The Fly is a 1986 American science fiction horror film directed and co-written by David Cronenberg. The film stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz; and tells the story of a brilliant but eccentric scientist, who begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong. It is based loosely on George Langelaan’s 1957 short story of the same name, which also formed the basis for the 1958 film. The Academy Award-winning makeup was designed and executed by Chris Walas, Inc. over a period of three months. David Cronenberg was surprised when The Fly was seen by some critics as a cultural metaphor for AIDS, since he originally intended the film to be a more general analogy for disease itself, terminal conditions like cancer and, more specifically, the aging process. Upon its release, the film was critically acclaimed, as was Goldblum’s performance. Despite being a gory remake of a classic made by a controversial, non-mainstream director, the film was a huge commercial success, the biggest of Cronenberg’s career, and was the top-grossing film in the United States for two weeks. Audiences reacted strongly to the graphic creature effects and the tragic love story, and the film received much attention at the time of its release.
