Entertainment
Raunchy 70s Sci-Fi Horror From Master Director Is A Deadly Experiment
By Robert Scucci
| Published
A fast-spreading parasitic infection that turns the entire world into one beautiful, mindless orgy may sound like a great idea on paper, but not if David Cronenberg has anything to say about it. His third feature, 1975’s Shivers, viscerally demonstrates exactly what could go wrong in this context, and how, if such a parasite were to run amok among the general population, nobody is going to have a good time. In fact, everybody is going to have a terrible time, because the friction involved alone will leave you feeling worse for wear.
Just watching Shivers in the comfort of your own home is an upsetting experience, which is par for the course with David Cronenberg. Since that’s the exact aesthetic he’s pursued his entire career, I can’t really fault the movie for doing what it sets out to do. I can only give it credit for being a raw, more extreme version of themes he’d later explore in films like The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, and beyond.
An Unflinching Exercise In Unwholesomeness
Shivers kicks off with a murder-suicide in which Dr. Emil Hobbes (Fred Doederlein) cuts open a young woman named Annabelle and pours acid into her stomach before turning the blade on himself, for reasons that are revealed much later in the film. The bodies are discovered by Dr. Roger St. Luc (Paul Hampton), who learns from Hobbes’ colleague, Rollo Linsky (Joe Silver), that they had been working on a controversial study involving parasites engineered to act like replacement organs. The idea was that these organisms would dissolve damaged tissue and assume its function, but the results were far more volatile than advertised.
The B story in Shivers centers on Nick Tudor (Allan Kolman), who lives in the same building as the slain Annabelle, sees the crime scene before authorities arrive, and simply goes about his life as if he witnessed nothing. While his coldness seems callous at first, it’s soon revealed that Nick is suffering from convulsions caused by a parasite living inside him, potentially influencing his behavior. His wife, Janine (Susan Petrie), tries to care for him, but he downplays how sick he actually is until he can no longer hide it, resulting in him ralphing up the parasite, which looks like a writhing blood clot that slithers around like a slug.
Can’t Put The Cat Back In The Bag
Once Nick’s parasite is let loose in Shivers, all bets are off. Roger begins to suspect that Dr. Hobbes’ research is directly tied to the outbreak, a suspicion that’s confirmed when Linsky alludes to work involving the creation of a sexually transmitted organism designed to spread rapidly. The infected are transformed into libido-driven maniacs who feel compelled to feed the parasite and pass it along, ensuring the cycle continues to its most extreme end.
Escalating with each passing scene, the world that Shivers constructs becomes exactly what Dr. Emil Hobbes intended. Parasites are furiously transmitted, and those who are infected grow increasingly aggressive in their efforts to convert as many residents as possible before anyone can contain the spread.
If you’re a fan of Cronenberg’s later classics but haven’t yet familiarized yourself with Shivers, think of it as a low-budget, stripped-down preview of what his career would continue to refine once he had the clout and studio backing to fully realize his body horror ambitions.
With a reported production budget of $179,000 CAD, compared to The Fly’s $15 million, Shivers is distinctly a Cronenberg vehicle operating with limited resources. If anything, Shivers proves that all you really need is a twisted imagination, patience, and instinct to make an early effort stick. The film was warmly received by critics and currently boasts an 85 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Shivers is raw, uncomfortable, upsettingly violent, and exactly what you should expect from a young and ambitious David Cronenberg before he became a household name. If you want to see one of the earliest examples of his ability to thoroughly get under your skin, you can stream Shivers on Tubi for free as of this writing.
Entertainment
The 34-inch ultrawide Asus Rog Strix OLED gaming monitor is back at its lowest price ever — save $250 at Amazon
SAVE $250: The 34-inch ultrawide Asus Rog Strix OLED curved gaming monitor (XG34WCDG) is on sale at Amazon for $749, down from the normal price of $999. That’s a 25% discount that matches the lowest we’ve ever seen at Amazon.
$749
at Amazon
$999
Save $250
Some of us spend plenty of time in front of the gaming monitor. That’s espeically true for anyone who works from home on the same monitor used for gaming. If you’ve toyed with the idea of getting a top-tier curved gaming monitor but have felt meh about the prices, there’s a special deal in store today.
As of April 28, the 34-inch ultrawide Asus Rog Strix OLED curved gaming monitor (XG34WCDG) is on sale at Amazon for $749, marked down from the standard price of $999. That works out to a 25% discount, shaving $250 off the price. It also matches the lowest we’ve ever seen at Amazon.
Asus meant business when designing the Rog Strix. For starers, it has a 34-inch OLED display with 3440 x 1440 resolution. Additional bragging rights come from the 175Hz refresh rate and 0.03 millisecond response time. Asus also added its Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) technology to this model which is said to reduce motion blur and any ghosting effect.
