10 Things You Might Not Know About The Fly (1986)

Source: 20th Century Fox

Love horror movies? Check out “The Fly” – a 1986 classic directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. This iconic film tells the story of a scientist who transforms into a human-fly hybrid after a failed experiment. Discover ten little-known facts about this true horror classic:

1. Remake

The movie is a remake of a 1958 film of the same name, which was based on a short story by George Langelaan. However, the 1986 version is much darker and more gruesome than the original.

2. The Lead Fly

Jeff Goldblum was not the first choice to play the lead role of Seth Brundle. The role was originally offered to Michael Keaton, but he turned it down. Other actors who were considered for the part included Richard Dreyfuss and Kevin Bacon.

3. Special Effects

The special effects in the movie were created by Chris Walas, who won an Academy Award for Best Makeup for his work on the film. The transformation scenes, in particular, are still considered some of the most impressive practical effects in movie history.

4. Real Life Love

Geena Davis, who plays the female lead in the movie, was dating Jeff Goldblum at the time of filming. The two actors actually got married in real life a few years later, but their marriage only lasted a few years.

5. “Be Afraid”

The movie’s tagline, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” has become one of the most famous movie quotes of all time. It was even parodied in the movie “Scream” and has been referenced in countless other films and TV shows.

6. Box Office Hit

The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $60 million at the box office and receiving positive reviews from critics. It currently has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

7. The Soundtrack

Howard Shore, the composer of “The Fly” soundtrack, is a well-known and respected composer in the film industry. He has composed scores for over 80 films and has won three Academy Awards for his work on “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. In addition to his work in film, Shore has also composed music for TV shows, video games, and theater productions.

8. The Dark Ending

The movie was originally intended to have a much darker ending, in which Veronica (Geena Davis) gives birth to a human-fly hybrid baby. However, this ending was deemed too disturbing and was changed to the more hopeful ending that appears in the final cut of the film.

9. Brundlefly

The famous “Brundlefly” makeup took up to five hours to apply to Jeff Goldblum each day. The makeup was so uncomfortable that Goldblum could only wear it for short periods of time and had to take breaks between scenes.

10. The Transformation

The movie’s special effects team had to create over 60 different versions of the “Brundlefly” creature, each with different stages of transformation. These versions ranged from a mostly human-looking Jeff Goldblum with minor insect features to a fully-formed insectoid creature with almost no human features. The team had to carefully plan out each stage of the transformation to make sure that it was believable and consistent with the previous stages.