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Brain Damage (Frank Henenlotter 1988)
Frank Henenlotter is best known for his 1982 no budget offbeat horror flick Basket Case, the story of a boy who keeps his deformed siamese twin in a picnic hamper. Since then he's stuck firmly to the horror genre, with (my personal favourite) the hilarious Frankenhooker (1990), and two duff sequels, Basket Case 2 (1990), and Basket Case 3: The Progeny (1992). Brain Damage was Henenlotter's belated follow up to his original cult hit, and like most of his movies he wrote the screenplay, and edited the film himself.
In the film we follow Brian (Rick Hearst) whose eccentric elderly neighbours Morris and Martha (Theo Barnes & Lucille Saint-Peter) keep a strange unseen pet called Elmer in their bath. We know he's strange because they like to feed him brains (complete with sprigs of parsley) from the local butchers. Naturally Elmer goes missing, much to the dismay of Martha who has Morris turn the apartment upside down looking for him. Enter Brian who whilst lying on his bed experiences (in the words of Rimmer from Red Dwarf) what can only be described as a voyage to trip out city. The next day he awakens to find that Elmer (a parasitic over sized truffle voiced by John Zacherle) has taken up residence on his person. Elmer (or Aylmer) is able to deliver 'Juice' a powerful psychotropic drug directly to Brian's brain, resulting in euphoric halucinations. Brian quickly discovers however that the drug doesn't come free, as Elmer needs human brains as sustenance, and regularly offs unsuspecting members of the public whilst Brian is stoned. Horrified Brian tries to take control of Elmer, but soon realizes he's desperately addicted to the 'juice', and nothing more than a junkie chasing his next fix...
Brain Damage is easily Henenlotter's best film (which probably isn't saying much), certainly more interesting and technically proficient than Basket Case. The cast are all good here, in particular Hearst who really convinces as the strung out addict losing his mind. There's also a rather nice 80's electronic soundtrack giving the film a dreamy ambient atmosphere, plus a decent nightclub sequence featuring The Swimming Pool Cues playing their song 'Corrosion'. Henenlotter himself described the film as a cross between Roger Corman's The Trip (1967), and William Castle's The Tingler (1959), which is certainly a fair comparison. In reality though you could be forgiven for viewing the film as a second rate cross between David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975) and Videodrome (1983).
Where Brain Damage falls down is in the hallucination sequences which are disappointingly underwhelming. Whether due to lack of budget, or simply imagination, what are supposed to be the films crowning glory never rise above generic 80's pop video imagery. It's a shame that Henenlotter seemingly put most of his energy into the films gore sequences, the nastiest of which were heavily censored on the films initial release (most notably a scene involving felacio, now restored to the Synapse dvd). With that said however, Brain Damage still effectively conveys its anti drugs message, and remains watchable (if uneven in tone) throughout. I'd even go as far as to recommend this film to fans of the genre looking for something a little different. Look out for Kevin Van Hentenryck (Dwayne from the Basket Case films) who cameos with his basket in the subway sequence.
Trash rating
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I own this on DVD, but never finished it.
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100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED
100 Favourites From The Future: REWIRED
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I know you've got some more of these gems for us UF. I have been digging on a few of these in the last few weeks.
We've caught Cherry 2000 (which was an absolute hoot!), Galaxy of Terror and Humanoids From the Deep. We really enjoyed all three. Don't keep me hanging dude I need more of these.
We've caught Cherry 2000 (which was an absolute hoot!), Galaxy of Terror and Humanoids From the Deep. We really enjoyed all three. Don't keep me hanging dude I need more of these.
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Scarecrows (William Wesley 1988) Trash rating +
Written directed and edited by first timer William Wesley, Scarecrows flew under pretty much everyone's radar on its initial release back in 1988. Unsurprisingly Wesley has since made just one other film, the forgettable 2001 horror Route 666 starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Lori Petty. Scarecrows on the other hand has slowly attracted a small but loyal cult following over the years amongst fans of low budget horror. The film has a reputation for having an incredibly tense atmosphere, creepy sense of visual style, and very graphic but sparingly used gore effects. Perhaps most intriguing however is the claim by many that Scarecrows is the best of the (hardly prolific) 'killer scarecrow' horror sub-genre. I'd certainly go along with that, but seen as it's the only 'killer scarecrow' movie I've ever seen then 'that' isn't really saying much.
