Editor’s note: Since it’s October, I wanted George to watch a horror film. Jeff Goldblum was on my mind a fair bit because of Kaos on Netflix, so of course The Fly was my go-to option. No one does body horror quite like Cronenberg. Having watched The Fly many times – mainly because both Goldblum and Geena Davis are just really hot – I was curious to know what George’s take on this film would be, and if he would love it as much I do.
Watching David Cronenberg’s 1986 movie The Fly, one question instantly springs to mind: why the hell has Jeff Goldblum not become a horror icon?
Sure, the Hollywood A-lister has cropped up in the odd horror flick here and there – playing a sadistic serial killer in 1990’s Mister Frost, for example. Yet by and large, he has stayed away from the genre unless rocking up as the hero of the piece, as opposed to its villain.
In The Fly, though, there are all the signs of a man made for freaking audiences out, an eccentric performer who can embody both subtle creepiness and out-and-out weirdness with ease. It’s a shame, then, that we haven’t seen more of it since.
This is especially so because, well, Jeff Goldblum has possibly gone a bit too Jeff Goldblum in recent years. Now, there’s no denying that the 71-year-old has crafted a phenomenal career. After all, he’s led global franchises, received an Oscar nod, and gained a large enough following to launch his own world-touring jazz band and front documentaries about, um, himself.
But increasingly, it does feel that the once versatile actor is slightly phoning it in with roles that emulate little more than a more extreme version of his own personality. Whether it’s the Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok or Zeus in Kaos, it’s difficult to suggest these are anything other than vehicles specifically designed to allow Jeff to be Jeff, with all the silliness that comes with it.
As fun as this can be, it’s perhaps time for us to see something a bit different from the star, and the horror genre could provide exactly that.
Looking back at The Fly, it’s genuinely quite shocking that this area of cinema hasn’t become more of a feature throughout his career. From the very first moment Goldlbum’s risk-taking scientist Seth Brundle graces the screen, there’s an ominous presence to him. Even before his transformation takes place, before Brundle becomes Brundlefly, Goldbum makes Brundle one creepy dude. Eyes constantly darting around, personal space regularly invaded – as a viewer, you can’t help but internally scream “don’t go into that weirdo’s back-alley lab in a dingy part of town!” when Geena Davis’s journalist Veronica Quaife heads with him back to his place.
On the flip side, though, Goldblum also turns on the charm at times, bringing an unexpected charisma to his character that almost threatens to win the viewer over, making it slightly easier to see why someone might find him appealing. Goldblum is clearly an alluring man – it’s largely why he has crafted such a lengthy career – and it feels like a weapon that’s ready-made for the world of horror, but one that he hasn’t made use of in the past few decades.
Just after sending himself through the teleporter, when he’s oozing confidence, bordering on arrogance, there are hints of Sebastian Stan’s Steve in Fresh or Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman in American Psycho – there’s a toxic aura to this unhinged man who knows the power dynamic is in his favour, a twinkle in his eye as he realises he can make others squirm. It’d be fascinating to dive into these themes further with Goldblum, to see him lead another project that looks into this toxic masculinity with a closer, more modern eye. Lord knows it remains a pressing issue.
Perhaps the biggest shame, though, is that we have rarely seen Goldblum go full, gross-out horror. In The Fly’s later sequences, when Seth is long gone and only Brundlefly remains, Goldblum is a joy to behold, clearly relishing the freedom that embodying a grotesque, prosthetics-laden beast provides. The actor’s long limbs, slender build, manic mannerisms all make him captivating to watch.
In the current era of horror, as other Hollywood icons are making the most of the groundbreaking effects and whip-smart stories on offer, it feels a waste not to have Goldblum getting in on the action. With Nicolas Cage making headlines in Longlegs and Demi Moore shocking audiences in The Substance, the genre is in a rich vein of form right now, providing a platform for waning performers to breathe fresh life into their careers. Surely there’s a project out there that Goldblum could step into to make things more interesting for both viewers and himself.
The fact that nearly four decades have passed since the star displayed exactly what he can do in a horror role, and we have yet to see anything like it again, is disappointing to say the least. The sphere is arguably better than ever – with fresh stories and fresh villains cropping up all the time – and Goldblum’s career is arguably less exciting than ever. This is a marriage that not only makes sense, but feels necessary. Hopefully somebody makes it happen before The Fly reaches its ruby anniversary – I’ll be buzzing if they do.
