Cronenberg

I have never seen a Cronenberg movie. What is a good place to start? Some people told me to go with The Fly. Some told me to go with Existenz. A friend told me Scanners. Which one.

The Fly

Videodrome

Maps to the Stars

Videodrome is a basic primer for Cronenberg beginners, and it is arguably his best movie.

Start there and/or with Naked Lunch.

For pure KINO check out Dead Ringers

For good 1970's horror The Brood and Rabid are both 9/10 movies.

Videodrome

also will add that Scanners is basically "Cronenberg's X-Men" and its a lot of fun. key early Michael Ironside performance.

eXistenz should only be watched after seeing Videodrome; it addresses some of the same concerns from a decade+ more experience.

OP here. Are all these movies gory?

at the time Scanners was notorious for some of its gore. you've probably seen the gif of the exploding head scene if you have ever been on the internet.

the practical effects in Videodrome, Scanners, and The Fly were all groundbreaking and still hold up today.

Start with Wild at Heart, then move on to Altered Stated. After that, you'll have a fairly concrete image of this seminal auteur's visions, so as you recognize further exponations along the undercurrent of nihilism and absurdity, you can frame the rest of his filmography through the lenses of those perspective masterworks with a deeper understanding of the depth between the grimy surface and what waits below under the layer of the unctuous surface juxtaposed as a warning to all those who fear to tread deeper.

Be warned, potential viewer; there are things lurking beneath that thin layer of innocuous pond scum that have sharp teeth and voracious appetites. What is orgiastic to the initiated can be nerve-shattering to those who bite off more than they can chew. Tread warily, friend.

well from the ones i saw
Maps To The Stars>The Fly>Videodrome>Spider>History Of Violence

What do you guys think of a history of violence

eastern promises is much better for recent cronenberg.

maps to the stars wasn't that great, holy shit

Why is your word choice so unnecessary?

Is your implication that my vocabulary is somehow innately troublesome in its bombastity, or does your critique imply fault on my part in adjectival insertions? Please elucidate further on your objections to my prose; I am a neophyte to Sup Forums and English is (sadly) my third language, but I long to improve.

he probably means that you come off as too verbose and try-hard in that you seem to put more energy than needed for your audience.

but if that's you thing then giddy-up cowboy.

VIDEODROME

Listen to these men

I honestly thought people would be more irritated that I suggested a Lynch movie and a Ken Russell movie for a Cronenberg suggestion thread while acring like a pompous dochebag about it.

On a serious note, as far as DC goes people should start with The Dead Zone. Say what you will about Stephen King, but you can't argue he isn't a fantastic storyteller.

King at the top of his game, Cronenberg killing it, and Christopher Walken turning in his best performance outside of The Deer Hunter. Martin Sheen was fantastic as well.

1. The Dead Zone
2. The Fly
3. A History of Violence
4. Videodrome
5. Dead Ringers/Eastern Promises

Can't really go wrong with any of his films. Hell, I hated Spider but it would still be impossible to claim it wasn't a beautiful piece of art.

Have any of you read the novel he wrote? What did you think of it?

When attacking a new director, always watch his movies in chronological order.

The right answer is Shivers

Naked Lunch
Videodrome
The Fly
Crash
Existenz

Then watch everything else before moving on to his post-body horror shit if you don't want to be disappointed.

>Start there and/or with Naked Lunch.
nigger what are you doing

pretty much this. Eastern Promises is also a great place to start.

top cronenberg imo

1- VIDEODROME
2- THE BROOD
3- NAKED LUNCH
4- SCANNERS
5- SHIVERS

Peter Weller is too handsome in Naked Lunch it's distracting

DEATH TO THE OLD FLESH

watch all of his films, then read as much mcluhan, ballard, and burroughs as you can. after that, you will understand all you need to know about life.

Naked Lunch is not beginner material, dude.

Maps to the Stars is one of my favorite movies of all time, but the only Cronenberg I've seen so far

which of his movies are the most similar to MttS?

Eastern Promises is a must-watch

And has Viggo

Does anyone actually prefer post-body horror Cronenberg? I'd guess only people who watched those films first.

The Fly.
Fucking idiots saying otherwise.

if you have seen all of his stuff, and this is your opinion, you are a fucking pleb

you can't go wrong with any of his films. you might enjoy the Brood, give it a shot.

i've seen the end of it and it looked a bit cheesy desu, the effects haven't aged well, i still plan on watching all of it at some point though for completionist reasons

i just loved the bitter social commentary that Maps has, especially of the fucked up Hollywood system

Maps told me he's aware of the mind control and ritual abuse that goes on, just like Kubrick was, do any other of Cronenbergs film have that subversive message to them?

the one with the mysterious channel no can explain looks like it does, is that Videodrome? seems very MK to me

I think he's a great Dr. Who

>if you have seen all of his stuff, and this is your opinion, you are a fucking pleb

Gotcha.
The teenager contrarian choking out from my full nelson, with a copy of The Brood in his hand.

If OP has never seen Cronenberg then The Fly is the only fucking correct answer. But there are at least a dozen other great films already mentioned in this thread.

Wild At Heart is David Lynch you dumb nigger

Eastern promises is my favorite cronenberg

>the one with the mysterious channel no can explain looks like it does, is that Videodrome? seems very MK to me

Videodrome is a total fucking must, don't go in with any expectations about le Illuminati though, that's not its bag at all.

If your fetish is the 'agents of control' then you should probably meet Dr Benway in The Naked Lunch. And even that is really more of a biog. It's one half Burroughsian 20th century paranoid horror, and one half Literary Outlaw by Ted Morgan.

>Maps told me he's aware of the mind control and ritual abuse that goes on, just like Kubrick was

Actually, on balance you're a fucking moron. Torch this thread and these very solid recommendations and go and watch some Youtubers instead.

Have you considered that maybe you're the idiot with plebian tastes here?

Cosmopolis is one of my favorite movies.

>Have you considered that maybe you're the idiot with plebian tastes here?

I'll consider it when you venture an argument against The Fly vs the rest of his body of work, sure.
Until then, wipe that snot off your nose?

cool C:

>implying i learned about the occult elite conspiracy from Youtube

i fucking wish man

>Have you considered that maybe you're the idiot with plebian tastes here?

K. Fair enough, the ball is actually in my court so here goes as to The Fly (even though OP is a fucking braindead Loose Change watching fag)

>Jeff Goldblum's performance is mesmerisingly good. I mean Oscar worthy.
>The romance works utterly, as does every other inch of characterisation.
>Textually rich. The film studies ageing - a universal taboo - at length and without any sentiment (inb4 it was about Aids)
>Excellent score
>Cronerberg's direction is a perfect foil to a great script. He plays the material straight as a die with the emphasis entirely on character - there's actually not much full blown horror across its running time, but just enough in foreshadowing for you to dread the heroes journey, and for that dread to reach a satisfying denouement.
>It found an audience - a massive one - and thus is part of pop culture ('be afraid, be very afraid') which is in itself a prime reason for considering any art with critical merit attached.

I've seen all his films, bar M. Butterfly and Spider. The Fly is head and shoulders above them his best work. The fact that it's his biggest commercial success should not be counted against it. This is why all the other answers given, while good films, are fucking bullshit from people who are reaching and trying to score obscuro-points. The question was what is a good place to start. Unless you picked Rabid or The Fly, you got this one empirically wrong.

haha fucking based photo m8.

Enjoy all that Cronenberg, I envy you!

I think The Fly is his best work, but you might seriously get off on Videodrome, it could be the choice for you and it's a fascinating, gnarly piece of kino.