My first encounter with Scarecrows was on video back in the mid nineties. I vaguely remember being hung over at a friends flat one Sunday afternoon and us renting it out as a double bill with J.S. Cardone's Shadowzone. My memory of the film is equally vague; there wasn't any gore (usually important when you're nineteen years old), and the picture was extremely dark making it hard to see the action. I do remember preferring Shadowzone, but I digress; what I'm pertaining to is that it was almost certainly a censored version of the film. Although never officially trimmed by the BBFC the print submitted to them would most likely have been a pre-cut R rated version. As a result my interest in Scarecrows was only recently reignited after reading of an unrated Region 1 dvd release (shown above) with an excellent (lightened) picture transfer.
Set entirely at night, the film's plot concerns a group of ex-military criminals who, after a robbery, take an aircraft pilot and his daughter hostage forcing him to fly them to Mexico. En route however the gang are double crossed by one of their number who bails out with the money over remote farmland. Forced to give chase the heavily armed bunch land nearby deciding to head through the fields to a deserted farmhouse. Along the way they notice sinister looking scarecrows littering the landscape but casually think nothing of it. Eventually they catch up to the traitor but he seems oddly detached and unconcerned despite their threats of retribution. Only when team members begin to go missing do they speculate on what could be hunting them in such an isolated area...
With such a great premise for an action/horror film, and considering some of the favorable reviews Scarecrows has garnered from horror buffs over the years; I was quite prepared to discount my initial viewing experience and embrace it as a forgotten classic. Unfortunately whilst I enjoyed the movie on a basic aesthetic level, I found the overall execution often painfully dumb (especially the dialogue) and uneventful. This instantly became apparent in the opening fifteen minutes which are taken up entirely by the gang's plane circling over fields looking for their escaped colleague. I just couldn't bring myself to overlook stupid details like them able to spot a man dressed in black from a speeding plane hundreds of feet up in the air...at night! Once the action hit terra firma things picked up slightly, the misty rural setting looked particularly creepy, and the (rarely glimpsed) scarecrows themselves appropriately intimidating. Still, I was left admiring the cool costume design and heavy artillery wondering when the action would eventually kick off. I had a similar impatient feeling when I first saw those huge guns in Aliens, but unlike Cameron's masterpiece Scarecrows only partially delivers on it's premise. Seemingly like Cameron, Wesley was also going for the same savvy mixture of suspense and balls-to-the-wall shoot em' up action; unfortunately it just doesn't work as well with bland stock characters, moderate acting, and an idiotic script that goes nowhere. When the action does finally come half way through it's extremely tense and satisfying with excellent makeup effects, and a real sense of danger. Sadly it's all too fleeting as Wesley settles into familiar stalk and slash territory for the final act, content to let his cast get picked off in all too familiar fashion.
Perhaps I'm being a little hard on a low budget film made twenty years ago with a cast of no name actors. Much of my disappointment no doubt comes as a result of reading such glowing write ups before viewing. To be fair Scarecrows is really rather good when compared with other cheap films of it's type from the period. Plus that sequence mid way through really did knock my socks off, and the scarecrows frankly, looked wicked. It just wasn't enough though. You see I know less is more, that not showing the monster is supposedly more suspenseful, but this is just one of those films that should have broken the rules.
