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Saturday 10.3.2001
The Maestro of Horror - David Cronenberg
The Canadian David Cronenberg is an award-winning, yet controversial director and scriptwriter. The general public has found the intellectual terror in his films peculiar; critics haven't quite reached a consensus of opinion about his art. Despite all this his work has got international recognition.
David Cronenberg was to become a doctor. He began studies in biochemistry and biology but later became an English major. Medicine plays a big part in his movies and Cronenberg is truly an expert on creating biological horror.
Cronenberg's movies contain car racing on its outer limits, video games that break loose,
pornographic sex, brain manipulation, drugs, viruses and mutations. Cronenberg is an inventive and skilful user of horror effects. Hair-raising violence is typical of his movies.
Venting pent-up emotions basis for art
Three short films by Cronenberg have their screening at the Tampere Short Film Festival: Stereo (1969), Crimes of the Future (1970) and Camera (2000). Cronenberg filmed the first two when he was in university and their style is near to the style of surrealistic art films. The short film Camera is a more recent production.
Films the general public is likely to know are Cronenberg's box office hit Fly (1986) and the
pessimistic tragedy Dead Ringers (1988). Other films that have attracted attention are Videodrome (1983), Naked Lunch (1991), eXistenZ (1999) and Crash (1996). The screening of Crash was actually forbidden in the borough of Westminster in London because the film was too repulsive for people to tolerate.
Cronenberg himself has tried acting and producing as well. He believes that venting pent-up emotions is the basis for all art, especially horror movies, since horror is a basic emotion.
Screenings are held at the Tampere Hall on Saturday March 10th at 3 p.m. and on Sunday March 11th at 11 a.m.
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