A scientist living in an apartment complex kills a girl and uses acid to destroy her internal organs, and then kills himself. While investigating, a doctor discovers that the scientist was doing experiments on the use of genetically engineered parasites as organ transplants. Soon, other people in the complex begin showing signs of carrying the parasites, spreading the things through wanton orgiastic abandon, and the complex begins suffering an attrition problem.

Shivers (1975)
  • Rating: (6,290 votes)
  • Taglines:T-E-R-R-O-R beyond the power of priest or science to exorcise. » BEING TERRIFIED IS JUST THE BEGINNING! »
  • Runtime:87 minutes
  • Director: David Cronenberg
  • Country:Canada
  • Actors:
    Roger St. Luc
    Paul Hampton
    Rollo Linsky
    Joe Silver
    Nurse Forsythe
    Lynn Lowry
    Nicholas Tudor (as Alan Migicovsky)
    Allan Kolman
    Janine Tudor
    Susan Petrie
    Betts
    Barbara Steele
    Merrick
    Ronald Mlodzik
    Detective Heller (as Barry Boldero)
    Barry Baldaro
    Mr. Guilbault
    Camil Ducharme
    Mrs. Guilbault
    Hanka Posnanska
  • Genres:Horror, Sci-Fi
  • Producers:
    Don Carmody
    co-producer  
    John Dunning
    executive producer  
    André Link
    executive producer  
    Alfred Pariser
    executive producer  
    Ivan Reitman
    producer  
    Peter James
    executive producer (uncredited)  
  • Plots: A scientist living in an apartment complex kills a girl and uses acid to destroy her internal organs, and then kills himself. While investigating, a doctor discovers that the scientist was doing experiments on the use of genetically engineered parasites as organ transplants. Soon, other people in the complex begin showing signs of carrying the parasites, spreading the things through wanton orgiastic abandon, and the complex begins suffering an attrition problem. Written by Ed Sutton <esutton@mindspring.com>
Shivers
  • User's comment:competent debut, given the circumstances and time period by BlackBalloon

    Cronenberg's directorial feature film debut is built around a now-familiar amalgamation of sex, technology, and medicine gone mad. The Canadian "Shivers" (original American release title "They Came From Within", aka "The Parasite Murders") opens with a slide show advertising a creepily perfect-sounding high-rise apartment building isolated on an island but just minutes away from downtown Montreal. We are told that the complex contains practically everything necessary to maintain a comfortable life- medical and dental practices, clothing stores, a gift shop, a deli, recreation, etc. Ideally, it would seem, the only reasons a resident would leave would be to work, socialize with non-residents, or take a vacation, if that wasn't too redundant. But of course, something terrible is just under the polished surface.

    Cronenberg's direction is obviously not as polished as in later features, but we begin to see his signature style translated well into a full-length format.


  • Quotes: Forsythe: He tells me that even old flesh is erotic flesh, that disease is the love of two alien kinds of creatures for each other, that even dying is an act of eroticism. Forsythe: Roger, I had a very disturbing dream last night. In this dream I found myself making love to a strange man. Only I'm having trouble you see, because he's old... and dying... and he smells bad, and I find him repulsive. But then he tells me that everything is erotic, that everything is sexual. You know what I mean? He tells me that even old flesh is erotic flesh. That disease is the love of two alien kinds of creatures for each other. That even dying is an act of eroticism. That talking is sexual. That breathing is sexual. That even to physically exist is sexual. And I believe him, and we make love beautifully. Bearded man: Have you met my daughter, Erica? She's a very beautiful girl. Come here, Erica. I just know you'll like my daughter, Erica.
  • Also known as: Frissons (Canada - French title), Frissons (France), Huivering (Belgium - Flemish title), Huivering (Netherlands - informal literal title), Parasiten-Mörder (Austria), Parasiten-Mörder (West Germany), Ürpertiler (Turkey - festival title, Turkish title), Anatrihiles (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Dreszcze (Poland), Epidemia (Mexico - imdb display title), Frossa (Sweden), Il demone sotto la pelle (Italy), Kylmät väreet (Finland), Orgy of the Blood Parasites (Canada - working title, English title), Os Parasitas da Morte (Portugal), Parásitos mortales (Peru - imdb display title), Paraziták (Hungary - imdb display title), SF Hitokui seibutsu no shima: Nazo no seimeitai daishûrai (Japan - TV title), Shîbâsu: Hitokui seibutsu no shima (Japan - video title), The Parasite Complex (Canada - working title, English title), The Parasite Murders ( - undefined), They Came from Within (USA), Vénen de dintre de... (Spain - Catalan title), Vinieron de dentro de... (Spain),

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