The Brain (1988)
"Mind over matter."
Plot
Dr Anthony Blakely runs a local self-help television show called "Independent Thinking" which attracts a devoted audience and is in talks to go worldwide. But he's not actually making his viewers think more independently - he's brainwashing and mind-controlling them with the help of an alien organism he calls The Brain. It is up to local tearaway youth Jim Majelewski to stop them.
The Brain is a strange and daft low budget sci-fi horror that could only have been dreamt up in the 80s, an era where seemingly anyone with an outrageous idea and a bit of cash could make a movie that could go straight to home video and capitalise on the boom. Video store shelves were full of cheap and nasty horror films which enticed their audiences with lurid artwork and shocking tag lines and etched themselves into the minds of kids not old enough to take them home. Then when you did get old enough to watch them, you realised that you had not been missing out on anything. In fact you're probably thanking a higher power that you were saved from wasting ninety minutes of your childhood. Sadly this is not ninety minutes that you'll get back as an adult after watching The Brain.
For as terrible as The Brain is, I can't see why this isn't more of a cult favourite. Surely, the lure of a giant tentacle-spewing, human-eating brain with razor-sharp teeth, bulging eyes and a spinal cord hanging down behind it would attract any horror fan to the table? Yet this film has never seen a blu-ray or DVD release in the UK (at time of writing), is impossible-as-hell to track down on VHS (though I did manage to obtain an American copy) and is about as obscure a film as I've ever written a review for (as an added note to my original review - this is now avaible on Prime!). Why is something like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes such a cult favourite when a man-eating brain makes for a much more interesting synopsis? With a very definite Cronenberg-esque flavour to it, this Canadian low budget offering seems to have been the perfect candidate for a bigger following.
The sight of a giant brain is not something you see very often in the cinema world. I can think of The Brain from Planet Arous as an early example and there are a few other 50s sci-fi films with 'brain' in their titles but the 'giant brain' genre has been few and far between since then. There is a big reason for this: killer brains don't exactly send chills down the spine. Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would testify to that sentiment! But in an era of schlocky creature features, the sight of a killer brain does stand out from the pack. The brain looks as stupid or as terrifying as you'd expect it to. In a time before computers did all of the fancy special effects, it was down to teams of make-up effects guys to create monsters and the brain is every inch a latex marvel, oozing with slime and gnashing its teeth constantly looking for food. It looks like the ridiculous special effect it is in later scenes as its massive head is clearly being pushed around on a cart or trolley. But in the same manner, it also looks horrific - a nightmarish creation which is bathed in strobe lighting whenever it appears. A lot of work has gone into creating the brain which is to be applauded for such a low rent film. You've definitely got to get on board and embrace the idea of a giant brain in order to enjoy it.
As for the film itself, it's a rather random mix of ideas from Videodrome and A Nightmare on Elm Street and the entire film consists of scenes of our heroic teen characters being chased around the boiler rooms and through the woods from Blakely's bearded assistant and the police, with a few nightmarish dream sequences scattered around for good measure. The dream sequences, particularly the first one, work quite well given the low budget special effects but look to have been included for gimmick purposes rather than any real attempt to scare. That pretty much wraps up the narrative - no attempt is made to build any mystery up around it, nor give the brain an origin story. The rest of the film is basically a series of "what the hell just happened?" sort of moments where you'll have to double check the absurdity of the sights you've just seen and repetitive chase scenes as the characters play hide and seek around the facility. The great thing is that everyone seems to be trying to make a serious film - there is no hint of tongue-in-cheek at all = and so the events become even more surreal.
David Gale should be familiar to horror fans as Dr Carl Hill from Re-Animator amongst other low brow 80s horror efforts. He lends his crazed over-the-top antics to another mad scientist role in this one as the man trying to take over the world with the help of the brain. There is a throwaway nod to Re-Animator in here for die-hard fans to take note of. He's the best thing about the cast by a country mile and really lifts the film with his quite sinister presence - none of the younger cast make any impressions, although George Buza as the burly orderly has a few notable moments.
Final Verdict
I didn't think I could write a review and use the phrase 'giant brain' so much but there you have it. The Brain is a cheap schlock horror film about a giant brain - if that premise alone will satisfy your curiosity then watch it and regret it later. For cultured film fans, use your own brains and stay well clear.
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The Brain Director(s): Ed Hunt Writer(s): Barry Pearson (screenplay) Actor(s): Tom Bresnahan, Cynthia Preston, David Gale, George Buza, Bret Pearson, Christine Kossak, Bernice Quiggan, Susannah Hoffmann Duration: 94 mins |  |
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