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I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Marilyn Chambers. I will always remember her excellent performance in David Cronenberg's science fiction horror classic "Rabid." If only she had starred in more horror films of the same caliber. Marilyn would've made an excellent scream queen. She reminds me of Jamie Lee Curtis. Both young women had that wholesome, pure girl-next-door look. The type of girl you'd love to ask to your senior prom or take on a motorcycle ride through the countryside.
Rose (Marilyn Chambers) is badly burned in a motorcycle accident. She is rushed to the nearby Keloid Institute where she undergoes experimental skin grafts. Unfortunately, as in many of Cronenberg's films ("Shivers," "The Brood," "Scanners," and "The Fly"), the treatment has dangerous side effects; Rose experiences a mutation. In her armpit, she develops a needle-like protuberance. She awakens from a coma with an insatiable thirst for blood and commences seducing and attacking men around her, inflicting them with a Rabies-like virus. The incubation period is short and soon these men become crazed lunatics, foaming at the mouth and biting anyone near them. The virus spreads like wild fire and all of Montreal is in danger of becoming rabid.
"Rabid" has a very suspenseful, terrifying plot. It belongs in the same genre as the end-of-the-world films where a mutating virus threatens to destroy all of mankind as in the classic "Omega Man" and the modern "27 Days Later." It does not have the look and feel of a low budget film. There is a lot of violence, the type you would find in a zombie film such as "Dawn of the Dead." There is mass hysteria on the subways and at the malls as people are attacked and bitten. Soldiers shoot those who have been infected. At the end, soldiers in white decontamination suits are seen gathering up the dead. Like many of the horror films in the seventies, "Rabid" does not have a happy, cheerful ending. It is rather bleak and disturbing.
I must praise Somerville House for releasing an excellent DVD package of "Rabid." It is presented in a crisp, clear widescreen format with excellent audio. There is an interesting, informative interview with Cronenberg who explains how he came to cast Marilyn Chambers despite critics complaining that his first film, "Shivers," was pornographic. Her filmography is also provided on the DVD. Despite all of her other films, I will always remember Marilyn as the star of "Rabid."
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