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Brian awakens one evening to find blood all over his bed and a woozy feeling in his head. He soon experiences hallucinations, and discovers their source: a parasitic creature named Aylmer (looking like one of the phallic-turd parasites in Cronenberg’s Shivers, but with a face) who has abandoned an old couple in a nearby apartment and snuck into Brian’s room, looking for a new host. Aylmer secretes a blue fluid that produces hallucinations and euphoria when injected straight into someone’s brain. Aylmer himself needs to eat brains in order to survive, and so he has been kicking about for the better part of human history finding hosts that will lead him to brains in exchange for the addictive fluid. When the hooked Brian realizes his predicament, he struggles against Aylmer—but is it too late?
Basket Case director Frank Henenlotter gives us another boy-and-his-monster movie, this time much slicker-looking and with a serious subtext: the perils of drug addiction, transposed to science fiction/horror terms—in this respect, it’s a great double bill with Larry Cohen’s The Stuff. But he hasn’t just made a propaganda film for Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” crusade; it’s full of splattery dark humor, sure to alienate those looking for a straightforward anti-drug message, and hallucination sequences that may leave some viewers looking for their own Aylmer. The little parasite talks with a charming and cajoling voice (apparently provided by uncredited horror show host Zacherly) reminiscent of the voice of the talking freebase pipe Richard Pryor used for a routine in Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip. The shots of Aylmer opening wide and extruding a needle-like appendage to inject his fluid into Brian’s brain may seem a bit repetitive for some, but otherwise there is little to complain about in Brain Damage. The infamous “blow job” scene is itself worth the price of rental (or even purchase).
Released (appropriately) by Synapse Films, Brain Damage is a classic of gore comedy, with a great performance by Rick Herbst and a serious message that never gets in the way of the fun. I’m very pleased to hear that Henenlotter is back in action this year with Bad Biology, but one can’t go wrong with any of his earlier films.
