Rabid is a 1977 independent body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg. An international co-production of Canada and the United States, the film stars Marilyn Chambers in the lead role, supported by Frank Moore, Joe Silver, and Howard Ryshpan. Chambers plays a woman who, after being injured in a motorcycle accident and undergoing a surgical operation, develops an orifice under one of her armpits that hides a phallic/clitoral stinger she uses to feed on people's blood. Those she bites become infected, and then feed upon others, spreading the disease exponentially. The result is massive chaos, starting in the Quebec countryside, and ending up in Montreal. Rabid made $1 million in Canada, making it one of the highest-grossing Canadian films of all time. A remake of the same name, directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska, was released in 2019.

Plot

Rose Miller and her boyfriend, Hart Reed, are involved in a motorcycle accident in the Quebec countryside after encountering a van in the middle of the road. Hart suffers a broken hand, a separated shoulder and a concussion, while Rose is severely injured and burned. They are taken to the Keloid Clinic for Plastic Surgery, where Dr. Dan Keloid performs an experimental procedure on Rose, using morphogenetically neutral grafts to replace her damaged skin and organs. Hart is released after a month, but Rose remains in a coma.