Scarecrows (William Wesley 1988) Trash rating +
Written directed and edited by first timer William Wesley, Scarecrows flew under pretty much everyone's radar on its initial release back in 1988. Unsurprisingly Wesley has since made just one other film, the forgettable 2001 horror Route 666 starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Lori Petty. Scarecrows on the other hand has slowly attracted a small but loyal cult following over the years amongst fans of low budget horror. The film has a reputation for having an incredibly tense atmosphere, creepy sense of visual style, and very graphic but sparingly used gore effects. Perhaps most intriguing however is the claim by many that Scarecrows is the best of the (hardly prolific) 'killer scarecrow' horror sub-genre. I'd certainly go along with that, but seen as it's the only 'killer scarecrow' movie I've ever seen then 'that' isn't really saying much.
My first encounter with Scarecrows was on video back in the mid nineties. I vaguely remember being hung over at a friends flat one Sunday afternoon and us renting it out as a double bill with J.S. Cardone's Shadowzone. My memory of the film is equally vague; there wasn't any gore (usually important when you're nineteen years old), and the picture was extremely dark making it hard to see the action. I do remember preferring Shadowzone, but I digress; what I'm pertaining to is that it was almost certainly a censored version of the film. Although never officially trimmed by the BBFC the print submitted to them would most likely have been a pre-cut R rated version. As a result my interest in Scarecrows was only recently reignited after reading of an unrated Region 1 dvd release (shown above) with an excellent (lightened) picture transfer.
Set entirely at night, the film's plot concerns a group of ex-military criminals who, after a robbery, take an aircraft pilot and his daughter hostage forcing him to fly them to Mexico. En route however the gang are double crossed by one of their number who bails out with the money over remote farmland. Forced to give chase the heavily armed bunch land nearby deciding to head through the fields to a deserted farmhouse. Along the way they notice sinister looking scarecrows littering the landscape but casually think nothing of it. Eventually they catch up to the traitor but he seems oddly detached and unconcerned despite their threats of retribution. Only when team members begin to go missing do they speculate on what could be hunting them in such an isolated area...
With such a great premise for an action/horror film, and considering some of the favorable reviews Scarecrows has garnered from horror buffs over the years; I was quite prepared to discount my initial viewing experience and embrace it as a forgotten classic. Unfortunately whilst I enjoyed the movie on a basic aesthetic level, I found the overall execution often painfully dumb (especially the dialogue) and uneventful. This instantly became apparent in the opening fifteen minutes which are taken up entirely by the gang's plane circling over fields looking for their escaped colleague. I just couldn't bring myself to overlook stupid details like them able to spot a man dressed in black from a speeding plane hundreds of feet up in the air...at night! Once the action hit terra firma things picked up slightly, the misty rural setting looked particularly creepy, and the (rarely glimpsed) scarecrows themselves appropriately intimidating. Still, I was left admiring the cool costume design and heavy artillery wondering when the action would eventually kick off. I had a similar impatient feeling when I first saw those huge guns in Aliens, but unlike Cameron's masterpiece Scarecrows only partially delivers on it's premise. Seemingly like Cameron, Wesley was also going for the same savvy mixture of suspense and balls-to-the-wall shoot em' up action; unfortunately it just doesn't work as well with bland stock characters, moderate acting, and an idiotic script that goes nowhere. When the action does finally come half way through it's extremely tense and satisfying with excellent makeup effects, and a real sense of danger. Sadly it's all too fleeting as Wesley settles into familiar stalk and slash territory for the final act, content to let his cast get picked off in all too familiar fashion.
Perhaps I'm being a little hard on a low budget film made twenty years ago with a cast of no name actors. Much of my disappointment no doubt comes as a result of reading such glowing write ups before viewing. To be fair Scarecrows is really rather good when compared with other cheap films of it's type from the period. Plus that sequence mid way through really did knock my socks off, and the scarecrows frankly, looked wicked. It just wasn't enough though. You see I know less is more, that not showing the monster is supposedly more suspenseful, but this is just one of those films that should have broken the rules.
Last edited by Used Future; 06-04-09 at 06:38 PM.
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Never heard of it. Sounds pretty good to me. I'm going to see if I can track this down. Thanks buddy.
