From the Drain

From the Drain is a 1967 Canadian short film directed by David Cronenberg.

From the Drain
Directed by	David Cronenberg
Written by	David Cronenberg
Produced by	Stefan Nosko
Starring	Mort Ritts Stefan Nosko
Cinematography	David Cronenberg
Edited by	David Cronenberg
Release date	June 1967 (1967-06) (Cinethon)
Running time	14 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English
Budget	$500

Plot summary

The film is centered on two men in a bathtub; it is implied that they are veterans of some past conflict but revealed that they are currently in a mental institution. The first man is paranoid about the drain of the tub, the second indifferent to it. After the conversation between the two men progresses, a vine-like tendril emerges from the drain to strangle the first man. The second shows no emotion to this sudden turn of events and the film ends.

Production

Cronenberg wrote, shot, directed, and edited the film using $500 (equivalent to $4,340 in 2023).^[1]

Release

The film was shown in June 1967 at the Cinethon festival.^[2]

Home video

The short was included along with Cronenberg's other early films on a bonus disc in Arrow Video's 2015 UK Blu-ray release of Videodrome.^[3] This bonus disc, entitled David Cronenberg's Early Works was later released on its own a year later.^[4]