Editorials
The 10 Best Body Horror Animal Transformations!
Brundlefly eat your hybrid heart out! Here are ten examples of monstrous transformations into horrible creatures!
In honor of David Cronenberg’s body horror transformation masterpiece, The Fly, recently turning 30, it only seemed appropriate to rally up together all of the freaks that have seen some monstrous metamorphosis into some sort of animal. Dr. Seth Brundle’s Brundlefly transformation might truly be one for the Encyclopedia Blechhanica (y’know, a collection of all things gross), but here are a number of other fitting examples where man and beast became one awful eyesore.
The Fly’s Babooncat
So yes, we are going to include The Fly in some way here, but not in the obvious fashion that you might have been expecting. The Brundlefly is great. You know that. I know that. His scarred victims know that. So let’s focus on another gem of a transformation from the film that often goes overlooked (which might have something to do with the fact that it’s been relegated to a deleted scene). During Seth Brundle’s time of need in this film, he fiddles around with some more gene splicing as a means of further unwrapping what’s going on with him. His endeavors lead to him combining a baboon and a cat together, with the results being less than cuddly. The babooncat (and the baboon does have the dominate DNA here, so it’s not a catbaboon, as much as you might want it to be) doesn’t get to grace the world for very long, but it certainly makes the most of its short existence. Let’s also take a second to acknowledge that this in-transition stage of the Brundlefly (which looks great) is also only present in this thrown away scene.
Sssssss’s Snake Transformation
Sssssss is an absolute gem of B-horror that I only found out about recently but have absolutely fallen in love with. Right down to the awkward disclaimer that opens the film informing you that all of the snakes in this movie are real, this film has just as many quirks as it does scales. The film’s mad scientist, Dr. Stoner, is just a triumph of eccentric characters (he’s often giving his favorite snake whiskey to drink) that you would owe it to yourself to watch this film even if he didn’t have a bonkers transformation in it. Stoner’s master plan to create snakes that have the brain of a human isn’t even really one that makes a whole lot of sense. That being said, it doesn’t stop David Blake’s gradual descent into snakedom from being any less interesting. The film’s trailer touts it as “the most unusual horror film ever made” and I might stand by that claim.
Ginger Snaps’ Werewolf Transformation
Werewolves are an inevitability on a list of this nature, but rather than swinging to the obvious fences of lycanthropy fare such as The Howling or An American Werewolf in London, the Ginger Snaps trilogy is a refreshing beacon in the sometimes rote sub-genre. This trilogy of films uses the werewolf mythology as a clever parallel for womanhood, turning these movies into some of the deepest werewolf flicks you’ll encounter. While the second film, Ginger Snaps: Unleashed, might be the better picture and expand on the werewolf material (both in terms of lore and makeup) in beautiful ways, the original picture features the real money shot of a transformation. If you haven’t checked these films out yet, now’s the time, with the trilogy actually having something to say amidst all the gore and howling.
The Guyver’s Cockroach/Zoanoid Transformation
The Guyver is a trip and a half. It’s a live-action anime adaptation, which certainly explains some of the mania stemming from this film, but it’s also a movie that has a director by the name of “Screaming Mad George,” so insanity just feels par for the course here. When a somewhat sentient supersuit of armor that fashions itself to a recipient to become the titular Guyver ends up in the wrong hands, aliens are sent to Earth to retrieve the artifact and do damage control. You’ve kind of just got to roll with this one, and its sequences like this spectacle where Mark Hamill’s Max Reed is turned into a cockroach-esque zoanoid. It’s some stunning practical work only heightened by the fact that it’s Mark freaking Hamill getting the cockroachification (PS: If this selection wasn’t on here, you’d be getting Freddy Krueger’s take on Kafka in Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master).
Slither’s Slug Monstrosity Transformation
Before James Gunn was setting box office milestones and helming mega blockbusters in super franchises, he was turning out some beautifully dark, passionate cult classics like Super, and in this case, Slither. Gunn’s send-up to B-horror sees alien slug-like parasites landing on Earth, with everyman Grant having the honor of becoming the film’s patient zero. The film depicts Grant’s slow transformation into a slug monolith of a beast (which is still underselling it) in a mesmerizing way. Gunn makes watching this man lose control become a fascinating process and the end product is something that could give the alien parasite from The Thing a run for its money (wouldn’t it be cute if these parasites were from neighboring planets?).
