JP Nunez
If you look up the term “body horror” in the dictionary, you just might find a picture of David Cronenberg. He’s given us some of the most beloved body horror classics of all time, like The Fly, Videodrome, and Scanners, so he’s just about synonymous with the subgenre. He’s one of the most iconic horror directors of all time, and he’s coming out with a new film in just a few short months. It’s called Crimes of the Future, and a teaser trailer for it dropped earlier today. Here’s what the movie is about:
As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed… Their mission – to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.
From that plot synopsis alone, this is already shaping up to be a top-notch body horror experience. It’s literally about human bodies undergoing “transformations and mutations,” so I’m not sure I can even think of a better story to fit this subgenre.
And in case there’s any doubt about that, the trailer for Crimes of the Future should put it to rest. It’s basically just a bunch of random shots set to creepy music, but it gets the job done. It’s chock-full of disgusting and disturbing body horror imagery, so it looks like the film is going to be peak Cronenberg.
It gets me really excited to see what other corporeal terrors this movie has in store for us, and thankfully, we’re not going to have to wait long to find out. Crimes of the Future is debuting at the Cannes Film Festival next month before heading to theaters sometime in June, and if it’s as good as the trailer suggests, we’re in for one hell of a ride.
