The Fly

David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) is one of the most iconic and disturbing entries in the science fiction and horror genres. Loosely based on the 1958 film of the same name, Cronenberg's version takes the premise of a scientist merging with a fly and transforms it into a tragic, grotesque, and deeply human story about ambition, transformation, and the loss of identity.

Jeff Goldblum stars as Seth Brundle, a brilliant but eccentric scientist who invents a teleportation device. After successfully transporting inanimate objects, he begins testing the device on living creatures. In a moment of hubris and desperation, he teleports himself — unknowingly accompanied by a common housefly inside the pod. What follows is a slow, terrifying metamorphosis as Brundle’s body and mind deteriorate, fusing with the fly’s DNA.

Goldblum delivers a haunting performance, capturing both Brundle’s intellectual charm and his descent into madness and mutation. Geena Davis, playing journalist Veronica Quaife, brings emotional weight to the film, grounding the story in a deeply personal struggle between love and horror.

What elevates The Fly beyond simple monster fare is Cronenberg’s unflinching focus on body horror. The physical transformation is shown in painful, revolting detail: teeth falling out, skin sloughing off, nails detaching. It’s not just gore for shock — it’s a metaphor for disease, aging, and the fragility of human identity. Many critics interpret Brundle’s transformation as a metaphor for chronic illness or the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, adding a layer of poignant relevance.

The film’s practical effects, created by Chris Walas (who won an Academy Award for Best Makeup), remain stunningly effective even by today’s standards. The score by Howard Shore is equally brilliant, blending classical elegance with dread.

However, The Fly is more than a horror film. It is a tragic love story — the kind where science, ambition, and humanity collide. As Brundlefly’s mind decays, he becomes aware of his monstrous nature and pleads for an end, leading to one of the most heartbreaking finales in horror history.

Though The Fly II (1989) was made as a direct sequel, a new reimagined continuation could explore different, darker territory.

In The Fly: Resurrection, set decades after the original, we follow Rachel Brundle, the grown daughter of Veronica and Seth. Haunted by visions and strange physiological episodes, Rachel begins to suspect she inherited more than just her father’s genius. As her body begins to change — not grotesquely like Seth’s, but more subtly and powerfully — she seeks out underground scientific communities that still study Brundle’s work.

The film would explore themes of genetic memory, evolution, and inheritance of trauma. Unlike her father, Rachel isn’t falling apart — she’s evolving. But is she still human? Or something entirely new?

With today’s technology, the sequel could blend the raw physicality of the original with more psychological horror, placing focus not on decay, but on the fear of becoming something unknowable.

The Fly remains a landmark in horror cinema, and a well-crafted sequel could continue its legacy — not by imitating its terror, but by evolving it, much like Brundle himself.