The Curse 2: The Bite’s Snakes (Plural) Transformation
The Curse 2 is one of those glorious sequels that bears little to no resemblance to the original film that came before it. This list has already highlighted Sssssss because it’s such a delight of a film with an insane transformation, but The Curse 2 tries to go one step further by having a character turn into not just one snake, but dozens of them. The transformation scene in question here is kind of remarkable for how far it goes. Organs and body parts drip off the body, as they become new snakes in motion. The host’s left arm has become a snake of its own, while meanwhile a steady stream of snakes are emptying out of the husk’s throat. All of this is capped off with a comically done “big” snake that looks more like some sort of Jim Henson creation than anything frightening. This minor misstep is made up for though by the extremely unnerving visual of a body bag of skin being dragged along by the snakes dwelling inside it. Also, learn to climb, am I right?
The Witches’ Rat Transformation
I’m always surprised at how legitimately creepy this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches ends up being. Angelica Huston is pitch perfect casting and the creepy underbelly lurking beneath this children’s film is exactly what Roald Dahl is all about. There is plenty of magic and macabre transformations in this film but the end set piece where everything goes to hell is truly a thing to behold.
Starry Eyes’ Demon Goddess Transformation
Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer are still new to the scene, but if Starry Eyes is any indication, then these two are definitely a team to keep your eyes on. The less you know about Starry Eyes going in, the better in my opinion, with it being the very best sort of slow burn kind of horror. It’s a little more of an atypical choice here, and rather than the film’s star, Sarah, turning into an animal, the work of a cult seems to see her transforming into some sort of alien or demon (whoever Astraeus is affiliated with) goddess. Sarah’s shift is so well done and veiled in such efficient secrecy that it connects even harder in the end. Starry Eyes is a great parable for the slough of Hollywood and how brutal that world can be. May you never find yourself vomiting up maggots after a bad audition.
Willow’s Pig Transformation
Willow might not be the first film that comes to your mind when thinking about a list like this, but two words for you guys: pig army. If turning Val Kilmer into a pained, squealing pig isn’t enough of a reason to get a pass, the film then decides to bullseye its bullseye by turning an entire army of people into oinking abominations. Willow is obviously not the scariest film on the list, but much like The Witches, they both contain pockets of darkness that hint at a much deeper poignancy to these pictures.
The Fly II’s Brundledog Transformation
This list started with The Fly so it seemed only fitting to end off with it too, so to speak. The Fly II get a lot of flak, and sure, Eric Stoltz is no Jeff Goldblum, but goddamn if I don’t love this film and how hard it’s trying. Right from its insane sequel premise (the CIA has taken Brundle’s technology and is experimenting with it for shadow projects) down to the amazing practical effects work in the movie, there’s a lot to love here. The Fly II is beautiful and if you can just drop the baggage of the original, you should have a lot of fun with this terrifying extrapolation on the idea. Perhaps the only selection on this list to actually draw pathos from you, one of the beats of this film sees a golden retriever get tested in a matter pod that still has some Brundlefly DNA left inside. The result is an abomination of a dog that feels more like a sight gag out of South Park or Family Guy. This is a pained creature that is struggling to simply live and the film doesn’t hesitate to show you this. There is arguably some much better work featured in this film, but this might be the only example that actually makes you cry.
Bonus: The Thing’s “The Thing” Transformation
And just because animal transformations can only go so far, here’s one more bonus entry that’s just some good ol’ fashioned body horror. It goes without saying that the work John Carpenter does in The Thing is not only some of the best in the entire genre, but work that became the benchmark for practical effects moving forward. I still can’t believe my eyes when I watch the transformation scene in this movie (and simply how much there is to it! Carpenter could have featured have of the work that he does and people’s jaws would still be on the floor). So just in case you’ve somehow managed to avoid seeing this scene, here’s one more opportunity to lose your mind.
