Brain Damage

Six years after “Basket Case” (1982), Frank Henenlotter returns with a new tale centered on the dramatic vicissitudes of a young man who falls victim to a cruel, dismal reality. This time the underlying themes range from marginalization caused by diversity to the tragic consequences of drug addiction. In fact, the film reads as a not-so-subtle allegory on the detrimental effects caused by a wave of synthetic drugs that swept through the Western world during the latter half of the 1980s.

With a customary blend of gory horror and caustic black humor, we watch the pernicious process unfold step by step:

1. The seductive promises of a better existence (“From now on, your life will take on a whole new light. And all you have to do is look into the light and listen. Listen to the light, Brian” and “Part of my talent, Brian, is to spare you any unpleasantness“).
2. His initial symptoms of addiction and the resultant need for more of the fluid.
3. His vain attempts to detox.
4. His final overdose.

Compared to the earlier “Basket Case” – infused with some amusingly campy banter – Henenlotter’s direction is clearly more mature and attentive here, and the blood-drenched special effects are more convincing.

A great little cult film that no true collector should be without.