The Man With The
Screaming Brain (Cable Telefilm)
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: C+ Telefilm: C+
Actor Bruce Campbell has decided to take permanent
residence in the darkly comic side of the Horror genre. His three Evil Dead films to date and
cult successes like Bubba Ho Tep (reviewed elsewhere on this site) so
why not see what else one can do with it.
The Man With The Screaming Brain (2004) has the same slightly
jokey, slightly silly overacting that we have seen too often in productions
that think they are doing retro revivals of genre classics from the 1950s up to
the early 1970s. That has become an
annoying cycle of bad programming and this is no exception. More could have been done here, but
unfortunately it once again does not do anything more and if this was the
point, it is the only one and it is tired.
Settling for mediocrity, one man is killed and the Soviet
KGB (yes, this is set in the past) is involved. Talking an awkward page from Re-Animator, a mad scientist
sue their “weird science” to revive evil industrialist Campbell and the “fun”
beings. The film and the back of the
case try to imply that it makes some kind of statement about Soviet Communism
vs. American Capitalism, but it is 15 years too late and never that
ambitious. Campbell also co-wrote and
directed this project, but is more interested in hamming it up all over the
place, getting his cast to match this and still have a good film. At best, it is an interesting failure.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.77 X 1 image originated on
digital High Definition video of some kind and the tradedown on to this disc
has detail limits, hazing especially when people move and a color poorness that
is boring. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is
barely distinct enough form Pro Logic to have any punch or involve the viewer,
but then this is a cable project.
Extras include a trailer, two featurettes, brief behind the scenes,
audio commentary with Campbell and Producer David M. Goodman, comic book
gallery, storyboard gallery, and text bio of Campbell himself. Easily, this is for fans only.
- Nicholas Sheffo