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Thanks Used, nice review of trash 
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Btw, I watched an absolutely terribly wonderful flick last night by the name of: Revanche des mortes vivantes, La or Revenge of the Living Dead Girls. Whoooo boy! Man this was something alright. I mean, it was a dubbed and edited version so overall it was quite terrible but I will definitely be on the lookout for a DVD version.
You've seen this one haven't you?
You've seen this one haven't you?
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No I've heard the title before but never seen it, sounds like my cup of tea...
...I have seen Jean Rollin's La Morte Vivanti aka The Living Dead Girl (1982) though. By the sounds of it you'll probably like that one too.
...I have seen Jean Rollin's La Morte Vivanti aka The Living Dead Girl (1982) though. By the sounds of it you'll probably like that one too.
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Yeah, I want to see that. This is the sequel. I need to get a box set or something. The only one I can find online is the terrible edited version I saw last night. I may just have to plunk down some change and buy it off Amazon or something.
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No I've heard the title before but never seen it, sounds like my cup of tea...
...I have seen Jean Rollin's La Morte Vivanti aka The Living Dead Girl (1982) though. By the sounds of it you'll probably like that one too.
...I have seen Jean Rollin's La Morte Vivanti aka The Living Dead Girl (1982) though. By the sounds of it you'll probably like that one too.
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Very nice. May need to see some of these films.
I might own a few of them.
I might own a few of them.
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Arnie Cunningham- Right up the little tramps @ss!
Arnie Cunningham - All of this because some drunk ran over that sh*tter Welch?
Arnie Cunningham- Right up the little tramps @ss!
I just finished up Dead Heat UF, my god that was great! Piscopo... what a guy.
"This could be the end of a beautiful friendship."
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Wow, finally a review of a film of a film i actually own (Scarecrows)- never thought i'd see the day. Unfortunately i've seen Route 666 as well and that blew quite hard. Thought Scarecrows was a nicely self contained little film, in that it didn't get any ideas above it's station or undermine itself by emphasising the low-budget-ness of itself. Though it still was a pretty average film, i'd agree with your ratings on that one.
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Cannibal Apocalypse aka Apocalypse Domani, Cannibals in the Streets, Invasion of the Flesh Hunters etc etc (Antonio Margheriti 1980) + Trash rating
By virtue of it's title alone Cannibal Apocalypse falls into the dreaded Italian sub-genre of 'cannibal movies'. This incredibly graphic cycle arguably began in 1972 with Umberto Lenzi's Deep River Savages, and would gain worldwide notoriety and condemnation in 1980 with Ruggero Deodato's now infamous Cannibal Holocaust - a film the director nearly went to prison for on obscenity charges. The same year Umberto Lenzi had given the world Eaten Alive! but not content to be outdone by Deodato, would subsequently deliver one of the most violent movies ever made, 1981's Cannibal Ferox aka Make them Die Slowly. What nearly all these films had in common was their sickening scenes of animal violence, and graphic depiction of torture, rape and mutilation; all offset by often cheap production values and hammy acting. Not surprisingly many Cannibal films were banned in numerous countries throughout the world, not least the UK where initially as many as ten titles - including Cannibal Apocalypse - were named as video nasties - in-fact only three were ever officially branded obscene. Yup the 70's Cannibal genre has to be one of the most reviled in cinematic history and it's not hard to see why; I'm certainly not a fan. I am a fan of Cannibal Apocalypse though, because despite the title, it has nothing in common with it's namesakes other than the fact that cannibals are involved...
Directed and co written (with Dardano Sacchetti) by Anotonio Margheriti, Cannibal Apocalypse was clearly trying to cash in on the late seventies/early eighties zombie boom made popular by George Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Lucio Fulci's even more lucrative Zombi 2 aka Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979). Marghariti, - often billed as Anthony Dawson for the US market - an experienced Italian director with a number of action and horror B-movies under his belt would place his own spin on the genre by adding a Vietnam war back story. Subsequently the film is often labeled a cross/cash-in of Francis Ford Coppola's seminal war movie Apocalypse Now (1979) and Dawn of the Dead. In reality however, Cannibal Apocalypse bears little resemblance to either and actually plays a lot more like David Cronenberg's Rabid (1977);all be it with a greater emphasis on the comic book action.
