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Brain Damage (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Brain Damage' is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Frank Henenlotter.
Plot
After suffering a brief illness, Brian experiences a powerful and comforting hallucination. He soon discovers that he has become host to a long, phallic parasite that speaks perfect English and promises to give him a life free from worry. The hallucination was induced by a chemical injected from the parasite's mouth, through the back of Brian's neck and directly into his brain; the parasite offers a steady supply of this chemical if "you'll take me for a walk." While under the influence of the "juice," Brian is incoherent and unaware of the world around him, which allows the parasite to kill people at random and devour their brains. This forms a routine, and as Brian becomes addicted to the juice, he isolates himself from everything and everyone else in his life, which worries his girlfriend, Barbara, and his brother, Mike.
Brian awakens from his stupor long enough to learn about the murders. He is confronted by his neighbor Morris, who claims to own the parasite, called "The Aylmer," which has changed hands hundreds of times across the globe since the Middle Ages. Morris, who fed Aylmer with animal brains, warns Brian that feeding him humans will make him too strong to resist. Horrified, Brian rents a motel room to wean himself off the drug and starve Aylmer, but Aylmer gleefully informs him that his body chemistry has irrevocably changed, and that the pain of withdrawal will be too much for him to bear. Brian soon relents, now consciously attending Aylmer as he hunts for victims.
Returning to his apartment, Brian discovers that Mike and Barbara have begun a relationship; realizing that he cannot control himself or choose Aylmer's targets, Brian tries to warn them away before fleeing to the streets. Barbara follows and confronts him on the subway, where Aylmer kills her. Back at the apartment, Morris and his wife, Martha, hold Brian at gunpoint to steal Aylmer back; Aylmer attacks them. As he feeds on their brains, Brian begs for another injection of juice. Aylmer agrees, which distracts them long enough for Morris to regain consciousness, grabbing and crushing Aylmer during the injection process. This kills Aylmer and forces an overdose, leaving Brian in agony. Screaming and bleeding juice, he runs to his room, puts Morris's gun to his own head and fires.
The police arrive at the apartment building. Joined by Mike, they break down Brian's doorfinding Brian, who stares blankly with a large, glowing hole in his forehead, emanating with light and long crackles of electricity.
Cast
* Rick Hearst as Brian
* John Zacherle as voice of Aylmer[https://www.tvguide.com/movies/brain-damage/review/2000108359/ TV Guide]
* Jennifer Lowry as Barbara
* Theo Barnes as Morris
* Lucille Saint Peter as Martha
* Kevin Van Hentenryck as Man with basket
Release
'Brain Damage' was distributed theatrically in the United States by Palisades Entertainment and premiered in New York on April 15, 1988 and later released in Los Angeles on May 20, 1988. Synapse Films released it on DVD in 2007.
On May 7, 2017, Arrow Video released 'Brain Damage' on Blu-ray, along with a limited-edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with slip case and an enamel pin of the film's villain, Aylmer. It is also available on Fandor.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4jPXP0-vJQ Welcome to Gritty NYC|Now Showing on Fandor - YouTube]
Reception
In an interview with 'Fangoria', Henenlotter said that the film was initially ignored and disliked. When it was released on home video, it acquired a cult following, and his later films were compared to it.
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 67% of fifteen surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.20/10. Walter Goodman of 'The New York Times' called it a "brainless movie" with poor special effects and bad acting. Leonard Klady of the 'Los Angeles Times' wrote, "It's a veritable crazy quilt of ideas that manages to engage our attention while our heads continue to dart away from the shocking images on screen." Metacritic gave it a score of 61.[https://www.metacritic.com/movie/brain-damage Metacritic]
See also
*List of films featuring hallucinogens
References
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