Brain Damage (1988)
Directed by Frank Henenlotter
Bat shit crazy horror always cracks me up. Basket Case was crazy enough then I had the chance to see Brain Damage, same director, same crazy shit. Again I went to the Joe Bob’s Last Drive In well, I could’ve watched this on Tubi but I needed that Joe Bob charm.
Brain Damage is about a guy named Brian that meets a small creature named Elmer that in exchange for a euphoric/psychedelic state of happiness demands human victims. Basically Elmer is a parasite that injects the host with a drug but has a savage appetite for brains. It is as crazy as it sounds. Elmer is of course stop motion puppetry which is always amazing. His voice is done by classic horror host Zacherley, and just kind of fits perfectly. Slowly Elmer starts controlling Brian and his life ends up in shambles.
The acting is actually quite solid. Rick Hearst as Brian does an amazing job, he’s charming but kind of a dick at times. You end up feeling bad for him because he basically is a drug addict, his drug just happens to be a strange creature that injects into his spinal cord. The other characters really don’t matter much, and that is ok. Brian slowly detaches from his life, his girlfriend and his brother. He basically pushes her into his brother’s arms.
The special effects are great, of course. There are some gruesome scenes with Elmer feeding on brains right through the forehead, which is crazy. That isn’t the craziest part though. What is the craziest one? Well, Brian is at a nightclub dancing, a girl hits on him and they dance. She then takes him into an alley and wants to blow him, she unzips his pants when Elmer jumps out and goes into her mouth. Then Brian pulls her head towards him and she’s basically going down on the snake like Elmer, which is hilarious and disturbing. I legit laughed out loud and said “what the hell”, it was the highlight of the movie for sure.
Brain Damage is that perfect level of cheese mixed with crazy moments, laughs and gore. Basket Case is on the same level so if you enjoyed that classic you’ll love this. The acting is quite decent and the creature effects are fun. I give Brain Damage a B. I’m not sure how many times I’ll watch this but I was really entertained.