But what about you? What are some of your favorite examples of man and beast mixing into some sort of nightmare fuel? The focus here is certainly on “supernatural” transformations as opposed to the more man-made, forced examples seen in something like Human Centipede or Tusk. Nothing wrong with that approach either. Sound off below, and tread with an empty stomach! Also—just from one friend to another here—you’re looking kind of scaly. And something’s going on with your hair. And your eyes.
Are you feeling all right?
Here’s what we know about Longlegs so far. It’s coming in July of 2024, it’s directed by Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter), and it features Maika Monroe (It Follows) as an FBI agent who discovers a personal connection between her and a serial killer who has ties to the occult. We know that the serial killer is going to be played by none other than Nicolas Cage and that the marketing has been nothing short of cryptic excellence up to this point.
At the very least, we can assume NEON’s upcoming film is going to be a dark, horror-fueled hunt for a serial killer. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five disturbing serial killers-versus-law-enforcement stories to get us even more jacked up for Longlegs.
MEMORIES OF MURDER (2003)
This South Korean film directed by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) is a wild ride. The film features a handful of cops who seem like total goofs investigating a serial killer who brutally murders women who are out and wearing red on rainy evenings. The cops are tired, unorganized, and border on stoner comedy levels of idiocy. The movie at first seems to have a strange level of forgiveness for these characters as they try to pin the murders on a mentally handicapped person at one point, beating him and trying to coerce him into a confession for crimes he didn’t commit. A serious cop from the big city comes down to help with the case and is able to instill order.
But still, the killer evades and provokes not only the police but an entire country as everyone becomes more unstable and paranoid with each grizzly murder and sex crime.
I’ve never seen a film with a stranger tone than Memories of Murder. A movie that deals with such serious issues but has such fallible, seemingly nonserious people at its core. As the film rolls on and more women are murdered, you realize that a lot of these faults come from men who are hopeless and desperate to catch a killer in a country that – much like in another great serial killer story, Citizen X – is doing more harm to their plight than good.
Major spoiler warning: What makes Memories of Murder somehow more haunting is that it’s loosely based on a true story. It is a story where the real-life killer hadn’t been caught at the time of the film’s release. It ends with our main character Detective Park (Song Kang-ho), now a salesman, looking hopelessly at the audience (or judgingly) as the credits roll. Over sixteen years later the killer, Lee Choon Jae, was found using DNA evidence. He was already serving a life sentence for another murder. Choon Jae even admitted to watching the film during his court case saying, “I just watched it as a movie, I had no feeling or emotion towards the movie.”
In the end, Memories of Murder is a must-see for fans of the subgenre. The film juggles an almost slapstick tone with that of a dark murder mystery and yet, in the end, works like a charm.
CURE (1997)
If you watched 2023’s Hypnotic and thought to yourself, “A killer who hypnotizes his victims to get them to do his bidding is a pretty cool idea. I only wish it were a better movie!” Boy, do I have great news for you.
In Cure (spoilers ahead), a detective (Koji Yakusho) and forensic psychologist (Tsuyoshi Ujiki) team up to find a serial killer who’s brutally marking their victims by cutting a large “X” into their throats and chests. Not just a little “X” mind you but a big, gross, flappy one.
At each crime scene, the murderer is there and is coherent and willing to cooperate. They can remember committing the crimes but can’t remember why. Each of these murders is creepy on a cellular level because we watch the killers act out these crimes with zero emotion. They feel different than your average movie murder. Colder….meaner.
What’s going on here is that a man named Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) is walking around and somehow manipulating people’s minds using the flame of a lighter and a strange conversational cadence to hypnotize them and convince them to murder. The detectives eventually catch him but are unable to understand the scope of what’s happening before it’s too late.
If you thought dealing with a psychopathic murderer was hard, imagine dealing with one who could convince you to go home and murder your wife. Not only is Cure amazingly filmed and edited but it has more horror elements than your average serial killer film.
MANHUNTER (1986)
In the first-ever Hannibal Lecter story brought in front of the cameras, Detective Will Graham (William Petersen) finds his serial killers by stepping into their headspace. This is how he caught Hannibal Lecter (played here by Brian Cox), but not without paying a price. Graham became so obsessed with his cases that he ended up having a mental breakdown.
