Metacritic reviews

Another of director David Cronenberg's queasy early horror films that, like The Brood and Videodrome, gets under your skin. [04 Jun 2004]

None of the other recent apocalypse movies has shown so much political or cinematic sophistication.

Ultimately Rabid boils down to zombified sluts and shock moments but it's an irresistible combination that Cronenberg handles well.

Cronenberg's sleaziest, funniest film, jammed with juicy gore and infectious shocks.

It took (Cronenberg) several films to come into his own as a filmmaker, but even his earliest work reflects his obsessive interest in the human body as raw material that can be transformed -- for better or for worse -- by strong emotions. [08 Jun 2004, p.E3]

Rabid, as the dictionary explains means both ‘affected with rabies’ and ‘extremely violent’. Using both definitions, Rabid, is so accurately titled that this one word tells all. Here is an extremely violent, sometimes nauseating, picture about a young woman affected with rabies, running around Montreal infecting others.

Early, low-budget Cronenberg horror flick, emetic in intention and effect. [08 Oct 2000, p.10]

Although Rabid is full of interesting ideas, they are not particularly well developed or presented by Cronenberg's unfocused script.

A characteristic early offering from horror icon David Cronenberg, rough production values and all. [30 May 2004]