Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar) is fighting her husband Frank (Art Hindle) for custody of their five-year-old daughter Candice (Cindy Hinds). Nola has been seeing psychotherapist Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed) who believes in a new technique called “psychoplasmics” where the patient is supposed to let go of suppressed feelings and let them manifest as physiological changes to their bodies.
Frank wants to cease Nola’s visitation rights when he finds scratches and bruises on Candice. He tells Dr. Raglan this who in turn intensifies his treatments with Nola. Frank wants to find out if Dr. Raglan is a quack and questions some of his former patients.
Frank leaves Candice with her maternal grandmother Juliana (Nuala Fitzgerald). Juliana tells Candice that her mother used to be sick a lot as a child and used to get strange wheals on her skin that the doctors couldn’t identify. They are attacked by a strange looking child who kills Juliana. Candice is traumatized.
Nola’s father Barton (Harry Beckman) returns home for the funeral of his ex-wife Juliana. Barton tries to see Nola at the institute but Dr. Raglan turns him away. Meanwhile Frank has supper with Candice’s teacher Ruth (Susan Hogan). While having supper Barton calls Frank and Frank goes to meet him leaving Candice with Ruth. While Frank is away Nola calls and gets Ruth. Assuming that Frank is having an affair with the teacher Nola gets angry at Ruth.
Frank finds Barton dead and another of the weird kid creatures at the scene. The creature tries to kill Frank but dies. The police autopsy and discover that its asexual, color-blind, toothless, and devoid of a navel. The creature did not have a naturally birth. Meanwhile at school Ruth is attacked and killed by more of the freaky creatures and Candice is kidnapped by them. Frank goes to the clinic to see his wife and find his daughter.
David Cronenberg wrote and directed this movie after he had a bad divorce from his wife at the time. He felt that “The Brood is my version of Kramer vs. Kramer, but more realistic.” Still its an intense movie and the brood are nice and freaky looking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI32rz-Xh7U
