Jeff Goldblum's body horror transformation in The Fly on its 40th anniversary
Jeff Goldblum's body horror transformation in The Fly on its 40th anniversary
Jorge SolisSun, August 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
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Jeff Goldbum in a scene from The Fly -Credit:20th Century Fox
Underneath all the heavy make-up and prosthetics, Jeff Goldblum gave a tragic performance in The Fly, which celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Released on August 15, the 1986 version of The Fly is a remake of the 1958 classic sci-fi film starring Vincent Price. Adapted from a 1957 short story by George Langelaan, the black-and-white classic focused more on the murder mystery. Only the scientist's head and arm were switched with a housefly. In David Cronenberg's version, the director zeroed in on the gradual body-horror transformation.
The makeup and creature effects team was led by special effects expert Chris Walas and makeup artist Stephan Dupuis, who won an Academy Award the following year for their work. This came after the Terrifier actress sued the director and producers over her gruesome nude death scene.
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The Fly remake follows an eccentric scientist named Seth Brundle (Goldblum), who has invented a telepod. Seth believes his groundbreaking invention can teleport physical matter.
As a human experiment, Seth successfully teleports himself. However, a common housefly sneaks its way into the chamber with him, causing the computer to merge their DNA.
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The telepod device in The Fly -Credit:20th Century Fox
In March 2018, the Jurassic Park actor revealed he spent about five grueling hours each day in the makeup chair. He endured the uncomfortable prosthetics and the gross suit.
Jeff Goldlbum in a scene with Geena Davis -Credit:Corbis via Getty Images
“Chris Walas won the Oscar for that, yes. And Stephan Dupuis, for five hours, put me in a dentist’s chair and applied that thing,” Goldblum told Yahoo and went on, "And then another hour after we were done… ya know, rub rub rub… took it off. Kinda squeezed into this suit…rubbery suit…so I look all boily… misshapen. And then prosthetics.”
“It’s not the most comfortable thing, but it wasn’t bad. It was a fun thing to do," he closed.
Jeff Goldlbum in a hideous scene from The Fly -Credit:20th Century Fox
The Fly has a matching 83 percent score with critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
One reviewer said, "Watched this movie when I was young. The makeup effects are incredibly awesome!"
Another reviewer added, "Goldblum makes this movie; he always provides a human element, even when it's clear that his character is turning into something else."
A third wrote, "Seth's transformation from man to big bug is visually enthralling — ugly and fascinating at the same time."
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
