'Expansively unsettling' and deeply personal horror film finally released in UK
David Cronenberg's latest film The Shrouds is here after being released in the US months prior – and it has been described as 'horrific' and 'fearless.'
The revered director – best known for Crash, The Fly, Dead Ringers, and many other genre films – explores death and grief to devastating effect following the story of Karsh (Vincent Cassel), a creative entrepreneur who lost his wife Becca (Diane Kruger).
He developed a technology known as The Shrouds, which allows users to monitor a deceased person's body as it decomposes via an app called GraveTech.
After graves are destroyed in a GraveTech cemetery, including Becca's, Karsh begins to question if her death was part of a larger conspiracy as he investigates the attack.
It has proved to be a deeply personal project for Cronenberg, inspired by his wife, Carolyn Cronenberg, who died of cancer at age 67 in 2017.
After being released in the US back in April, the film has finally arrived in the UK as of today – but be warned, it has been hailed 'expansively unsettling' and 'hollowing.'
It holds a 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics' consensus reading: 'Ruminating on the love within loss, The Shrouds is a personal and peculiar examination of grief by director David Cronenberg.'
In their review, Empire wrote: 'It's a hypnotic descent into the darkness of grief, punctuated by perverse Cronenbergian pleasures.'
The Washington Post said The Shrouds 'throbs with raw, human, horrific honesty', while the San Jose Mercury pondered 'How lucky we are to have this boundary pusher still thinking up such bold and provocative films.'
Globe and Mail boldly stated: 'With The Shrouds, the filmmaker — not only one of Canada's greatest creations, but cinema's, too — has delivered what might be his career-defining masterpiece.'
The Ringer heaped praise on Cronenberg, adding: 'Like 2022's superb Crimes of the Future, The Shrouds serves as a reminder that, at 81 years old, Cronenberg is still one of the world's great filmmakers: bold, uncompromising, clever, and fearless.'
Speaking to Variety, Cronenberg explained how he developed the concept of The Shrouds and how the film was almost a Netflix series.
'It was pre-pandemic. I went to L.A. to pitch it to Netflix. At that point, it was a well-formed idea, but it wasn't a script yet,' he revealed.
'The people I talked to there were very receptive, and Netflix gave me the OK to start writing what they call the prototype, which was the first episode of what was then going to be a series.
'And then they liked that enough to tell me to go ahead and write the second episode. After that, they decided not to go forward for various reasons.' More Trending
Despite the subject matter of the film and its inspiration, the History of Violence director said he 'did not experience any catharsis' making it, describing grief as 'forever.'
'I don't really think of art as therapy. I don't think it works that way,' he continued.
'If you're an artist, everything you make, you work out of your life experience, no matter what that is. Whether you're rehashing something from your distant past or your present circumstances, there's always creative energy that can be mined from your life. '
The Shrouds is in cinemas now .
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Jurassic World Rebirth leaves fans with clenched stomachs after 'genuinely tense' film debuts
MORE: Eagerly anticipated horror's producer explains why '0.0 percent watchable' film flopped
MORE: Horror fans 'terrified' after disturbing VHS recordings appear in US towns
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Coronation Street's Nina ‘works out' what she and Summer did in spoiler video
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A newly released Coronation Street spoiler clip reveals the growing tension between Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher) and Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) as they grapple with the lingering effects of the drug-fuelled night they can barely recall. Still shaken, the girls are haunted by hazy memories and rising panic. As they try to piece together what really happened, a terrifying thought begins to take hold: What if the figure they vaguely remember was Gary Windass (Mikey North), and it wasn't just a hallucination? Could they have unintentionally hurt him…and is that why he's now missing? Nina is clearly consumed by guilt, fearing that they could be somehow involved with Gary's disappearance. She voices her concerns to Summer in Roy's, but Summer urges her that they must move on and try to forget about that night, and it was possibly just a hallucination as a result of the drugs. But Nina can't let it go. Meanwhile, Gary's disappearance becomes official when Maria reports him missing to the police. DS Kit reveals that a man has been admitted to the hospital in a coma, sparking Lisa's suspicion that it could be Gary. However, hopes are dashed when Kit later confirms the patient isn't him, though he promises Maria he'll do all he can to find her husband. More Trending With Gary now officially missing and no explanation for his absence, the weight of the unknown begins to take its toll on Nina. Her sense of dread deepens when she overhears Maria confiding that Gary hasn't made any bank transactions since June 23rd, the very night they're concerned about. Summer attempts to reassure her, pointing out there's been no police report of an assault. But Nina remains unconvinced. At the hospital, Gary lies unconscious as a nurse tells a visitor that 'Chesney' is improving, but who is this mysterious woman sitting by Gary's bedside? And why is she keeping his identity a secret? As the mystery deepens, a series of flashbacks start to unravel what really happened that night, one things for certain the truth will come out in the end. View More » MORE: All 16 Coronation Street spoiler pictures for next week as legend is reported missing MORE: Major Coronation Street twist in ITVX release as Gary Windass story deepens MORE: All Coronation Street spoilers for next week as flashbacks reveal brutal attack
