Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Rabid Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 15, 2015

David Cronenberg's "Rabid" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; promotional materials; audio commentaries with the Canadian director and writer William Beard; two documentaries; new and archival video interviews; and more. The release also arrives with a collector’s Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kier-La Janisse, reprinted excerpts of "Cronenberg on Cronenberg" and more, illustrated with original archive stills and posters. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

After the accident

Adult star Marilyn Chambers is Rose, a young and beautiful woman who is admitted in a secluded hospital after a terrible accident. Soon after, a team of experienced surgeons perform a complicated procedure that saves her life.

But an area under Rose’s armpit mutates and her body grows a stinger that attacks people and drains their blood. Unable to fully control her body, Rose kills some of the staff members and escapes from the hospital.

On her way back to Montreal Rose bites various strangers, but their bodies mutate differently and they quickly evolve into much more aggressive zombie-like creatures. Eventually, she enters the city and all hell breaks loose.

This early film from Canadian director David Cronenberg is fairly predictable and quite uneven, but there are parts of it that offer a glimpse at the dark and unsettling world that would eventually captivate the imagination of horror fans around the world. Indeed, while the effects of the limited budget are felt virtually everywhere, there is a good dose of that very unique intensity that makes Cronenberg’s films stick out.

Cronenberg apparently considered Sissy Spacek for the role of Rose, but it is difficult to imagine that Rabid would have been able to sustain the same atmosphere with her. Chambers’ physicality makes her character’s transformation look authentic while her unbridled aggressiveness provides the film with an edge that is essential for its story.

It is still Cronenberg’s vision, however, that gives Rabid its identity, not Chambers’ presence. Indeed, the manner in which the camera moves and observes the chaos frequently creates the impression that one is viewing an unedited documentary about a terrible event that has collapsed Montreal. Though not yet as effective as they will become in his later films, many of the close-ups during the more graphic sequences also have that special photographic quality that reveals Cronenberg’s notorious fascination with the human body.

The editing leaves a lot to be desired, but this should not be too surprising considering the fact that it was done by Jean LaFleur, the same person that did the initial wave of softcore films for Cinepix. (Cinepix is the Montreal-based exploitation company that produced Rabid).

Cronenberg shot Rabid with cinematographer Rene Verzier, who at the time was also heavily involved with the production of the softcore films for Cinepix. Verzier’s best work, however, was with the late Italian director Sergio Bergonzelli. (See his classic erotic film Joy with Claudia Udy).

Rabid Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, David Cronenberg's Rabid arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

The technical presentation of Rabid will almost certainly inspire some very heated discussions as the film has been regraded and its current color scheme favors color tonalities that make select parts of it look quite strange. Many of the outdoor sequences, in particular, have a prominent greenish/blueish tint that appears to have destabilized key colors, such as red and white, and as a result the saturation could be somewhat distracting (see the reds in screencaptures #4 and 6 and the whites in screencaptures #14 and 19). Admittedly, some of the new color tonalities are not surprising -- the recent Blu-ray release of Scanners also boasts a new color scheme -- but the strong saturation suggests a stylization that some viewers will find too drastic for a film of this caliber (David Cronenberg shot Rabid with a fairly small budget). This being said, detail and clarity are consistently pleasing. Also, there are no problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. There are parts of the film where grain can be either overexposed or underexposed, but it is clear that the fluctuations are not a byproduct of poor digital corrections. Overall image stability is good, but there are a number of transitions with noticeable tiny jumps/twitches (see the transition around 01.00.34 where the train emerges from the tunnel). Finally, while there are no large damage marks, some tiny specs, scratches, and vertical lines remain (see the right side of screencapture #11). My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Rabid Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Generally speaking, depth and clarity remain pleasing throughout the entire film. There is some unevenness in the high-frequencies and occasionally extremely light background hiss also attempts to sneak in, but the music is very well balanced (listen to the atmospheric flute solos). The dialog is stable and easy to follow. Finally, there are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in this review.

Rabid Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Rabid. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Promotional Materials - a collection of promotional materials (posters and lobby cards) for Rabid.

• Interviews -
  
  1. David Cronenberg -- in this video interview, director David Cronenberg discusses the critical reception of Rabid, and specifically a rather controversial review that apparently described it as "pornographic film"; the script for the film; the funding and the production process, etc. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).
  
  2. Ivan Reitman - in this new video interview, executive producer Ivan Reitman discusses his work for Cinepix, the production of Shivers, and consequently his involvement with Rabid (with some excellent comments about the casting of Marilyn Chambers). In English, not subtitled. (13 min).
  
  3. Don Carmody - in this video interview, co-producer Don Carmody recalls his time at Cinepix and discusses the funding and production of Rabid and Shivers. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).
  
  4. Joe Blasco - in this video interview, special makeup artist Joe Blasco discusses the special effects in Rabid (with some specific comments about the large cut and the creature that comes out of Marilyn Chambers' armpit). In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Documentaries -
  
  1. The Directors: David Cronenberg - a wonderful documentary focusing on the acclaimed director's body of work, unique style, and work ethic. The documentary features interviews with Brooke Adams, Marilyn Chambers, Willem Dafoe, Deborah Harry, Holly Hunter, Michael Ironside, Jenifer Jason Leigh, Peter Weller, and Anthony Zerbe. The documentary also appears on Australian distributors Umbrella Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Scanners. In English, not subtitled. (60 min).
  
  2. Raw, Rough and Rabid - in this new documentary, Canadian critic Kier-La Janisse and makeup effects artist Joe Blasco discuss the legacy of the Canadian production and distribution company Cinepix. The documentary was produced exclusively for Arrow Video in 2014 by High Rising Productions. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Commentaries -
  
  1. David Cronenberg - the director of Rabid spends a great deal of time discussing how key sequences were shot, the use of sound throughout the film, Marilyn Chambers' performance, the overall atmosphere and the sensuality of the film, etc.
  
  2. William Beard - in this audio commentary, writer and professor of film studies at University of Alberta William Beard discusses David Cronenberg's career and legacy, the evolution of his directing style and the Canadian film industry, and deconstructs Rabid.

• Isolated Music and Effects Track - presented as LPCM 1.0 track.

• Artwork - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nat Marsh.

• Booklet - collector's Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kier-La Janisse, reprinted excerpts of Cronenberg on Cronenberg and more, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.

Rabid Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is an excellent selection of supplemental features on this new release of David Cronenberg's Rabid that make it very easy to recommend. The film's technical presentation, however, is unusual, to say the least. Indeed, the film has been regraded and whether its new appearance is satisfying is probably something that fans of the Canadian director and his work will debate for a long time. RECOMMENDED (with some reservations).