The Fly (1986 film)

The Fly
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Cronenberg
Screenplay by
Based on"The Fly"
by George Langelaan
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMark Irwin
Edited byRonald Sanders
Music byHoward Shore
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • August 15, 1986 (1986-08-15)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9–15 million
Box office$60.6 million

The Fly is a 1986 American science fiction body horror film directed and co-written by David Cronenberg. Produced by Brooksfilms and distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, and John Getz. Loosely based on George Langelaan's 1957 short story of the same name and the 1958 film of the same name, The Fly tells of an eccentric scientist who, after one of his experiments goes wrong, slowly turns into a fly-hybrid creature. The score was composed by Howard Shore and the make-up effects were created by Chris Walas, along with makeup artist Stephan Dupuis.

The Fly was released on August 15, 1986, to positive reviews. It grossed $60.6 million at the box office, becoming a commercial success. Walas and Dupuis' work on the film resulted in them winning an Academy Award for Best Makeup. The tagline of the film, "Be afraid. Be very afraid.", has been used in many other productions as part of popular culture. A sequel, directed by Walas, was released in 1989. In November 2024, a new film set in the same universe as Cronenberg's film was announced, to be written and directed by Nikyatu Jusu.