8 Disturbing Horror Movie Monsters (And What They Represent)

David Cronenberg's body horror masterpiece has long since disgusted viewers in its depiction of Seth Brundle deteriorating from human into something far, far from it. When a teleportation experiment combines the scientist's DNA with that of a housefly, Brundlefly is born - a fleshy, mince-meat looking creature intent on amalgamating itself with girlfriend Veronica to create the ultimate family unit. It's as horrid as it sounds.

It might not seem like it on the surface, but Brundle's uncontrollable change into this creature is synonymous with our fear of ageing, and the disgust that comes with society's vision of the elderly.

Brundle's change to Brundlefly is done largely through his appearance, slowly morphing as the film goes on. He starts off an attractive man before declining in health, looks, and just about everything else; losing his teeth and fingernails (the former representative of dentures), growing sharp bristly hairs (like the elderly getting hairier in their eyebrows and ears), and throwing up digestive fluids (symbolic of being unable to eat whole foods or requiring eating assistance).

This is all whilst transforming into a wrinkled, puckered skin bag for a horrid fly-person that dwells underneath: arguably an exaggerated, horrifying version of how we largely view the old. Cronenberg himself stated he found The Fly much scarier when he was older simply because he related to it far more.