Rabid (1977)★★★☆☆

I actually saw the 2019 remake of this movie (which I’ll be watching tomorrow) before ever seeing this one, and honestly…it’s weirder. Which I think is interesting! The remake somehow out-weirds David Cronenberg!

…Which, of course, isn’t to say that this movie isn’t weird at all. It definitely is. But it’s slower than you’d expect, or at least slower than I’d like.

It’s not long, but it definitely drags on in parts, which is disappointing because it has such a strong start and such an interesting storyline. Unfortunately I don’t feel it really lives up to its own potential.

The performances are fine, the “rabid” townspeople pretty creepy, and the plot makes sense as far as David Cronenberg plots ever really make sense. But it doesn’t really build up to a climax, and then it just kind of ends in an unsatisfying manner.

We’ll see if I still feel this way after rewatching the remake tomorrow, but I think I’d recommend skipping this one in favor of that one if you haven’t already seen either.