One morning, a young man wakes to find that a small, disgusting creature has attached itself to the base of his brain stem. The creature gives him a euphoric state of happiness but demands human victims in return.
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Rick Hearst | ... | Brian (as Rick Herbst) | |
 |
Gordon MacDonald | ... | Mike |
| Jennifer Lowry | ... | Barbara | |
| Theo Barnes | ... | Morris | |
| Lucille Saint-Peter | ... | Martha | |
| Vicki Darnell | ... | Blonde in Hell | |
| Joseph Gonzalez | ... | Guy in shower (as Joe Gonzales) | |
| Bradlee Rhodes | ... | Night watchman | |
| Michael Bishop | ... | Toilet victim | |
| Beverly Bonner | ... | Neighbor | |
|
|
Ari M. Roussimoff | ... | Biker (as Ari Roussimoff) |
|
|
Michael Rubenstein | ... | Bum in alley |
|
|
Angel Figueroa | ... | Junkie |
|
|
John Reichert | ... | Policeman |
|
|
Don Henenlotter | ... | Policeman |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (252) »
Storyline
A normal, average guy who lives in New York City becomes dependent on an evil, disembodied brain. The brain feeds the guy a narcotic substance in exchange for his unwilling assistance in obtaining the brains of innocent victims for sustenance. This turns into a tour of circa-1980s underground NYC clubs, backlots, and other seedy locations. One scene features the band Swimming Pool Cues playing the song "Corruption." Written by Mark Logan <marklo@west.sun.com>
Plot Keywords:
parasite | male objectification | two word title | body part in title | taking a shower |Taglines:
It's A Headache From Hell! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
25 May 1988 (France) See more »Also Known As:
Brain Damage (La maledizione di Elmer) See more »Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USAEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$900,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (uncut)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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by Elmer Albrecht, Sammy Gallop, & Dick Jurgens
Courtesy of CBS Robbins Catalog, Inc.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In a 2016 interview, Frank Hennenlotter said one of his favorite things about shooting in 35mm was that he couldn't misplace the camera as easily as he did with the 16mm camera he used on Basket Case See more »Goofs
In the scene where Brian confronts Mark and Barbara after they've had sex, he is looking in the wrong direction See more »Crazy Credits
In the end titles, listed under "Historical Research" is BABE WOZENTHAL. According Frank Henenlotter on the DVD's commentary, this was a joke about Jerry Lewis in "The Errand Boy." See more »Alternate Versions
The unrated director's cut has been released on DVD. See more »Soundtracks
Elmer's Tuneby Elmer Albrecht, Sammy Gallop, & Dick Jurgens
Courtesy of CBS Robbins Catalog, Inc.
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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The first 10 minutes of Brain Damage are awful and hard to watch, as an elderly couple are trashing their apartment looking for Alymer and then we get an overlong hallucination from our main character Brian. Then we are introduced to the Zacherle voiced parasitic Alymer, with a show stopping "hi" and the film just goes bonkers and never stops. There's nothing quite like Brain Damage, a tale of a young man who gets addicted to the intoxicant that a parasitic creature injects into his brain and while running about hallucinating, Alymer feeds on unsuspecting victims brains. It's hilariously gory and thanks to the uncut version finally on the market, the brain removing fellatio sequence is intact in its full ridiculous glory. Henenlotter was firing on all cylinders while making this classic B masterpiece.