BRAIN DAMAGE REVIEWED
“Brain Damage” is part of the reason that I love Frank Henenlotter. Many don’t dig on the guy because he loves the gore and tends to skew to the seedier side of horror. But, I find that he gets what makes a scare work. Gore is guttural response to a horrific situation. Gore times terror hits the human viewer on multiple levels while forcing them to respond almost immediately. It’s brutal, but brutal in the best way.
Famed horror host Zacherly voices the demonic parasite Elmer that feeds on victims and gives his new human servant…”the goods”. What follows is nearly 90 minutes of gross out attacks and multiple attempts at feeding Elmer. Looking back, it’s pretty hard to take Elmer as being a serious monster. But, that’s the appeal of working indie and manipulating a low budget to produce high scares. Quality horror makes you forgive and overlook the shortcomings.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Brand new audio commentary by writer-director Frank Henenlotter
- Listen to the Light: The Making of Brain Damage – brand new documentary featuring interviews with actor Rick Herbst, producer Edgar Ievins, editor James Kwei, first assistant director Gregory Lamberson, visual effects supervisor Al Magliochetti and makeup
- The Effects of Brain Damage – FX artist and creator of ‘Elmer’ Gabe Bartalos looks back at his iconic effects work on the film
- Animating Elmer – featurette looking at the contributions of visual effects supervisor Al Magliochetti
- Karen Ogle: A Look Back – stills photographer, script supervisor and assistant editor Karen Ogle recalls her fond memories of working on Brain Damage
- Elmer’s Turf: The NYC Locations of Brain Damage – featurette revisiting the film’s original shooting locations
- Tasty Memories: A Brain Damage Obsession – an interview with superfan Adam Skinner
- Brain Damage Q&A with Frank Henenlotter recorded at the 2016 Offscreen Film Festival
- Image Galleries
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Bygone Behemoth – animated short by Harry Chaskin, featuring a brief appearance by John Zacherle in his final onscreen credit
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
- Limited Edition O-card with exclusive artwork
- Collector’s Booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Gingold, illustrated with original archive stills and posters
A/V STATS
- 1.85:1 1080p transfer
- DTS-HD 5.1/2.0 MONO