The Fly

It's not often that a remake outshines its original but David Cronenberg's "reimagining" ofÊThe FlyÊ(1986) is one of those rare exceptions. Equal parts horror, science fiction, and romance,ÊThe FlyÊtakes the premise of its 1958 original_a man unintentionally fusing with a housefly during an experiment in teleportation_and reinterprets the plot as a gradual cellular metamorphosis between these two organisms.

This book teases out the intricate DNA of The Fly and how it represents the personalities of many authors, including a distinguished history of Man-as-God tales stretching back to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818). Drawing from interviews with cast, crew, film commentators, and other filmmakers, Emma Westwood interlaces the "making of" travails of The Fly with why it is one of the most important examples of master storytelling ever committed to screen.