE8.
Originally intended as a quick sidebar in our upcoming MATRIX RESURRECTIONS episode, our conversation about SENSE8 quickly outgrew those confines. It’s more than just a side note in their career—it’s the culmination of their ideas about identity, interconnectedness, gender, and love. And frankly, it deserves its own damn episode.
In this bonus installment, we dig into the creation of SENSE8, from its unprecedented global production to the ways it reflects and expands on the Wachowskis’ core themes. We also talk about its cancellation, the fan-led push for closure, and why the series resonates so deeply with audiences around the world.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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JUPITER ASCENDING: The Wachowskis’ Space Opera Flop—or Secret Masterpiece? | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

In the penultimate episode of our Wachowski retrospective, we take on the wildest and most maligned film in their catalog: JUPITER ASCENDING.
Released in 2015, the film was intended to launch a new sci-fi franchise for Warner Bros.—a space opera that might do for the 2010s what THE MATRIX did for the turn of the millennium. Instead, it became the Wachowskis’ biggest critical and commercial failure, bewildering audiences with its dense mythology, eccentric performances, and over-the-top worldbuilding.
But does it deserve its reputation as a punchline?
In this episode, we trace the film’s creation and marketing struggles, explore its ambitious ideas (and baffling execution), and debate whether JUPITER ASCENDING is a misunderstood gem or simply a misfire. Either way, it marked the end of an era—their last theatrical feature before shifting to television and, eventually, one last return to the world of THE MATRIX.
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Coming Up:
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Up next: Long Live the New Flesh: The Body Horror of David Cronenberg
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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CLOUD ATLAS: The Wachowskis’ Ambitious, Divisive Epic | The Wachowskis' Cinema of Fluidity

If there's one constant in the careers of Lana and Lilly Wachowski, it's that their work tends to split audiences down the middle. And few of their films illustrate that better than CLOUD ATLAS.
Released in 2012 and co-directed with Tom Tykwer, CLOUD ATLAS was called everything from a transcendent masterpiece to an overindulgent mess. But one thing’s certain—it was a passion project, powered into existence almost entirely by the determination of its filmmakers.
In this episode, we track CLOUD ATLAS from its origins as a novel by David Mitchell through the Wachowskis’ years-long struggle to get the film made. We explore how they balanced six storylines across centuries, collaborated with Tykwer’s directing team, and created one of the most expensive independent films of all time. And we dig into how it fits thematically into the Wachowskis' body of work—touching on identity, transformation, and the interconnectedness of all things.
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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