What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Fly
Film · 1986
If you loved The Fly, start with The Substance (Coralie Fargeat, 2024) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Fly across media.
What hooked you in The Fly is the harrowing way that scientific ambition inevitably dissolves the boundaries of human identity.
Start with the source
Inspired by
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat · Film · 2024
Books on the same thread
The Metamorphosis
Franz Kafka · Book · 2019
Explores: Alienation, Transformation, Existentialism.
Just as Seth Brundle struggles with his grotesque physical transformation in The Fly, Gregor Samsa faces the isolating, existential reality of waking up in a non-human body.
The Shrinking Man
Richard Matheson · Book · 2014
Shares a thread with The Fly: Body Horror.
The Fly masterfully depicts the loss of self through biology, a theme mirrored here as Scott Carey experiences a shrinking, uncontrollable deterioration of his physical human form.
Flowers for Algernon
Daniel Keyes · Book · 2004
Explores: Intelligence, Ethics of Science, Human Experimentation.
Much like the tragic scientific experiment in The Fly, this narrative explores the ethical dangers of human enhancement and the profound psychological cost of rapidly changing intelligence.
The Invisible Man
H. G. Wells · Book · 2007
Shares a thread with The Fly: Scientific Hubris.
The Fly examines the dark consequences of unchecked scientific hubris, a central pillar of this story where a man discovers that his breakthrough leads to total isolation.
Series on the same thread
The Outer Limits
Leslie Stevens · Series · 1963
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Existential Dread, Technological Anxiety.
If the technological anxiety and existential dread of The Fly resonated with you, this anthology series offers a similar exploration of the unsettling fallout of scientific discovery.
ALF
Paul Fusco · Series · 1986
Explores: Alien Integration, Culture Clash, Secret Identity.
While The Fly treats biological merging with horror, this series provides a lighter, comedic look at the culture clash and identity struggles that follow an alien integration.
Firefly
Joss Whedon · Series · 2002
Explores: Rebellion, Found Family, Moral Ambiguity.
The Fly highlights the moral ambiguity of survival, a theme that grounds this crew as they navigate a frontier life defined by rebellion and complex, found family dynamics.
Quantum Leap
Donald P. Bellisario · Series · 1989
Explores: Changing History, Righting Wrongs, Fish Out of Water.
Dr. Sam Beckett’s struggle with being trapped in bodies that are not his own echoes the profound loss of identity faced by the protagonist in The Fly.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, experimental storytelling, moral ambiguity.
The Fly creates a visceral, intimate sense of dread, which these cinematic, speculative stories replicate by exploring the human condition through sharp, experimental, and often unsettling narratives.
Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: human condition, technological ethics, deep thinking.
The Fly serves as a cautionary tale regarding technological ethics, a subject you can further investigate through these deep, philosophical conversations about the future of human biology.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Substance similar to The Fly?
Yes, both films explore the physical and psychological consequences of scientific experiments gone wrong. Just as Seth Brundle suffers a horrific transformation after his teleportation test in The Fly, The Substance features a narrative centered on the extreme, grotesque results of a breakthrough procedure.
What happens to the protagonist in The Fly?
In The Fly, Seth Brundle attempts a technological breakthrough in teleportation on himself. During the process, a common housefly enters the device, causing the man and the insect to merge into one entity, which leads to his tragic and irreversible physical transformation.
Should I watch The Substance if I enjoyed the body horror in The Fly?
If you appreciated the visceral body horror and the focus on scientific consequences found in The Fly, The Substance is a suitable recommendation. Both movies examine the dark, bodily side effects that occur when human ambition leads to dangerous and unpredictable biological changes.
How does the teleportation device impact the plot of The Fly?
The teleportation device is the central catalyst for the plot of The Fly. Because Seth Brundle fails to notice a housefly inside the machine during his self-test, the device merges their DNA. This malfunction drives the entire narrative as he deals with his resulting physical mutation.