Review – ‘Brain Damage’ (1988)

Again, I’m watching with Joe Bob so that immediately makes any film much much better. Although, even without his commentary, I did actually really enjoy this one! A film about a guy who becomes attached (literally) to a brain injecting, phallus-shaped, showtune-singing brain parasite named Elmer (or Aylmer).

The film is quite clearly anti-drug, every time our main guy (Brian) gets a hit from Elmer, it sends him into a colourful LSD trip which creates a dependency on Elmer, who will only provide him the good stuff if he gets human brains to feast on. While the majority of the film is played for laughs, there are actually some genuine moments where I did feel sympathetic to Brain and his addiction, especially in one scene where he is paralleled with a homeless drunk. The homeless man cries as he drinks his liquor, with Brian in the background, reduced to pure pleasure by Elmer. There is a haunting reality to the scene, and if you replaced Elmer with a needle, the film would have a sinister and depressing tone.

While the film’s message is, shockingly quite serious, the way the film plays out is not. I watched with my girlfriend and her friend and we had a blast. Some of the acting is not fantastic, especially the over dramatic elderly Jewish couple searching for their pet brain, but this just makes the experience all the better.

The effects are gruesome, especially that one scene in the alley behind a nightclub… which is definitely one of the weirdest scenes I’ve seen. The star of the show is the scene between Elmer and Bran trapped in the hotel room together, the sheer brilliance and hilarity of this scene overshadows the whole film.

Elmer is a great villain, his charming British accent is just too good not to laugh at, and when he starts singing you can’t help but smile. The puppetry is actually pretty good as well, Elmer feels alive and that’s what makes it so good.

I’d watch this with a few friends, some beers and some snacks, you’ll have a good time, trust me.

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