Here is an extremely violent, sometimes nauseating, picture about a young woman affected with rabies, running around Montreal infecting others.

None of the other recent apocalypse movies has shown so much political or cinematic sophistication.

Ultimately Rabid boils down to zombified sluts and shock moments but it's an irresistible combination that Cronenberg handles well.

This disturbing film lacks the stomach-churning claustrophobia of Shivers, but is an altogether slicker affair, and the spiralling, random violence still shocks.