Zachary FenellThe Screwfly Solution
February 9th 2009 19:22
The Screwfly Solution, 2006
The Screwfly Solution is the story of planetary vermin eradication, save that the "vermin" are humans. The title refers to an allegedly real experiment used in South America, I believe, to get rid of screwflies (a crop-decimating pest) by releasing a pheromone that fools the screwfly males into mating with the wrong end of females. In this film, a similar "trickery" takes place that confuses the male sexual attraction response with murderous aggressive action.
What I personally enjoyed about the story as it unfolded is that it did have that innocence-to-power journey that I've been mentioning so frequently. Anne (played by Kerry Norton, who you may recognize from her recurrent role in the new Battlestar Galactica as one of the paramedic nurses) loses everything she holds dear even as she discovers what's truly going on. Her husband Alan (played by Jason Priestly, who you will probably mostly recognize from his main role in Beverly Hills 90210) illustrates the uncontrolled transformation of the mind that occurs for the victims of this eradication beautifully. Barney (played by the awesome Elliott Gould) shows the other side of the coin, choosing to take the road of personal restraint, no matter the cost.
But, just as not all fairy tales end with a "happily ever after" (or, at least, they shouldn't), the Screwfly Solution demonstrates that even when you figure out the puzzle and you see clearly what the problem is, there is not always an answer. There are tragedies that cannot be avoided, there is no "boss monster", there is no real way to survive as anything other than a messy footnote in a planetary history... kinda like the dinosaurs. Masters of the planet we are! RAR! Oo, hey, what's that big shiny rock in the sky? I wonder if it will be our friend...
Some of the scenes are a little gruesome, but the filmmakers had the tact to not graphically depict violence towards children (although it is definitely referred to repeatedly). The production values are about standard for Season 2 of Masters of Horror, but more than being straight-up horror, it's also science fiction, and you know how much I love that.
This flick gets four stars. It's thought-provoking and intelligent, and we appreciate that. It is definitely worth checking out as one of the better Masters of Horror episodes.
4 Stars
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