Tuesday, October 25, 2011

VHS HALLOWEEN - DAY TWENTY-FOUR: BRAIN DAMAGE (PARAMOUNT - 1988)

There are many janky flicks that promise log jams down the soupy canals of psychedelia, but Frank Henenlotter's "Brain Damage" is one of the few that actually feels like it was conceived on drugs. Brian is your average, dead-end dope who routinely gets his nuts treated like a door mat by his bitch girlfriend. But all that changes when he shacks up with a parasitic creature known simply as Aylmer. Not that the reality of his situation changes, but rather Aylmer has something that just makes Brian's life easier. Both have needs, and together they fulfill them. Aylmer requires a steady diet of brains. Meanwhile, Brian's life is a total bummer and he is in desperate need of an escape. Naturally, Brian provides henchman like services so that Aylmer can feed. In return, Aylmer hooks Brian up with a sweet and highly addictive narcotic that makes all the bullshit not matter. Really, in much the same tradition of Henenlotter's fantastic "Basket Case," this is a buddy picture. In fact, the artistically versatile Kevin Van Hentenryck even makes a brief cameo as Duane Bradley at one point. Truly, this is a film for all holidays. See it. Study it. Obey it.

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