The film begins in Vietnam with Lieutenant Norman Hopper (B-movie favourite John Saxon) leading a strike force against a Viet-Cong cave system holding American P.O.W.'s. Everything looks normal until we see an injured Viet-Cong woman fall into a pit containing the prisoners who proceed to tear her apart for dinner. Finally Hopper shows up, and despite his initial revulsion, reaches into the pit regardless to drag his buddies out. Big mistake, cue closeup of Saxon's agonized expression as his buddy Charlie Bukowski - named after the American author/poet and played by Italian horror regular Giovani Lombardo Radice - takes a bite. Fast forward to post Vietnam America with Hopper complaining to his doctor of urges to bite people; followed by a visit from his insane buddy Bukowski who proceeds to wreak havok, infecting others and dragging Hopper down with him...
Despite the Vietnam themed plot Cannibal Apocalypse never makes any attempt at social commentary whatsoever. Margheriti simply set out to deliver a cheap, entertaining action/horror film, and in that much he succeeded admirably. In-fact even without the depth I found the basic premise of Vietnam veterans infected by a cannibal virus intriguingly silly fun perfectly complemented by Margheriti's comic book approach. Not only is Cannibal Apocalypse good fun, but it's overlooked and underrated good fun to boot. Margheriti is no hack having cut his teeth on Spaghetti westerns, crime thrillers and horror films in the seventies, and it pays off here with some well choreographed (and very bloody) action scenes. Even the cast are good with Saxon effortlessly portraying Hopper as someone with a gritty levelheaded humanity who can't help but slide into depravity. Radice (billed as John Morghen) an old hand at this sort of thing steals the film though. He's by turns intense, manic and comical as the crazed Bukowski; who of all the characters I've seen him play in numerous Italian exploiters is easily my favourite. Most importantly Cannibal Apocalypse is perfectly paced and hence never dull - the nail in the coffin of many a cheap B-movie - it was made by an an experienced director and it shows. There's even a satisfyingly downbeat ending to cap off the gory action, and a great disco-funk soundtrack from Alexander Blonksteiner, making this one of my favourite B-movies. In an era where the 'Grindhouse' is back in vogue, Cannibal Apocalypse is essential viewing and shouldn't be disregarded just because of it's rather suspect title.
* UK horror fans can pick up the dvd easily and at a reasonable price, although the film is cut by two seconds (a shot of a burning rat). I have the R1 edition, but can't imagine the cut affects the viewing experience.
* UK horror fans can pick up the dvd easily and at a reasonable price, although the film is cut by two seconds (a shot of a burning rat). I have the R1 edition, but can't imagine the cut affects the viewing experience.
Last edited by Used Future; 06-04-09 at 06:39 PM.
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Cool, I'm all over this bad boy. I tried to watch a couple of those "cannibal" flicks with the animal torture and I just couldn't do it. I thought I could watch anything, and I can but it was not enjoyable in the least so I turned it off. This one here sounds excellent however. Thanks again.
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Don't worry PW I don't like Cannibal films either for exactly the same reason, and would never recommend one. The ones I've seen are awfully sadistic, gratuitous and just thoroughly unpleasant to watch. I often wish Cannibal Apocalypse was called something else because although violent and gory, it's really nothing like those films at all. I hope you get to see it soon as I'm confident you'll really enjoy it
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Hell Comes To Frogtown (Donald G. Jackson & R.J. Kizer 1987) - Trash rating
Being British I don't really know that much about Rowdy Roddy Piper except that he was a big time wrestler who went on to make a few action movies - most famously John Carpenter's minor cult classic They Live (1988). Hell Comes To Frogtown was one of his first forays into what we might loosely call 'acting'. The film was directed by Donald G. Jackson & R.J. Kizer, the former having since delivered some of the worst B-movies ever made - including three awful Frogtown sequels and the imaginatively titled Lingerie Kickboxer (1998). Kizer has mainly worked as a sound editor since, though back in 1982 he was associaste producer and editing supervisor on Arron Lipstadt's underrated Sci-Fi flick Android, and in 1981 worked on special effects for John Carpenter's Escape From New York - Let's hope he wasn't responsible for that paper wall. Frogtown was written by one Randall Frakes who also worked on Jackson's 'other franchise', his Rollerblade movies. Looking at the picture above you might think this was a parody of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, though whilst the frogs may vaguely resemble Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's creations, Hell Comes To Frogtown as whole is quite different.
