Cronenberg’s ‘Cure’: A Dangerous Method, Spider and The Spectre of Psychosis in The Lost Explorer

Abstract

The opening titles of David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method unfold as a series of dark waves and intricate lines indicating a succession of inky, handwritten inscriptions lightly traced over a papery surface. The slashes of black ink seem to vibrate, elongated as vertical shivers while the softly textured surface they move across is partially eclipsed by dark grey shadows. On the soundtrack, deep, rich chords resonate from a cello and other stringed instruments, embodying a highly suggestive and ominous, unsettling harmony which is both elegant and disturbing. The indelible hieroglyphs which move in waves across the screen are portentous of the film’s deciphering of its subjects and, in turn, their professional, lifelong interest in unravelling the troubled minds of others.