Director, screenwriter, and occasional actorDavid Cronenbergis known for creating some of the most disturbing and gory horror films of a generation…at least according to everyone other than the man himself. While sharing a list of three movies he believes are real horror movies, Cronenberg explained toThe Guardianthat he believes his movies are funny rather than horrific.
As the legendary director of movies such asThe Fly, Videodrome, andCrimes of the Future, Cronenberg has been responsible for intriguing, horrifying, and repulsing many movie lovers, but it seems that he has a different view on his stomach-turning cinematic offerings. He said:
“My imagination is not full of horrors at all. This is the misunderstanding of what my movies are. First of all, I think all my movies are funny. Not everything in them is funny, but they are full of humor. And second, it’s not really my imagination.”
He elaborated on his belief by saying that the real horrors of the world come from watching news reports or reading newspapers. And that led him to reveal what he believes is one of the most frightening films ever made.
Bambi is a terrifying film for a kid because Bambi’s mother is killed. When you’re a child, that’s a terrifying thing. So does that qualify?
Obviously,Bambiis set to get a new horror-orientated venturefrom the team behindWinnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, with the deer going on a blood-soaked rampage in the near future inBambi: The Reckoning. However, it seems that, as Cronenberg said, they have already been beaten to the punch by the original Disney version of the story.
What Movies Scare David Cronenberg?
The question of what scares our most loved creators of horror is one that is addressed often, and Cronenberg followed up hisBambirevelation with two other movies that he considers the scariest that he has encountered. Starting with a movie he remembers from his childhood, Cronenberg explained:
“There’s a movie calledBlue Lagoon, which was really scary for me as a kid. It’s kids on a boat, the boat sinks, the parents drown, the kids are alone on the island with a drunken sailor. There’s a scene in a cave with a snake and a skeleton and all that stuff, and that was a scary movie for me. Probably for an adult not so scary.”
However, even for a seasoned master of the genre – even if he doesn’t believe that himself – the director also has an option for one movie that can be considered scary for an adult audience. He said:
“Don’t Look Now, Nic Roeg’s film with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. That really got to me. That was very effective filmmaking, its anticipation of death was so palpable.”
As scary movie trios go, it is nothing short of the eclectic mix you would expect from someone like Cronenberg. While there are probably many of the director’s movies that would take a higher place on the list of others, it is a great insight into the mind of a cinematic great to hear exactly what they consider scary.
David Cronenberg’s 12 Best Movies, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes
David Cronenberg has been making films for more than 50 years. His films are masterclasses in disturbing imagery and social commentary.
