Shivers

film by Cronenberg [1975]

Also known as: “They Came from Within”

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July 20, 2026

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Shivers, also known as They Came from Within, is a 1975 Canadian horror film directed by David Cronenberg. It was Cronenberg's first commercial film and is a low-budget picture about an artificial parasite that transforms affluent residents of an apartment complex into hypersexual beings. The film explores themes of the human body, technology, and subconscious desire, which became recurring preoccupations in Cronenberg's work. While some interpreted its graphic nature as mere shock value, it laid the groundwork for Cronenberg's signature style in horror and science fiction.1

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David Cronenberg
Early life and career
…directed his first commercial film, Shivers (1975; also released as They Came from Within), a low-budget horror picture about an artificially engineered parasite that transforms the well-to-do residents of an apartment complex into lustful maniacs. While the lurid nature of the film was interpreted by some viewers as a mere…
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…directed his first commercial film, Shivers (1975; also released as They Came from Within), a low-budget horror picture about an artificially engineered parasite that transforms the well-to-do residents of an apartment complex into lustful maniacs. While the lurid nature of the film was interpreted by some viewers as a mere…
Read More