In Manhunter, Graham not only has to deal with Lecter playing psychological games with him from behind bars but a new serial killer in Francis Dolarhyde (in a legendary performance by Tom Noonan). One who likes to wear pantyhose on his head and murder entire families so that he can feel “seen” and “accepted” in their dead eyes. At one point Lecter even finds a way to gift Graham’s home address to the new killer via personal ads in a newspaper.
Michael Mann (Heat, Thief) directed a film that was far too stylish for its time but that fans and critics both would have loved today in the same way we appreciate movies like Nightcrawler or Drive. From the soundtrack to the visuals to the in-depth psychoanalysis of an insanely disturbed protagonist and the man trying to catch him. We watch Graham completely lose his shit and unravel as he takes us through the psyche of our killer. Which is as fascinating as it is fucked.
Manhunter is a classic case of a serial killer-versus-detective story where each side of the coin is tarnished in their own way when it’s all said and done. As Detective Park put it in Memories of Murder, “What kind of detective sleeps at night?”
INSOMNIA (2002)
Maybe it’s because of the foggy atmosphere. Maybe it’s because it’s the only film in Christopher Nolan’s filmography he didn’t write as well as direct. But for some reason, Insomnia always feels forgotten about whenever we give Nolan his flowers for whatever his latest cinematic achievement is.
Whatever the case, I know it’s no fault of the quality of the film, because Insomnia is a certified serial killer classic that adds several unique layers to the detective/killer dynamic. One way to create an extreme sense of unease with a movie villain is to cast someone you’d never expect in the role, which is exactly what Nolan did by casting the hilarious and sweet Robin Williams as a manipulative child murderer. He capped that off by casting Al Pacino as the embattled detective hunting him down.
This dynamic was fascinating as Williams was creepy and clever in the role. He was subdued in a way that was never boring but believable. On the other side of it, Al Pacino felt as if he’d walked straight off the set of 1995’s Heat and onto this one. A broken and imperfect man trying to stop a far worse one.
Aside from the stellar acting, Insomnia stands out because of its unique setting and plot. Both working against the detective. The investigation is taking place in a part of Alaska where the sun never goes down. This creates a beautiful, nightmare atmosphere where by the end of it, Pacino’s character is like a Freddy Krueger victim in the leadup to their eventual, exhausted death as he runs around town trying to catch a serial killer while dealing with the debilitating effects of insomnia. Meanwhile, he’s under an internal affairs investigation for planting evidence to catch another child killer and accidentally shoots his partner who he just found out is about to testify against him. The kicker here is that the killer knows what happened that fateful day and is using it to blackmail Pacino’s character into letting him get away with his own crimes.
If this is the kind of “what would you do?” intrigue we get with the story from Longlegs? We’ll be in for a treat. Hoo-ah.
FALLEN (1998)
Fallen may not be nearly as obscure as Memories of Murder or Cure. Hell, it boasts an all-star cast of Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini, and Elias Koteas. But when you bring it up around anyone who has seen it, their ears perk up, and the word “underrated” usually follows. And when it comes to the occult tie-ins that Longlegs will allegedly have? Fallen may be the most appropriate film on this entire list.
In the movie, Detective Hobbs (Washington) catches vicious serial killer Edgar Reese (Koteas) who seems to place some sort of curse on him during Hobbs’ victory lap. After Reese is put to death via electric chair, dead bodies start popping up all over town with his M.O., eventually pointing towards Hobbs as the culprit. After all, Reese is dead. As Hobbs investigates he realizes that a fallen angel named Azazel is possessing human body after human body and using them to commit occult murders. It has its eyes fixated on him, his co-workers, and family members; wrecking their lives or flat-out murdering them one by one until the whole world is damned.
Mixing a demonic entity into a detective/serial killer story is fascinating because it puts our detective in the unsettling position of being the one who is hunted. How the hell do you stop a demon who can inhabit anyone they want with a mere touch?!
Fallen is a great mix of detective story and supernatural horror tale. Not only are we treated to Denzel Washington as the lead in a grim noir (complete with narration) as he uncovers this occult storyline, but we’re left with a pretty great “what would you do?” situation in a movie that isn’t afraid to take the story to some dark places. Especially when it comes to the way the film ends. It’s a great horror thriller in the same vein as Frailty but with a little more detective work mixed in.
Look for Longlegs in theaters on July 12, 2024.
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