Brandon Cronenberg Has Plans For An Even Gorier Infinity Pool Release

Science-fiction and horror filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg is back with his latest movie "Infinity Pool" making waves in the industry. The son of body-horror director David Cronenberg, it's no surprise that Brandon's films made a name for themselves with grotesque images. 

"Infinity Pool" continues the trend and Cronenberg's hot-streak and brings in Hollywood A-listers Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth into the fold.  The film follows a vacationing couple, James (Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman), who find themselves in a world of horror after paying to have a fake James executed for an accidental crime. The mind-boggling trailer alone left viewers asking what on Earth is going on in Alexander Skarsgård's "Infinity Pool."

"Infinity Pool is drawing strong reactions from critics, calling it a worthy addition to Cronenberg's short filmography. The film earned a certified fresh 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics praising its unconventional and horrific imagery. 

"Brandon Cronenberg ("Possessor") delivers the shivers," The Toronto Star said, "and more than a few WTF moments with a vacation inferno creeper that gnaws at the mind." The Atlantic also described it as "deliciously nasty," while The Detroit News called it "disturbing, funny, twisted, and strange."

With the impressive levels of gory horror throughout "Infinity Pool," it's hard to imagine that the movie in theaters is the cleaner version of Cronenberg's vision, but that's precisely the case. Eventually, the director plans on putting his NC-17 cut out there for everyone to experience.

Brandon Cronenberg appeared on "The Big Picture" podcast during a recent episode to discuss "Infinity Pool," where the conversation pivoted toward the movie's rating. While the film initially held an NC-17 rating, Cronenberg cut it down slightly to fall under the R rating. 

"You can't really accept an NC-17 [rating] and have a proper theatrical release in the U.S.," Cronenberg said. "There is an R-cut that's being released theatrically. It's very similar actually. I don't want to scare people off. We tweaked it a bit, but I was involved in both cuts. It's the same movie." As for the film's original unrated version, he has plans to bring that to audiences too. 

"We did have to tweak it a bit to get an R rating for that theatrical release," Cronenberg said, "and there is an unrated cut that screened at Sundance, and there are plans to make sure everybody can see that at some point."

In the podcast, Cronenberg admitted that, while he isn't a massive proponent of needing to see movies in theaters, he thinks that "Infinity Pool" greatly benefits from watching it on the big screen. The cast and crew put a lot of effort into the film's visuals, sound, and score, all of which make it a theatrical experience. Even the podcast host agrees that this film is immersive.

In a separate interview with Screen Rant, Cronenberg revealed that many of the disturbing scenes in "Infinity Pool" were actually some of the most fun to shoot. The director related production to Halloween because of the lighter mood and how everyone was dressed up with prosthetics and fake blood.