Brain Dead (1990)

In a showdown of man versus machine, Martin plunges into a chaotic nightmare trying to save his mind from the megalomaniacal corporation.

Director:

Adam Simon

Writers:

Charles Beaumont (screenplay), Adam Simon (screenplay)

Stars:

Bill Pullman, Bill Paxton, Bud Cort

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Pullman	...	Rex Martin
Bill Paxton	...	Jim Reston
Bud Cort	...	Jack Halsey
Nicholas Pryor	...	Man in Bloody White Suit / Ramsen / Ed Conklin
Patricia Charbonneau	...	Dana Martin
George Kennedy	...	Vance
Brian Brophy	...	Ellis
David Sinaiko	...	Berkovitch
Lee Arenberg	...	Sacks
Andy Wood	...	Brain Surgeon
Maud Winchester	...	Crazy Anna
Lisa Moncure	...	Board Member
Jon Kellam	...	Board Member
Willie Garson	...	Board Member
John Paxton	...	Board Member

Storyline

Dr. Rex Martin is a leading neurosurgeon specializing in the cerebral misfunctions that cause mental illnesses, whose expertise is called up by an old school chum, Jim Reston, who is now part of the mega-corporation Eunice. Reston needs Dr. Martin's help in extracting crucial data from the mind of John Halsey, once a top mathematician at Eunice, now a paranoid at the local asylum. Can Dr. Martin help both Halsey and his friend, or is he getting caught up in a corporate nightmare from which he may never escape?

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Plot Keywords:

cult film | brain surgery | female rear nudity | man wearing glasses | businessman | 

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Taglines:

From the writer of the original "Twilight Zone" comes the most terrifying film of the decade.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Roger Corman: The Official DVD Website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Paranoia

Filming Locations:

Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant - 6100 Woodley Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,627,955

Company Credits

Production Co:

Concorde Pictures, New Horizons

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Chace Surround

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In one scene, Bill Pullman screams, "don't bury me, I'm not dead yet!" This is a reference to the film The Serpent and the Rainbow, where Bill Pullman's character is researching zombification and gets buried alive. He screams the same line in that film.

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Goofs

The computer in the brain lab changes from IBM compatible type (when switched off) to Commodore Amiga (when graphics is displayed).

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Quotes

Dr. Halsey: We can't all do good, but at least do no harm.

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Connections

Edited into Starquest II (1996)

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Soundtracks

Brain Dance
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Todd Rosenthal (as Andrew Todd) and Patrick Shipstad
Drum programming by David Roberti
Performed by Martini Ranch

User Reviews

underrated movie

This is a very underrated movie that somewhat reminds you of Jacob's Ladder. The movie starts out with Bill Pullman as a doctor who studies brains and has a lab full of brains in glass bottles. Pullman is friends with Bill Paxton and Paxton is in some trouble with the corporation he works with and tries to get Pullman to help him. Pullman agrees and and he has to try and find out if a brilliant doctor, played by Bud Cort, who went and killed his family is actually insane or not. Pullman says he his insane and Paxton isn't too happy about it because Cort has some top secret information in his head and Paxton doesn't want it to ever get out. Pullman operates on him and then and the next thing Pullman knows he is in a mental ward and his entire reality starts to mess with him and he can't tell what is real and what is not. It's a great movie that should be more well known.