The Brood: Limited Edition – Second Sight Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada, 1979
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Cast: Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, Art Hindle, Henry Beckman, Nuala Fitzgerald, Cindy Hinds, Susan Hogan, Gary McKeehan

Release Date: March 31st, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 9 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £39.99

"A worried father attempts to uncover a controversial psychologist's unconventional therapy techniques on his institutionalized wife, amidst a series of horrific murders that seem to be targeting those closest to him." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "A new 4K restoration approved by Director David Cronenberg."

The Brood comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 61.7 GB

Feature: 55.6 GB

The source looks excellent; The Brood has never looked better on home media. Flesh tones are healthy-looking, color saturation, image clarity, and compression are solid, contrast and black levels look perfect, and the image always retains an organic look. That said, Fidelity in Motion delivers another exemplary encode.

The Brood comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33 GB

Feature: 26.6 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds outstanding; dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds and the score sound exemplary.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a video essay by Leigh Singer titled Anger Management: Cronenberg's Brood and the Shapes of Cinematic Rage (22 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with David Cronenberg titled Cronenberg - The Early Years (13 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Robert A Silverman titled Character for Cronenberg (10 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Howard Shore titled Scoring the Brood (7 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin titled The Look of Rage (13 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with executive producer Pierre David titled Producing the Brood (11 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actors Art Hindle and Cindy Hinds, and Fangoria editor Chris Alexander titled Meet the Carveths (19 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with William Beard, and an audio commentary by Martyn Conterio and Kat Ellinger.

The Blu-ray disc has all of the same extras that are on the 4K UHD disc.

Other extras include a rigid slipcase, 6 collectors' art cards, and a 120-page book cast & crew information, an essay titled “Go All the Way Through to the End” written by William Beard, an essay titled Loving the Children of My Rage written by Jenn Adams, an essay titled Of Sound Body and Mind The Cultural Context(s) of The Brood written by Craig Ian Mann, an essay titled Playing God Female Abjection & Male Hubris in The Brood written by Shelagh Rowan-Legg, an essay titled “I Disgust You” David Cronenberg’s The Brood written by Scott Wilson, an essay titled Father Hunger The Brood is a Freudian Field Day written by Amber T, an essay titled Fucked Up Mummies The Fear of Motherhood in The Brood written by Carolyn Mauricette, and an essay titled Labour Pains The Family as a Site of Horrific Productions written by Alexandra West.

Summary:

Though David Cronenberg’s films are filled with forward-thinking and futuristic elements, many of them also contain personal aspects connected to his life. Case in point, The Brood, a film about a couple going through a bitter separation, an event that corresponds with David Cronenberg’s divorce, which inspired The Brood.

The narrative revolves around a husband who becomes concerned when his daughter comes back from a visit with her mother with bruises on her body. The wife is currently in isolation going through intense therapy, and only her daughter is allowed to visit her. Wanting answers, the husband tries to visit his wife, only to have her therapist block him from seeing her.

The Brood is a film that takes a moment before it settles in; it is around 17 minutes in when things become unnerving. This also coincides with the first sighting of the brood, who are a manifestation brought about by the mother's therapy. The narrative’s deliberate pacing does a phenomenal job holding your attention by creating tense moments that build upon each other. Though there are some intense moments overflowing with carnage, notably the scene where the brood beats to death a schoolteacher. The Brood is a dialogue-driven film whose carnage is limited to four violent outbursts.

The Brood has an outstanding cast, which is anchored by Samantha Eggar (The Collector), who portrays Nola, the wife, and Oliver Reed (Revolver), who portrays Nola’s therapist, Dr. Hal Raglan. In the case of the latter, it's unusual seeing him in a restrained role, while Samantha Eggar’s character is filled with rage. The most underrated performance is by Cindy Hinds, a first-time child actor who delivers an astonishing performance that exceeds her years.

There is a lot to admire about The Brood, notably the way it explores self-reflection. Throughout David Cronenberg’s filmography there are countless examples of his views on the evolution of humans, and in The Brood it is one character's inability to go and grow that leads to their destruction. Though the Brood's cathartic finale depicts the cancer being removed, the final image of the daughter suggests the cycle will continue. Ultimately, The Brood is an extraordinary melodrama with horror film elements that explores destructive behavior between those in a conflict and the rage it creates.

The Brood gets a definitive release from Second Sight Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer