Wait, wait, let me get this straight… there’s a Frank Henenlotter movie I’ve never seen? How can this be! Thankfully, Brain Damage will complete the set of features from this particular director – barring some latter documentary work – who would surely be one my all-time favourites. While many people do try and deliver the mix of creature feature and horror-comedy that Henenlotter has delivered so well since 1982’s Basket Case, few have ultimately achieved it with this success in my opinion. I’m a hard man to please where it comes to this sort of thing – it can really leave me cold at times, so to have produced this many entertaining films that I’ve consistently enjoyed is no small feat. So, let’s complete the sextet with our look at Brain Damage, shall we… Brain Damage is the story of Brian (Brian Damage, perhaps?), a young man who one night finds himself visited by a strange little creature called Elmer, or officially Aylmer as we come to discover later. Elmer is best described as a sort of intergalactic worm creature, and while he might not be much to look at, he does have one special skill – attaching himself to a host and giving them incredible, euphoric visions of the world with enhanced sensations of pleasure. Of course, there has to be a catch, and sadly it’s that Elmer requires plenty of human brains to feast upon – which he can happily get while living symbiotically off Brian… It’s fair to say that Henenlotter has always had a certain style, a definitive approach to his movies, and Brain Damage follows much of the same. There’s plenty of scenes that are pretty shocking and surprising, and our lead character is very much led around by his addiction to the ‘juice’ that Elmer can provide. There’s even a phase where he tries to go without, but sadly the addiction is just too much for him to handle. The lead performance from Rick Hearst is really likeable, and the over-the-top voice acting for Elmer is often a stitch. The visions of an overbright world presented are fun to look at, and there’s enough of a subplot with Brian’s relationship with Barbara to keep it sufficiently grounded to enjoy. The ending was… weird, in a word, and I’m still not totally sure what to make of it. But it didn’t jar or really put a dent in my enjoyment, so I guess weird is OK in this instance. Henenlotter is a director who probably never set out to expand your mind or see the world in a different light (although out lead character certainly does here). But I’d certainly suggest any avid horror fan – especially those who like things a touch silly and a little excessive – should go and check his work out. To my mind he’s an underrated figure in the genre – many directors have a hit or two and fade away, or have a distinctly hit and miss career, but every film of the six from these quarters has made me laugh, made me smile and kept my attention all the way through despite me sometimes having a natural aversion to this approach to horror. Honestly, this might not be a bad place to start with Henenlotter – it’s a nice little standalone, and if you’re into this one then the other five will be worth your time. If this isn’t your bag, then odds are the remainder won’t be either – it’s about as simple as that. RATING: 8/10. Well, there’s no more Henenlotters after this one, which makes it a sad day. Brain Damage shares much in common with the director’s other work, in that I had a blast watching it and feel like I’ll always have a positive feeling towards it. I can see this (and some of the others) being rewatched in time as they were just a lot of fun, and a bit of familiarity with them won’t do anything to hinder that at all. This one has some solid special effects, a share of funny moments and just about enough of a plot to keep the whole things sustained for its 84 minute runtime. And it’s available to watch on Shudder if you fancied checking it out for yourself! TODAY ON THE GINGER NUTS OF HORROR WEBSITE [BOOK REVIEW] |
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