Driver FixRecommendedSound, Wi-Fi or graphics acting up? Check drivers firstFind missing or outdated drivers fast.Check DriversHalloween DealsAmazon USHalloween week deals: useful picks before month-endAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsSlow PC?RecommendedPC slow today? Run a repair scan before it gets worseResolve common Windows issues and optimize system performance.Scan Now×
FREEDOM251

Freedom251 › Blog › AI art

Someone Used AI to Dream Up a Nonexistent David Cronenberg Movie—and the Results Are Nauseating

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

No, David Cronenberg’s Galaxy of Flesh (1985) is not a real movie. Music-video and commercial director Keith Schofield posted the images on January 10, 2023, and Midjourney generated them. The set was designed to look like lost 1980s film stills, which is why some viewers initially mistook it for archival material.

What is Galaxy of Flesh?

Galaxy of Flesh (1985) is a fictional title attached to a series of AI-generated images. There was no legitimate Cronenberg release, no production history and no archival film to uncover. Futurism reported the confusion on January 14, 2023, after viewers encountered Schofield’s posts.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The images combine fleshy appendages, brightly colored characters, grimy science-fiction costumes, severe lighting and a glossy 1980s finish. That combination creates the impression of a forgotten VHS-era production rather than a conventional digital illustration.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Who made the AI Cronenberg movie images?

Keith Schofield made and posted the series. Midjourney generated the pictures from text prompts; Schofield was not presenting stills from a film he had directed or recovered.

#1 Best Overall
Sale
David Cronenberg s Early Works [Blu-ray]
  • David Cronenberg's Early Works ( Transfer / From the Drain / Stereo / Crimes of the Future )
  • David Cronenberg's Early Works
  • Transfer / From the Drain / Stereo / Crimes of the Future

What AI tool generated Galaxy of Flesh?

Midjourney generated the images. Schofield later said he did not type “David Cronenberg” into the prompt because Midjourney banned the name in his experience. Instead, he described the request as Star Wars medical body horror. That wording helps explain why the results evoke a broad period genre mash-up rather than a specific Cronenberg production.

Why the images looked convincing at first

A carefully selected period look

The set uses visual signals associated with mid-1980s science fiction and body horror: hard-edged illumination, dirty production design, saturated color and tactile-looking biological forms. Those cues can make a single frame feel historically plausible even when no underlying movie exists.

Why a closer look gives it away

On inspection, several figures show malformed hands and eyes. These are familiar image-generation artifacts, and they undermine the illusion of photographed performers and physical sets. The pictures work best as a quick visual joke or mood piece, not as evidence of a real production.

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Why Cronenberg fans rejected the attribution

The strongest criticism was not simply that the pictures were synthetic. Critics argued that they did not resemble David Cronenberg’s actual filmography. Film critic Jeff Zhang called the attribution false and said Cronenberg had never made a movie that looked like this. Futurism likewise described the images as a generalized 1980s horror-and-science-fiction pastiche, comparing the effect to Star Wars crossed with Society.

Cronenberg’s name therefore functioned more as a click-inducing label than as a reliable description of the visual language. The images contain body-horror imagery, but body horror alone is not a faithful signature of one director.

Did Midjourney ban David Cronenberg’s name?

Schofield said Midjourney blocked the name when he tried to use it. That is a statement about his prompting experience, not proof that every user, account or version of Midjourney handled the name identically. The practical result in this case was that he substituted a genre description for the director’s name.

Rank #4

Why people are angry about AI copying Cronenberg’s style

The dispute connects this stunt to a larger argument about generative-art systems. Critics object that systems such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion were trained on human-made work without artists’ permission, and they compare direct style imitation to plagiarism or uncompensated appropriation.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

The controversy becomes sharper when an output:

  • uses a living or identifiable artist’s name without consent;
  • is not clearly labeled as synthetic;
  • is presented as a historical artifact rather than a new experiment;
  • only loosely matches the named artist while borrowing the name for attention; or
  • contains generation errors that expose how quickly the image was produced.

Galaxy of Flesh touched all but the last issue: the images were framed like lost film stills, the Cronenberg attribution was misleading, and the visible artifacts made the deception easier to challenge.

Best Value
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

How to tell whether a supposed lost movie is AI-generated

  1. Check the filmography. Look for the title in reliable records and contemporary reporting. A missing entry is a warning sign, not proof by itself.
  2. Inspect faces, hands and eyes. Repeated anatomical errors can reveal image generation.
  3. Look for a production trail. Real films normally leave credits, reviews, festival records, distribution details or surviving footage.
  4. Read the creator’s caption and follow-up posts. In this case, Schofield identified the images as a Midjourney project.
  5. Separate genre resemblance from authorship. A picture can look like 1980s body horror without being made by Cronenberg or accurately reproducing his style.

The bottom line on Galaxy of Flesh

Galaxy of Flesh (1985) never existed as a David Cronenberg movie. Keith Schofield posted the concept images on January 10, 2023; Midjourney generated them; and their convincing first impression came from period styling rather than authentic film history. The backlash reflects both the images’ misleading presentation and the unresolved ethics of training generative models on artists’ work and imitating recognizable styles without consent.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1
David Cronenberg s Early Works [Blu-ray]
David Cronenberg s Early Works [Blu-ray]
David Cronenberg's Early Works; Transfer / From the Drain / Stereo / Crimes of the Future
$30.50
SaleBestseller No. 2
Bestseller No. 4
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE UHD [Blu-ray]
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE UHD [Blu-ray]
Crimes of the Future; ABIS DVD
Bestseller No. 5
eXistenZ (1999) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Spain ]
eXistenZ (1999) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Spain ]
eXistenZ (1999); eXistenZ (1999)
$32.98

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

AI artbody horrorDavid Cronenberggenerative AIKeith SchofieldMidjourney

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You DownFree scan - exact matches
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?Free scan - under a minute

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.