You could say it's the peak of Cronenberg's early, low-budget Canadian horrors. There's a (relatively) big name (Oliver Reed, who's solid but underused), some surprisingly good supporting performances, an interesting story, and some truly terrifying, superbly executed scare scenes. The film takes itself very seriously, and thus something that would otherwise be humourous is downright frightening. Case in point: the mutant children, which are some very freaky creations, and don't induce laughter at all. The story, playing on the 1970s popularity of pseudo-psychology as well as the problems with divorce, is layered with meaning and has some intriguing things to say. And, of course, there's the requisited amount of blood and gore. Very solid.