A young couple are involved in a motorcycle accident on a remote country road, crashing conveniently close
to a plastic surgery clinic. Being the only facility for miles, they offer to treat their injuries. But whilst the boyfriend is only bruised, the girl, Rose (played by
porn star Marilyn Chambers in what was to be her only mainstream role), has suffered terrible burns.
But there's an ulterior motive for them wanting to treat her, rather than take her to the city hospital. Seems they've developed a new skin reconstructive procedure and they've been looking for a suitable test subject to try it out on. But whilst the operation appears successful, it seems their new regenerative process has some unforeseen side effects, as she develops these strange stinger like appendages under her arms, which come out and attack anyone she grabs hold of, sucking their blood out (you can tell this is a Cronenberg film).
Anyway, she promptly breaks out of the hospital and goes around randomly attacking people, who go on to develop rabies like symptoms and start attacking others. Pretty soon, there’s chaos on the streets of Montreal, as the epidemic spreads and the police and national guard hit the streets with orders to shoot to kill anyone displaying symptoms. Whilst the boyfriend and one of the Doctors from the hospital, Dr Cypher (Joe Silver), try to track down Rose and figure out what has gone wrong with her.
Made just 2 years after “Shivers”, this continues the 'body horror' theme, but this time being a twist on the old vampire, or zombie, film formula. However, due to the film's low budget, tends to concentrate more on the main characters, rather than the chaos going on in the city. Though it does boast some interesting scenes of the infected randomly attacking others and the authorities “clearing” them off the streets. The scenes of soldiers in hazmat suits dumping bodies in specially adapted refuse lorries, certainly makes for particularly grim viewing.
