Naked Lunch

"Exterminate all rational thought."

1991 1h 55m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,268

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.

“Exterminate all rational thought.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Peter Weller
Bill Lee
Judy Davis
Joan Frost
Ian Holm
Tom Frost
Julian Sands
Yves Cloquet
Roy Scheider
Dr. Benway
Monique Mercure
Fadela
Nicholas Campbell
Hank
Michael Zelniker
Martin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: David Cronenberg
Languages: Arabic, English
Countries: Canada, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 17% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Cronenberg, shot by Peter Suschitzky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ronald Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Weller and Judy Davis and Ian Holm carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Cronenberg directs. Peter Suschitzky behind the camera. Howard Shore scores. Ronald Sanders cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Canada, United Kingdom. Dialogue in Arabic, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 17% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
235 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.
4International production across 2 countries: Canada, United Kingdom.
5Directed by David Cronenberg, shot by Peter Suschitzky. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Howard Shore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Ronald Sanders shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Peter Weller and Judy Davis and Ian Holm carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Exterminate all rational thought.".
10IMDB entry: tt0102511 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "based on novel or book", "writing", "hallucination", "writer".
12Released under 10 different titles around the world.