The ASUS TUF Gaming F16 gaming laptop is down to a record-low price at Amazon — now $400 off
Combating a typical problem with gaming monitors, the Asus Rog is designed to detect when you’re away and automatically switch to a black screen when you’re gone, helping reduce the risk of burn-in. Asus also upped the cooling game on the Rog Strix with integrating a custom heatsink and internal airflow system.
Mashable Deals
On top of the excellent stats, the Asus Rog comes with an ergonomic and adjustable stand. It can swivel, tilt, and adjust in height to match your exact preferences. You can also wall-mount the Asus Rog instead, if that’s a better fit for your space.
While it’s still at an all-time low price, give yourself the upgrade you deserve to the 34-inch ultrawide Asus Rog Strix OLED curved gaming monitor. It’s $250 off at Amazon for a limited time only.
Entertainment
New Samsung Galaxy smart glasses reportedly leaked
Like Apple and Google, Samsung is working on launching its first pair of smart glasses, and a new leak claims to provide a clear look at the design, price, and launch timeline.
Android Headlines published two new images of the Galaxy Smart Glasses, and the site says, “The design in the images you see is based on real-life pictures of a testing unit of these smart glasses.”
If this leak is correct, the Galaxy smart glasses will feature two 12MP cameras but no display. Android Headlines reports that the glasses, codenamed Jinju, will be announced in 2026 with a price between $379 and $449 in the United States.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Unlike augmented reality glasses, which include a heads-up or built-in display, the Jinju smart glasses would feature dual 12MP cameras for content creation and AI features. Android Headlines reports that the Samsung Galaxy smart glasses will feature heavy Gemini integration, which is no surprise.
Mashable Light Speed
Google announced its own upcoming AI smart glasses at Google I/O in 2025, and teased the new products in a blog post late last year. Both Google and Samsung’s glasses will run on the new Android XR platform, which also powers the Samsung Galaxy XR headset. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Google’s glasses at the upcoming Google I/O 2026 event.
Android Headlines also claims that Samsung is working on a second pair of display smart glasses under the codename Haean, which will be announced in 2027 and cost up to $900. We’ve known about the Haean glasses since 2025, when the project first leaked. Jinju and Haean are the names of historic locations in South Korea and translate roughly to “pearl” (Jinju) and “coast” (Haean).
Based on these descriptions, the upcoming Samsung glasses would compete directly with Meta Ray-Ban and Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, as well as the upcoming Google Android glasses. While the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses use a monocular waveguide display, the Samsung Haean glasses will reportedly use a micro-OLED display, per Android Headlines.
For fans of augmented reality and smart glasses, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year.
Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.
Topics
Augmented Reality
Samsung
Entertainment
Snap up the best deals on Monster portable speakers
SAVE UP TO 50%: As of April 28, get the Monster Cube 1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $19.98, down from its usual price of $39. That’s a discount of 50%. Alternatively, get the Monster Ripple Portable Bluetooth Shower Speaker for $24.97, down from its usual price of $39.99. That’s a discount of 38%.
$19.98
at Amazon
$39.99
Save $20.01
$24.97
at Amazon
$39.99
Save $15.02
The warm weather and sunny days of summer are almost upon us, and if you plan on spending a lot of time outside, no doubt you’ll want to take your favorite music with you to share it. Or maybe you just want a way to listen to your tunes in the shower. That’s where a portable speaker comes in handy. Right now, Monster has you covered right now with two deals you won’t want to miss.
As of April 28, get the Monster Cube 1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $19.98, down from its usual price of $39. Alternatively, get the Monster Ripple Portable Bluetooth Shower Speaker for $24.97, down from its usual price of $39.99. That’s a discount of 38%.
The Monster Cube 1 is a waterproof option that’s perfect for listening at home, on the go, or anywhere you want to have some kicking tunes. It’s a compact speaker with 12W output that’s lightweight and portable. It boasts 20 hours of battery on a single charge, and it provides plenty of loud, satisfying audio no matter where you end up: camping, a pool party, or hanging out in the living room where you want to have portable audio.
Alternatively, the Monster Ripple is a circular shower speaker built to let you listen while scrubbing up for the day. With waterproof IPX8 protection, it’s a round, compact spaker with a 15W driver that can fill the entire room, not just the shower, with satisfying sound. It also has a lanyard to secure the speaker to wherever you want it in the shower to avoid any drops or accidents.
Mashable Deals
If you’re ready to pick up a speaker for less right now, don’t sleep on these Monster deals, which will keep you tuned in throughout the season and longer with their portability and waterproof features.
Touting their tenacity, Knicks set for another scrap with Hawks
Special teams may decide intense Wild-Stars series