Being British I don't really know that much about Rowdy Roddy Piper except that he was a big time wrestler who went on to make a few action movies - most famously John Carpenter's minor cult classic They Live (1988). Hell Comes To Frogtown was one of his first forays into what we might loosely call 'acting'. The film was directed by Donald G. Jackson & R.J. Kizer, the former having since delivered some of the worst B-movies ever made - including three awful Frogtown sequels and the imaginatively titled Lingerie Kickboxer (1998). Kizer has mainly worked as a sound editor since, though back in 1982 he was associaste producer and editing supervisor on Arron Lipstadt's underrated Sci-Fi flick Android, and in 1981 worked on special effects for John Carpenter's Escape From New York - Let's hope he wasn't responsible for that paper wall. Frogtown was written by one Randall Frakes who also worked on Jackson's 'other franchise', his Rollerblade movies. Looking at the picture above you might think this was a parody of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, though whilst the frogs may vaguely resemble Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's creations, Hell Comes To Frogtown as whole is quite different.
After an amusing opening sequence involving a masked croaking gunman, we're once again told how there's been a nuclear war and the world has been ravaged leaving women in charge. Not only is there nothing left but california desert and dusty warehouses, but radiation has caused evolved mutations, and the population has been rendered infertile; all except Sam Hell (Piper looking like Steve Irwin) that is. No sooner are we introduced to our hero than he's captured by the female government who need him as a stud service. Poor Sam (or lucky depending on your outlook) is fitted with a male chastity belt doubling as a bomb set to go off should he stray more than a hundred yards from his captors. Yup Sam's crown jewels are government property and he's given a mission to locate and impregante a hareem of fertile women being held captive by mutant frogs. To help and keep him in check along the way are two female body guards, love interest Spangles (Sandahl Bergman) and tough chick Sentinella (Cec Verell) who looks like a Lara Croft prototype...
Hell Comes To Frogtown is one of those ludicrously titled 'aiming for cult status' B-movies played entirely with tongue firmly in cheek. It's incredibly cheap looking, with what appears to be a pink Morris Minor (or it's American equivalent) with an M60 mounted on top serving as Sam's main mode of transport. Locations consist of one abandoned industrial estate out in the California desert, as most of the miniscule budget was undoubtedly spent on the better than average frog makeups. But for all it's budgetary shortcomings Hell Comes to Frogtown manages to be highly watchable and charming thanks to Piper's likable on screen persona, and some witty interplay with Bergman's sexy Spangles (did I really just say that?). I loved the exploding chastity belt idea and couldn't help laughing at the thought of Hell's unmentionables orbiting the nearest planet should his mission fail. It's lowbrow stuff indeed that often verges on soft porn - there's actually no nudity save for a pair of briefly glimpsed breasts - but carried off with such verve that it's hard not to go along with the fun. The film does drag in places with action scenes a little too few and far between, but such is the chemistry between Piper, Bergman and Verrell that the somewhat uneventful story is forgivable. What action scenes there are are slapdash and amateurish at best, this is most evident when an air bag can clearly been seen in shot towards the end of the film. Overall Hell Comes to Frogtown is really only recommended for goofy B-movie enthusiasts and Piper fans. It's not a gore movie, and there's hardly any real violence on offer if that's your thing. But if you like B-movies and think this looks like fun, chances are you'll enjoy it.
Last edited by Used Future; 11-12-09 at 09:17 PM.
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