Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The story is an interesting blend of horror and kinkiness. There are some decent gore and creature effects, but due to the low budget are few and far between. There's also a bit of gratuitous nudity, all courtesy of Lynn Lowry (who reminds me of the Gelflings from 'The Dark Crystal'). The hot lesbian scene is also worth mentioning (grrrr). While the pacing is slow, there's enough of a threatening undercurrent to keep things suspenseful. All-in-all, not a bad start for the man who would later bring us 'The Fly' (1985).

This story is set on an island outside of Montreal, in a high rise apartment complex known as Starliner Towers. It dives into the action right away, as we see an aged man murder a young woman, perform an impromptu operation on her, and then off himself. It turns out that the guy, Emil Hobbes (Fred Doederlein), is a doctor with a radical idea: create a parasite that is at least part aphrodisiac. Well, his guinea pig has been promiscuous throughout the building, and she's infected a couple of guys, who soon are infecting more people.The first major film for David Cronenberg is also a landmark film for Canada and the horror genre. Here, Cronenberg shows that 43 years ago, he was already a man with interesting ideas and a bold willingness to put sexuality and gore on full display in a motion picture. He holds nothing back, and his imagery remains potent decades later. It's endlessly amusing to watch as a wide variety of people, of varying ages and ethnicities, completely embrace wanton desires. Yes, it could be said that, to a degree, Cronenberg was influenced by "Night of the Living Dead", but his penchant for craziness is all his own. In fact, his little film could be seen as one of the earliest examples of "outbreak" films, and he would revisit the same sort of theme for his follow-up, "Rabid". It's easy to see why some individuals would have been dismayed that Canadian tax dollars would go towards making this sort of descent into the bizarre.Of the principal actors, we have a *very* creepy Allan Kolman, the cute Susan Petrie as his distraught wife, foghorn voiced (and rock solid) Joe Silver as an exposition provider, special guest star Barbara Steele as a tenant, and the delectable Lynn Lowry as a nurse. The only disappointment is Paul Hampton, who barely registers as a character; he's just too bland.The gore and creatures are courtesy of an under-rated effects expert named Joe Blasco, whose other credits include "The Clonus Horror", "Johnny Firecloud", and "Track of the Moon Beast". He crafted some really entertaining nastiness for this picture.Cronenbergs' filmmaking at this point may not have been terribly slick, but he was definitely a man with a vision, and he does bring it to oozing, bloody, sensual life.Seven out of 10.

If you want to see a movie where the main character is an ugly poo colored worm, watch this! The only cool scene is when Nurse Forsythe (Lynn Lowry) undress herself under the gaze of Dr. Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton). The actors are not bad at all, they are all natural, especially Susan Petrie and Joe Silver. David Cronenberg is not a bad director and despite his obsession for disgusting horror, he gave us good films such as Eastern Promises (2007) and A History of Violence (2005). The cinematography by Robert Saad is not bad but the makeup department it is(bad). This Shivers is for Cronenberg's fans and the amateurs of the genre.

"Starliner Tower" is a high-rise apartment complex which is situated on an island off the coast of Canada and has been marketed like a cruise ship. It has just about everything—swimming pools, tennis courts, a medical clinic, a dentist office, and a grocery store—along with a beautiful view of the ocean all around. And people come here to live and get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. At least that is their intention. What they don't know is that one of the residents by the name of "Dr. Emil Hobbs" (Fred Doederlein) has been experimenting with a parasite that can replace a dying organ in the body. It feeds off of the host but contributes the benefit of a healthy organ. Unfortunately, things don't turn out as planned because the organism develops something much like a venereal disease and an aphrodisiac combined. But with deadly consequences for those who come into contact with an infected person. In essence, the parasite turns its host into sex-starved zombies! Well, maybe not "zombies" in the purist sense of the word but whatever the name they're certainly sex-starved. At any rate, rather than reveal any further details and possibly spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it let me just say that this was an interesting movie with a bit of lewdness thrown in for good measure. As far as the acting was concerned, I especially liked the chemistry portrayed between "Dr. Roger St. Luc" (Paul Hampton) and "Nurse Forsythe" (Lynn Lowry). Also worth mentioning is the presence of Barbara Steele (as "Betts") who was an established actress in horror films a decade earlier. Be that as it may, viewers of films similar in concept to the zombie genre might find something of interest here to enjoy. I rate it as average.