The Brood

The Brood is a 1979 Canadian science fiction psychological horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, and starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, and Art Hindle. The film follows a man uncovering an eccentric psychologist's therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of brutal murders committed from an offspring of mutant children that coincides with the investigation. The film's soundtrack was composed by Howard Shore, in his film score debut.

Released in 1979 from New World Pictures, the film initially received mixed reviews from critics. Over the years, later reviews were more favourable regarding the film and has since developed a cult following.

Plot

Psychotherapist Hal Raglan runs the Somafree Institute where he performs a technique called "psychoplasmics", encouraging patients with mental disturbances to let go of their suppressed emotions through physiological changes to their bodies. One of his patients is Nola Carveth, a severely disturbed woman who is legally embattled with her husband Frank for custody of their five-year-old daughter Candice. When Frank discovers bruises and scratches on Candice following a visit with Nola, he informs Raglan of his intent to stop visitation rights. Wanting to protect his patient, Raglan begins to intensify the sessions with Nola to resolve the issue quickly. During the therapy sessions, Raglan discovers that Nola was physically and verbally abused by her self-pitying alcoholic mother, and neglected by her co-dependent alcoholic father, who refused to protect Nola out of shame and denial. Meanwhile, Frank, intending to invalidate Raglan's methods, questions Jan Hartog, a former Somafree patient dying of psychoplasmic-induced lymphoma.