David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future shares a title with another movie he made early in his career, prompting confusion over whether the new film is a remake. Cronenberg, who is perhaps best known for directing the 1986 redo of The Fly, made his name as a pioneer of horror cinema, effectively creating the body horror subgenre in the process. His early films were immediately memorable for their shocking visuals, such as Scanners' exploding head effect.
One of Cronenberg's very first films was the 1970 feature Crimes of the Future, which follows the director of a dermatology clinic called the House of Skin as he searches for his mentor amid the outbreak of a catastrophic plague caused by cosmetic products. In the film, the plague kills the world's adult female population and has allegedly mutated to affect men. It's a sci-fi story that consists of horrifying shock value and disturbing narrative turns, which are integral to the film's deeper themes.
As the upcoming Crimes of the Future shares a title with the 1970 film, the natural assumption would be that they are connected in some way. Despite the identical titles, however, David Cronenberg's next body horror movie is not a remake of his earlier film. In fact, the two movies share practically nothing in the way of narrative or thematic similarities — other than putting a science fiction spin on their own disturbing tales, that is.
The trailer for 2022's Crimes of the Future makes use of the new movie's visceral imagery in line with David Cronenberg's reputation as the master of body horror. The director himself has offered his insight into the ideas explored by the film, labeling it a "meditation on human evolution," asking the question "can the human body evolve to solve problems we have created?" As David Cronenberg's movies often deal with complex underlying themes, the new Crimes of the Future seems to be no exception.
However, the themes of the 2022 movie identified by Cronenberg hint that it will have little in common with his earlier film of the same name. The 1970 film explores the role of gender within society and the shift in dynamic that a catastrophic event could cause. Perhaps the common ground between the two movies is the way in which humanity seemingly creates its own undoing, although the 2022 Crimes of the Future will touch on the ability to overcome these issues.
This would make the new Crimes of the Future a vague spiritual successor to the original film. While the 1970 film explores the way in which humanity creates its own biggest problems, the 2022 movie will seemingly explore their evolution as they adapt to these issues. Although the two David Cronenberg horror movies titled Crimes of the Future may not be directly connected in any way other than name, the new movie will act as a thematic sequel to — rather than a remake of — the 1970 film.