Canadian filmmaker Raymond St-Jean showed his new movie “Veins” at the 2025 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. It was a thought-provoking look at the legacy of body horror icon David Cronenberg. In an interesting interview, St-Jean honestly said that he doesn’t like watching body horror movies, but he loves making them for other people because it gives him a sense of freedom as an artist.
“Veins” explores existential themes of loss and the enigma of post-mortem existence, enriching contemporary horror cinema with an additional layer of sophistication. The director talked about the paradox of Cronenberg’s films, which are often praised for pushing the limits and using bold, sometimes grotesque visual storytelling to explore the fears of the human body. St-Jean said that bringing these provocative elements to life on screen is both a technical and creative adventure, even if it makes people feel bad.
David Cronenberg, known as the “Baron of Blood” and the creator of the body horror genre, had a huge impact on many filmmakers with his unflinching depictions of the body’s fragility and transformation in movies like “Shivers” and “The Fly.” St-Jean’s thoughts at the festival gave us a look behind the scenes at why this type of movie is still popular with filmmakers. It combines skill, technique, and a sense of subversive fun.
