Brain Damage (1988)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Frank Henenlotter

Writer:

Frank Henenlotter (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 1988 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

It's A Headache From Hell!

Plot:

A normal, average guy who lives in New York City becomes dependent on an evil, disembodied brain. The...

Plot Keywords:

Brain | Bathroom | Gun | Cult Favorite | Shower

Cast

Rick Hearst	...	Brian
Gordon MacDonald	...	Mike
Jennifer Lowry	...	Barbara
Theo Barnes	...	Morris
Lucille Saint-Peter	...	Martha
Vicki Darnell	...	Blonde in Hell
Joseph Gonzalez	...	Guy in shower
Bradlee Rhodes	...	Night watchman
Michael Bishop	...	Toilet victim
Beverly Bonner	...	Neighbor
Ari M. Roussimoff	...	Biker
Kevin Van Hentenryck	...	Man with basket
Michael Rubenstein	...	Bum in alley
Angel Figueroa	...	Junkie
John Reichert	...	Policeman

Runtime:

84 min | USA:86 min (uncut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | New Zealand:R18 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:R | France:-12 | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:Unrated | Iceland:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Palisades Partners

Trivia:

During the fellatio scene the crew walked out of the production refusing to work on the scene. A similar incident happened during the shooting of 'Basket Case'

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Brian confronts Mark and Barbara after they've had sex, he is looking in the wrong direction

Quotes:

Aylmer: Why are the stars always winkin' and blinkin' above?... It's not the season, the reason is plain as the moon... It's just Elmer's Tune!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (2005)

Soundtrack:

Corruption

Juice me up! Henenlotter's most entertaining work

Frank Henenlotter's 'Brain Damage' (1987) is easily the director's best film, esp. when considering the solid performances, technical proficiency and fascinating storyline. Aylmer, a rather large, penis-shaped parasite, gives unsuspecting Brian brain damage by getting him hooked on an hallucinogenic, blue fluid that Aylmer himself produces. Oh, the colors! But the thousand-year-old worm-like parasite demands something in return for the buzz - human brains! Aylmer and his actions seem to be a metaphor for drug use and addiction and convey very graphically how substances foreign to our bodies can alter our own thoughts and actions.

Henenlotter adds context and meaning to the proceedings by creating a history for Aylmer. The parasite was sold and stolen over the centuries, until it finally ended up in the possession of Brian's neighbors. But the neighbors deprived Aylmer of his needs in order to keep him weak, and that's where the story begins. Henenlotter's films are never without heavy doses of sick humor, and the perverse highlight here is a sequence depicting a disco-whore getting her brains screwed out - literally - through her mouth. If that's not enough, the special effects in the restaurant scene, complete with spaghetti and brainballs, are particularly polished and satisfying. Ultimately, the director outplays his hand and is left with nowhere to go. Despite this weak ending, 'Brain Damage' is an odd, effective story and film, a major step up from the director's debut, 'Basket Case', but every bit as twisted. >