March 3, 2025
The Fly (1986)
While not recent by any means, The Fly (1986) is a masterclass in redoing a movie in style. The story follows Seth Brundle, a scientist working on the development of teleportation technology going between one empty pod and another. Attempting to test his creation, he enters one pod and, unbeknownst to him, is followed by a fly. In a split second, one being exits the other pod, and it’s Brundle, who seems … fine. For now.
The original 1958 film of the same name follows a similar plot, being based on the same short story by George Langelaan. As with most older horror films, though, it ends up reading more campy than creepy. For a film whose fear lies in how grotesque and scary it would be to turn into an insect, the comically large fly get-up comes off more hilarious than horrifying.
The 1986 remake upgrades from black-and-white mascot costumes to an intensedisplay of special effects mastery, taking the the viewing experience to another level — I’d say it’s executed more successfully here than other old horror remakes, even from recent years. The best part? It’s those good ’80’s practical effects. None of that all CGI nonsense, I’m talking prosthetics, puppets, and full-body makeup. I’ll warn you: it’s gross. But it’s awesome. To top it off, the leading man this time around is Jeff Goldblum, and as we know, he’s always an entertaining watch.
When considering all the tiring remakes we’ve been getting over the past decade, The Flyis one that won’t make you want to turn the TV off halfway through and gouge your eyes out. Or at least not for the same reasons.
Available to rent or buy on your favorite streaming sites.
One of my favorite, and most underrated shows is Wayne (2019). It premiered on the dreadful platform YouTube Premium (formerly known as YouTube Red), only to be canceled after one incredible season. The show follows 16-year-old Wayne McCullough (Mark McKenna) as he goes on a trip from Massachusetts to Florida to retrieve his recently deceased father’s stolen ’79 Trans Am, with the hope to change the bad hand he was dealt in life. Before he makes it out of town, though, he stops to pick up his crush, Del (Ciara Bravo), and asks her to tag along, to which she agrees.