BRAIN DAMAGE
US, 1988, 85 minutes, Colour.
Rick Herbst, Gordon Mc Donald, Jennifer Lowry.
Directed by Frank Hennenlotter.
Brain Damage is a odd ball small budget science fiction film, a parable about drug addiction in contemporary society. It was written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, the director of a similar odd cult movie, Basket Case (and its less successful sequel, Basket Case II). On low budget sets with an unknown cast, and with some very basic animation and special effects, especially for the monster Elma (who likes the song Elmer's Tune), Henenlotter nevertheless creates a believable world, characters caught up in strange experiences and having to deal with them.
The fact that the film is seen to be small budget and working with tongue in cheek, works to its advantage in audiences accepting the characters, the situations, the dead pan dialogue and the amoral morality play.
1. The status of the film as a cult movie? The work of the director? expectations for this kind of small budget, stylised horror film, using genre and conventions and assuming that audiences understand and accept these?
2. The city setting, the apartment block, the city streets, the nightclub, the old car lot? authentic atmosphere? The special effects, especially for Elmer and his brutality? The psychedelic effects, Brian's brain, the lights? The musical score?
3. The title and its focus on the human brain, the effects of the drugs?
4. The professor and his wife, cultivating Elmer, feeding the monster with human brains? The professors long explanation of Elmer and history, from earliest times to the Nazi regime? The loss of Elmer, the search? The professor and his wife finally finding Elmer and their being destroyed?
5. Brian the ordinary common nice young man - victim? Elmer coming into his room, the bath, getting into Brian transforming his brain? Psychedelic highs and addiction? Brian and his relationship with his brother, with Barbara? His not wanting to go out, Elmer talking to him, fastening onto his brain? The murder of the guard in the car lot? The visit to the nightclub, the frantic dancing, the vicious murder of the girl? Elmer and his closeness to Brian, using him to feed? Brian and his not knowing what was going on, told by Elmer being horrified at the murders and the blood? His wanting to keep away from Michael and Barbara? Not wanting to hurt them? Elmer pursuing him? The confrontation with the professor and his wife? The final control? Brian as the innocent victim, affected in the brain, his trying to help Elmer and going to the apartment block to get people for him to feed on, the shower block, the toilet? Horrified at what he had done, trying to get off the addiction?
6. Michael, his relationship with Brian? Barbara? Going out together, the sexual relationship, bewilderment at Brian's behaviour?
7. The victims of Elmer, the car lot guard, the girl picking Brian up, the characters in the apartment block? 8. The special effects and the horror techniques? Done with tongue in cheek spoof style? The basic message of the film via the horror techniques?
