In 1957, George Langelaan published a short story in a Playboy magazine titled, “The Fly.” It’s about a scientist working on a teleportation device in an attempt to push the boundaries of science. One day, the scientist enters a chamber that test it on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a fly entered the same chamber. Emerging out of the other chamber, the scientist’s head and arm swapped with a fly’s. In order to undo the predicament, the scientist tries to retrieve the fly so he can reclaim his genes. A Year Later, the story was adapted into a movie starring David Hedison & Vincent Price.
Released in 1958, (same year Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress came out) it received positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Plus, it was a box office success. 27 Years Later, David Cronenberg directed a remake starring Jeff Goldblum. Anyway, a follow-up to the 1986 remake is currently in development. As of late 2025, no release date’s confirmed. By the way, I’m gonna post a few reviews in Horror movies throughout October. Which ones should I write and review? Please leave a comment.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are present. The original version is either referenced or parodied in other works.
Smart & Dumb Aspects
Smart: David Hedison & Vincent Price both did a solid job for their respective performances.
Cinematography was shot in CinemaScope. It was considered IMAX of the 1950s. Personally, I prefer IMAX over CinemaScope.
The fly with Andre’s head screaming “Help Me” felt hokey. The infamous scene felt half scary. A close-up of the spider gave me the heebie jeebies. Spiders creep the heck outta me. It gets half a point.
Random Thoughts
- When I was a kid, I didn’t get “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror VIII” poking fun at the OG version. For those who don’t know, check out “Fly vs. Fly.”
- Andre’s wife telling her story in one big flashback prior to the teleporting accident reminds me of one of my all-time favorite films, “Fight Club.”
- James Rolfe/Angry Video Game Nerd did a review on the original version as part in his review series “Monster Madness.” He highly praised it. He’s completely clueless. Because it didn’t age well.
- I forgot to mention fellow movie critic, BloggedByEric recommended me to review The original movie on my Discord account along with other Horror films “Cat People 1940,” “Curse of Frankenstein,” “Pit and the Pendulum” & “The Raven 1963.” He thinks “War of the Worlds 1953” is a Horror film. He’s genre blind. It’s a Sci-Fi flick.
Dumb: Despite the aforementioned spider, the rest of the movie wasn’t scary at all. A trailer for the movie promised movie goers this is gonna be scary. If I were around in 1958, I would’ve been felt miserable wasting my money. In the words of Public Enemy, “Don’t Believe the Hype.”
James Clavell (Shōgun, The Great Escape) didn’t do so well adapting the short story into a full-length movie.
Andre himself is forgettable. He has no interesting personality. Just a plain scientist. Not caring for the main character is its greatest sin. Another thing, he doesn’t exhibit fly traits. I know his fly instincts are taking over his mind, but he doesn’t cross a huge line. Jeff Goldblum’s iteration worked. Because the audience really cared for him. A quirky, but brilliant scientist slowly suffering from transforming into a half-man half-fly hybrid desperate to turn back to normal. As the film progresses, his dark side corrupts his mind.
The reason why a fly got inside the house in the first place. Andre’s son opened a box containing a fly. It felt contrived instead of a random fly appearing out of nowhere much like in real life. You never know if a bug shows up in your house.
The movie’s dated. For instance, Francois guessed Andre’s invention is a flatscreen. Nowadays, people watch movies and TV shows on a flatscreen.
I didn’t find Andre’s fly head reveal scary. It looks like a Halloween costume.
The spider web looks like silly string. The kind kids pretend they are Spider-Man firing web shooters.
The Final Verdict: D-
Hate to break it to ya, I don’t think The Fly’s a masterpiece. I’m not a big fan of cheesy Horror and Sci-Fi from the 1950s. The 1986 remake perfected it. Don’t waste your precious spare time of the 1958 dud. Watch the remake instead.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 