Brain
Damage (1988/MVD Visual/Arrow Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: B+ Film: C+
Frank
Henenlotter, the man behind Basket Case, goes down an weirder
rabbit hole with Brain Damage (1988) that is now available in
this very impressive two disc set packed with extras from our friends
at Arrow. In all honesty, Brain Damage should be shown as a
drug PSA, as it is at its core a movie about addiction and how it
overcomes people. The film is also quite gory and while some of its
effects are a bit outdated, it still carries a weird charm to it that
makes it a fun cult movie. The film is also oddly similar to Idle
Hands, another film that was reviewed recently on this site.
Brain
Damage stars TV horror host John Zacherley as the voice of Elmer
along with Rick Hearst, Jennifer Lowry, and Theo Barnes.
When
Brian (Hearst) encounters a bizarre talking slug-like parasite named
Elmer, he soon becomes a slave to the liquid drug that Elmer induces
inside of him. While Brian is getting high out of his mind off of
Elmer's fluids and see bizarre visions of color, Elmer is viciously
attacking and sucking the brains out of people using Brian as a
vessel. Soon, Brian's friends and girlfriend start to worry about
him as he becomes hopelessly addicted and under the control of this
bizarre being. Elmer's previous owners are looking for him too, and
aren't afraid to kill in order to get him back!
The
film is presented in High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and
anamorphically enhanced Standard Definition DVD with a widescreen
aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and the Original Mono and 5.1 DTS-HD MA
(Master Audio) lossless surround audio options. The presentation
here is really quite nice and a little too clear at some points in
that it shows some bad special effects flaws in some sequences. The
colors are very contrasty and the print looks fresh and new. This is
defiantly the best the film has ever looked!
Special
Features include:
Isolated
Score
Brand
new audio commentary by writer-director Frank Henenlotter
Listen
to the Light: The Making of Brain Damage - brand new documentary
featuring interviews with actor Rick Herbst, producer Edgar Ievins,
editor James Kwei, first assistant director Gregory Lamberson, visual
effects supervisor Al Magliochetti and makeup artist Dan Frye
The
Effects of Brain Damage - FX artist and creator of ''Elmer'' Gabe
Bartalos looks back at his iconic effects work on the film
Animating
Elmer - featurette looking at the contributions of visual effects
supervisor Al Magliochetti
Karen
Ogle: A Look Back - stills photographer, script supervisor and
assistant editor Karen Ogle recalls her fond memories of working on
Brain Damage
Elmer's
Turf: The NYC Locations of Brain Damage - featurette revisiting
the film's original shooting locations
Tasty
Memories: A Brain Damage Obsession - an interview with superfan
Adam Skinner
Brain
Damage Q&A with Frank Henenlotter recorded at the 2016 Offscreen
Film Festival
Image
Galleries
Original
Theatrical Trailer
Bygone
Behemoth - animated short by Harry Chaskin, featuring a brief
appearance by John Zacherle in his final onscreen credit
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
Limited
Edition O-card with exclusive artwork
Collector's
Booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Gingold, illustrated
with original archive stills and posters.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
