The gross out over-the-top exploitation
horror comedy never truly announced itself until the 1980s when directors such
as Sam Raimi, Joe Dante, Peter Jackson and Larry Cohen. One director who seemingly remained under the
radar outside of cult cinephile circles is Frank Henenlotter, an American
writer-director and film historian devoted to rescuing and paying homage to
exploitation and sexploitation films through the 1960s and 70s. One of the key figures behind the video
releasing outfit, Something Weird Video,
Henenlotter is that gifted exploitation horror comedian the likes of Lloyd
Kaufman can only aspire to be.
Working within the
limitations of the low budget B-movie shocker, Henenlotter’s sharp and
transgressive sense of humor first gained attention with his 1982 horror comedy
Basket Case about an ordinary man who
carries his deformed twin brother with him in a wicker basket. Despite the film’s success, Henenlotter
wouldn’t secure financing for his next project for six years before unleashing
the equally outrageous if not funnier companion piece of sorts to his debut, Brain Damage. A loose take on Faust which inevitably inspired Bruce Robinson’s How to Get Ahead in Advertising a year
later, the film concerns a talking leech-like parasite named Elmer who attaches
itself to human hosts to feed on human brains while transforming his hosts into
hallucinating addicts by injecting a blue fluid into their brain.
Mixing the absurd and corny
with some still provocative moments that were excised initially to avoid an X
rating (restored to this Arrow blu-ray however), Brain Damage might be the funniest exploitation horror comedy
loaded with perverse moments of raw sexuality and gross-outs tugging at the gag
reflex since Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator. Part of the film’s success is that for all of
the ludicrousness, Brain Damage is a
sharply written and edited surreal black comedy with well-drawn characters as
opposed to throwaway stereotypes. While
we’re aware of the film’s parasite clearly being moved around on monofilament wire,
the voice work by John Zacherle provides what would otherwise be just another
goofy prop with an identifiable and even charming personality.
Against a low budget, Brain Damage is an inspired and often
colorful little number which clearly laid the groundwork for films like Motivational Growth with Jeffrey Combs’
talking mold while finding it’s own footing in a genre that’s often disregarded
as otherwise cheap trash. Well shot by
cinematographer Bruce Torbet who milks in the heavy neon blues and reds every
chance he can with Basket Case composer
Gus Russo returning to the synthesized music chair, Brain Damage is an overt drive-in cult classic with a head on it’s
shoulders and oozing with character. Very
clearly this isn’t for everyone, as it does indeed contain some bona-fide
moments of pure shock, but for what could have been just another cheapie
creature feature, Henenlotter’s Brain
Damage is one of the very best to emerge from the 1980s!
Score:
- Andrew Kotwicki