Rabid, 1977

 

A motorcycle accident outside of a remote plastic surgery center prompts an emergency experimental procedure on an otherwise terminal victim.

Some side effects ensue.

Written and directed by David Cronenberg, (The Fly, Shivers, Naked Lunch, Scanners, Videodrome, et cetera,) so a viewer should go into this knowing not to expect the expected.

So, bike wreck/medical guinea pig, Rose, (played quite capably by former adult film star, Marylin Chambers, BTW,) comes around after a month or so, with a whole new medical issue...

    And need.

In short, Rose craves human blood. Her new, (and experimental,) skin grafts have developed an unusual, um ‘appendage?’ that emergences from a new, well, ‘orifice,’ I guess you’d call it, through which she feeds on her victims.

"Armpit stinger!"

And, her attack is contagious. Those upon whom she has fed become all angry and bite-y, foaming at the mouth and irrational. Very shortly, the whole hospital is full-on bedlam.

So, Rose, packs up and blows the scene, hitting the road, all hitch-hike-y and sampling some of the highway denizens. These human ‘meals-on-wheels,’ once infected with Rose’s armpit venom, become, (wait for it…) RABID! Yeah. She’s making zombies and doesn’t even know it.

Not long after, epic status is reached and the streets of Quebec are under martial law.

This was a tough one, I won’t lie. The premise was just plain weird, but the setting, soundtrack, atmosphere, even the acting! was all pretty decent. It being an older film, (1977) it was obviously influenced by Romero’s work, most noticeably ‘The Crazies.’ (Not bad for source material!)

    Held up the a more objective grading measure, the Zombie Movie Rubric, and Rabid earned  itself 2.22 out of 4 points.  Which is fairly respectable given its bizarre starting point.

Not sure if it earns a ‘hearty’ recommendation, but I’ve seen a lot worse. (Heck! I’ve seen a lot worse this week alone!) 

    And it was good to see Marilyn Chambers with her clothes on.

Still interested? Well, here is the YouTube trailer: RABID, 1977   

And, if you have a little more time on your hands, here is the full-length death, also available on YouTube. RABID, 1977