Director uses AI-generated images to create fake David Cronenberg movie – and horror fans aren't happy

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"At one point you have to feel ashamed for this"

The Fly
(Image credit: Fox)

AI-generated images mimicking a fake David Cronenberg movie have confused and angered fans of the body horror auteur after they were posted on Twitter.

Keith Schofield, a music video and commercial director, tweeted a thread of the "stills", claiming that they were from a 1985 movie called Galaxy of the Flesh, directed by Cronenberg. The pictures contain a mixture of humans and alien creatures, the latter of which have exposed organs and skeletons. 

However, the images aren't from a Cronenberg movie. They were made using Midjourney, an online AI tool – and some Twitter users weren't happy about it, with AI-generated art already a subject of contention in the creative world. 

"Congrats on stealing art to make a fake movie that looks nothing like the work of the man you’re presenting it as," said one Twitter user. "At one point you have to feel ashamed for this," tweeted another.

"Absolutely nothing is gained by not being transparent that AI-generated images are AI-generated," said someone else. "Using AI to create a fake movie that doesn't even really recreate the director's style very well has got to be one of the lamest uses of technology I've seen in a while," reads another reply to the thread.

Cronenberg's most recent release was 2022's Crimes of the Future, starring  Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart. He's best known for his sci-fi horror flicks like The Fly, Videodrome, and Scanners, which were all released in the '80s. 

If you're up to date with Cronenberg's filmography (Galaxy of the Flesh aside), check out our picks of the best horror movies of all time.

Emily Garbutt
Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.