The Fly (1986)

Stathis, Ronnie’s editor and ex, behaves like a creep for most of The Fly, and the late attempt to turn him into a hero just doesn’t work. A middle stretch where Seth shows off his new strength at a bar also drags. Jeff Goldblum makes up for all of it. He starts as a twitchy, charming nerd with a closet full of identical outfits, steps into his own pod one lonely night, comes out craving sugar, and slowly turns into something he catalogs like a lab experiment. It’s the saddest love story of 1986. Geena Davis is the soul of it, horrified and still in love. David Cronenberg keeps the horror heavy and the tone tender, and that’s the trick. The makeup effects are legendary and not for younger kids. It made $60.6 million worldwide on a reported $9 to $15 million. An 8.8 because it’s a monster movie about watching someone you love disappear. $160.17 says you add an extra spoonful of sugar to your coffee tomorrow and then check yourself in the mirror, just in case.

What works: Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis make the romance real, so the transformation hits as tragedy, and the effects are still astonishing.

What doesn’t: Stathis is written as such a creep that his late turn as a hero rings false, and the bar scene in the middle slows things down.

Who it’s for: Grown-up horror fans who can handle heavy creature effects and want a monster movie with a broken heart.