Brain Damage (1988)

...not that I ever felt it was flagging, but sometimes, I guess I just need to be reminded how grim and dull life would be without these films. While I suppose the 70s might be the decade I gravitate to most when it comes to horror- and related pictures, when 80s horror is on, it's pretty goddamn on. I think it's because there is an increasing amount of self-awareness and conscious use of tropes in the films, but it's done in a way that isn't often smug or irritating, as brought about by Scream and its ilk in the '90s.What we have here is a classic in 80s horror cinema with a really dark and disturbing undercurrent, but also elements of humour and fun. The two work together in a way that's ingenious and sometimes leaves you not quite sure if you should be laughing or disgusted. I think that's the sign of a job well done. What's more, the lead character, a boy named Brian (check out the cool posters on his wall!), is really identifiable to some of us. Specifically, anyone who's got an addictive personality or spent time battling an addiction will probably feel twinges of sympathy and connection with this film and its unfortunate protagonist. Of course, there ain't no drug on earth that can produce these results, and we should probably be thankful for that. It's like LSD, cocaine and heroin all in one, somehow. The downward spiral of Brian, a real innocent when the film starts, is frightening to behold. It all happens rather quickly and i can say that not a second of time in this film is wasted. The drug itself is produced by a parasitic creature that eats brains. Its' intelligent, devious, and -- very possibly trapped in its own cycle of something similar to the addiction of its human host. It also has the voice of a friendly grandpa, or maybe a teddy bear, and looks like a disgusting, diseased penis or something. The juxtaposition of the appearance of the thing along with that warm, bubbly voice is one of the film's most disconcerting, and, I must say, genius, elements. As my girlfriend said when we were watching this, "that thing has no right to talk with a voice like that!" And just wait til it starts singing! Oi!Don't show this to people who are tripping. They might lose their minds. The visuals can be quite psychedelic, though, and again, juxtaposed with some pretty vile imagery that will make certain people feel queasy and uncomfortable. Our poor man Brian is mostly oblivious to the mayhem he is causing. When he finally realises that people are dying horibly to feed his addiction, he vows to take control, to "call the shots" from now on, but of course, in the end it's too much for him. This conversation with Aylmer (the creature) was eerily familiar to me, as I've heard people make the same sort of vows to themselves, and others, over the years. Tragic.And of course, it's not at all wall-to-wall grimness; there is quite a bit of humour here and I must say that it all works pretty well. The scene in the Hell club is priceless; like a twisted scene from a bad porn film. Cool 80s new-wave music, too. Unfortunately the score itself is kind of bad, but hey, I won't knock it for that. I guess the acting is also a bit spotty in places. I didn't care for the girlfriend character much or the actor, and I can't say I was sorry to see her meet a grisly feat at the ... "hands?" ... of the creature.This is a great movie that basically does everything right. Even though the underlying subject is more serious in a way, I could place this alongside Return of the Living Dead in a category of gruesome but fun 80s horror films with lots of personality. Give it a try. Come on! What've you got to lose! It'll feel great!

This film is totally insane. It is so crazy that it is amazing. Everything is so extreme. This is like David Cronenberg on acid. Not that I've done acid but I think that I have a good idea what it is like after watching this movie. This had everything that I like in a film. It is just so over-the-top. This is made with zero-budget but that is what is so good about it - they didn't try anything that they couldn't. Perfect insane movie. Utterly nuts. It is so funny because it is so insane. Seriously entertaining.

Original and entertaining story, but once again tragicomic realization. Production is so bad that it hurts. The impression is that movie is not made by professionals at all, but by random group of horror fans. Still, as bad as it is, I must acknowledge its originality and strong drug addiction message. I'm not sure if whole movie is intentionally made as drug addiction metaphor, but it's there.5,5/10For me, the best scene in the movie is probably the most bizarre scene of "oral sex" in history of cinematography. You can find it on YouTube.

Tackling biological body-shock horror with a deliciously dark sense of humour and a bucket or two of low-budget gore, director Frank Henenlotter is—in my opinion—the David Cronenberg of schlock cinema.Like his better known Canadian counterpart, Henenlotter has dealt with deadly twins, the darker side of sexuality, parasitic creatures, and the hidden powers of the mind. But Whereas Cronenberg's output tends to be sober in tone, Henenlotter's movies are garish slices of demented fun—full of OTT splatter, sleazy characters, and moments of sheer lunacy.Brain Damage stars Rick Hearst as the unfortunate Brian, who wakes up one morning to discover that he has become host to a charismatic worm-like creature by the name of Elmer, who can deliver a euphoric high by injecting the brain with a highly addictive hallucinogenic liquid known as 'juice'. In return for these blasts of sheer bliss, the parasitic pusher merely asks to be fed—with human brains! Trippy visuals and outrageous gore scenes ensue, as a progressively messed up Brian lurches around New York, unwittingly providing his phallic pal with the nourishment he desires.As an allegory of the destructive effects of drug abuse, Brain Damage is effective stuff: despite their best efforts, Brian's nearest and dearest are unable to save him from the inevitable—an overdose that results in him blowing his mind (literally). And as an exercise in gross out visuals and bad taste gags, it's even better, delivering some incredible gory effects and enjoyably crass moments, the best bit being the oft-mentioned blow-job scene which sees an eager young woman accidentally giving head to Elmer, who proceeds to snack on her brains.Elmer himself is primarily achieved through puppetry and stop motion animation, although later scenes on a subway train see him briefly rendered via traditional animation; these effects vary in quality, from the passable to the rather shocking, but the character itself is so endearing that it is fairly easy to forgive his sometimes crude execution (Henenlotter managed the same trick with Belial in his superb debut Basket Case—a badly sculpted lump of rubber, but one with imbued with a well defined personality).