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Nip/Tuck actor dies - as wife shares heartbreaking tribute
Charmed and Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon has died aged 56 after a private battle with cancer. He passed away in Clearwater, Florida on July 2, with his wife paying tribute to the 'beloved' Charmed star. 'With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,' Kelly McMahon told Deadline. 'Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.' The Australian star, who was the son of former Prime Minister Billy McMahon, started his career as a model before getting into acting in the late 80s. He appeared in Home and Away between 1990 and 1991 before making his feature acting debut opposite Elliott Gould in Wet and Wild Summer! He soon moved to Hollywood to focus on his acting career and appeared in NBC's Another World in 1993 before getting roles in Profiler and then Charmed as Cole Turner. Fans may know him from when he landed his first series lead in Ryan Murphy's Nip/Tuck, which ran for six seasons and gained a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Dr Christian Troy. With his popularity as a leading man, he soon starred in FBI: Most Wanted as Jess LaCroix for three seasons before leaving in 2022. His final two movies were as Scally in The Surfer and Chick Carlson in The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. He also played Prime Minister Stephen Roos in Netflix's The Residence this year. Not only was he a hit leading man, but he also voiced Dr Doom in the 2005 Fantastic Four video game. Julian married Dannii Minogue in 1994 after meeting her on the set of Home and Away a few years prior. He even starred in her music video for This Is It, which was about the couple's relationship. They spent a lot of time apart due to his busy career in the US and her career in the UK. A year and a half later, they went their separate ways. In 1999, he married Baywatch star Brooke Burns, with the two welcoming a daughter in 2000 before their split in 2001. He then married for a third time in 2014 to Kelly Paniagua. He previously spoke about being in America while feeling Australian. He said: " "I feel like I'm Australian on the inside and American on the outside or something. I would never want to leave it behind either. "I love Australians, Australianisms, I love my part of being Australian. I love where I grew up and how I grew up and, you know, I wouldn't change it for the world." The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.
Times
6 hours ago
- Times
The Thursday Murder Club to be shown in just 30 cinemas
Richard Osman has a grand plan to save cinemas. The House of Games TV presenter and bestselling author has argued on his podcast The Rest is Entertainment that they should screen big-budget television dramas alongside the latest films to tackle stagnant admissions. However, his strategic support does not appear to have translated into real-world help around Netflix's anticipated film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club. 'Some very good news for everyone who wanted to see The Thursday Murder Club in UK cinemas,' he said on Instagram last week. 'Netflix have listened to the clamour, and the film will now have a run in UK cinemas. See what happens when you all ask!' However, 'delight quickly turned to disappointment' among cinema operators after they learnt that it was to be released in a 'paltry' number of just over 30 screens. • Richard Osman envies other writers even if he's making a killing In contrast, Brad Pitt's F1: The Movie, which is funded by the rival streaming service Apple TV, is estimated to have opened at 700 screens and sped into pole position at the UK box office after grossing about £7 million. Cinema operators were hoping for a similarly bumper opening week from The Thursday Murder Club from August 22, propelled by fans of the book and the film's cast, which includes Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie. • The retirement home that inspired The Thursday Murder Club Phil Clapp, the chief executive of the UK Cinema Association, said: 'Netflix can choose where and when they release their content and given that we're still in recovery those venues which are allowed to play the film will more than welcome the box office. But a significant majority of the potential audience are now likely to be disappointed.' Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive of Netflix, told an event in March that audiences preferred watching films at home. He said: 'Folks grew up thinking, 'I want to make movies on a gigantic screen and have strangers watch them [and to have them] play in the theatre for two months … It's an outdated concept.' One local cinema owner urged Netflix to repeat the successful strategy it employed for Roald Dahl's Matilda when the streaming date was held back for weeks and it became the highest grossing British film of 2022, and had takings of £22 million. 'Netflix's relationship with cinemas in the UK is inconsistent. To their credit they were one of the few distributors supporting us with films during and immediately after the pandemic. I regret that relationship wasn't built on,' the owner added. 'I can only assume cinemas are being used as either a trailer for the following weeks streaming release or even worse as a patsy for Bafta awards qualification.'
