The bottom makes a strong impression on audiences, as director Coralie Fargeat’s satirical feature turns heads – and perhaps some stomachs – with the disturbing physical transformation of its protagonist, played by Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. If the film wins the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, it will follow the model of stealing from another body horror film. The fly.

Starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and John Getz, this 1986 cult classic from director David Cronenberg is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name based on a short story by George Langelaan. The film centers on Seth Brundle (Goldblum), a visionary scientist who suffers an accident during a teleportation experiment, causing him to slowly and horribly transform into a man-fly hybrid. Makeup and special effects artists Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis, who had already worked with Cronenberg on 1981. Scannersoversaw the appearance of Goldblum’s monstrous evolution. Walas was in high demand at the time, having worked on films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi And Gremlins. “The fly “It was one of the hardest shows I’ve ever worked on, simply because we had way less time than we needed in pre-production,” he recalled in a 2017 interview. was already filming in Toronto while his California-based shop was still creating upside-down baboons, an oversized maggot and Goldblum’s eventual self. “A lot of the puppets used at the end of the film could only be finished to a certain point, and I would have to do the final work in Toronto, between scenes,” Walas added.

20th Century Fox release The fly on August 15, 1986, and it grossed $60 million ($174 million today) at the worldwide box office. Walas and Dupuis won Oscars for their makeup work, and the film amassed a devoted audience.

Walas went on to direct the 1989 films The Fly II with Eric Stoltz, but fans continue to hope that Cronenberg will revisit the universe of his film. Rumors swirled in 2009 about a follow-up, but Cronenberg revealed that budgetary issues prevented it from coming to fruition. “It was a meditation on flying nature,” he said of his abandoned sequel. “It was something I was very happy with, and it was a disappointment not to achieve it.”

This story first appeared in a December standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.