Shivers, Cronenberg began to play on the conservative public's fears of rampant STDs and how they would tear apart society. He followed this up with 1977's Rabid. In a stroke of brilliance by producer Ivan Reitman, American adult film star Marilyn Chambers was given the lead role. In an early cinematic trolling of outdated mores, having an extremely well known adult film starlet as the lead was a delightful middle finger to an uptight old guard. Add blood, more sex, and Cronenberg's delightfully outré approach, and a winner with the fans becomes a nightmare for the naysayers." />

Much like his previous film, Shivers, Cronenberg took Rabid in a sexually charged, body horror direction. Following a motorcycle crash, comatose Rose (Marilyn Chambers) is given an experimental skin graft at Keloid Clinic for Plastic Surgery. When she awakes, she pierces her rescuer with her new mutation, and her infection spreads. She escapes the clinic and her thirst for human blood leads to more attacks and more infections. This is pretty much the entire plot. While the plot is simple, the statements and casting are wonderfully subversive. In an era stricken with panic over sexually transmitted diseases and a generation without morals, what better way to point out how irrational their fears are than to hire the most well known American adult film start to be the lead? This isn't just the typical, killer female role, either. She poisons with her penis, er, stinger, blurring the lines further as to whom should be blamed. On the surface, it's shares the "women are the devil" motif, but when looking further, it paints a pretty equal picture, if not reversing the trope entirely.

Cronenberg continues to show his mistrust of medicine and institutions with Rabid. Starting with the doctor in Shivers, and the large, isolated, institutional apartment building, Dave Deprave thumbs his nose at tradition, not only with the puritanical sexual attitudes but also the sanctity of the ever present medical complex. This medical mistrust is furthered in The Brood and Scanners, and even recombining the two in Crash (and to a lesser extent Dead Ringers). Cronenberg had a definite theme going in his earlier years, and this gave us some of the most interesting horror films to date.

101 Films release of Rabid is really clean and the colors look great. A lot of attention was paid to the presentation of the film itself, and this allows the original vision to shine and gain a new audience. In addition to this wonderful video, 101 Films has included a feature length documentary about the social changes in 60's/70's Quebec, The Quiet Revolution. Shown through the lens of the Canadian film industry during that period, The Quiet Revolution finds a perfect home paired on Blu-Ray with Rabid. A stark product of its time, Rabid encapsulated the rebellious qualities of the personal freedom fighters of the Quiet Revolution. Breaking taboos and expanding minds, this revolution was paramount to increased expression in Canada. Calmly mirroring what was going on a bit south in America, this change in values was bolstered by art and progress, and was vital to making Canada what it is today. Well worth the price of admission alone, The Quiet Revolution is an engaging look at the Canadian film industry during a time of social upheaval, and greatly helps put Cronenberg's early films into context.