Thursday, October 26, 2017

13 Nights of Shocktober: Brain Dead (1990)

by A.J.

This is my favorite time of year, second only to Christmas. Autumn has arrived, the weather is cooling down, and October becomes the month-long celebration of scary movies called Shocktober. There are a lot of horror movies out there, but as a genre, horror is still looked down upon by some mainstream critics and moviegoers. It doesn’t help that, admittedly, there are so few quality horror movies made but, like comedy, it’s a very difficult and subjective genre. So, in the days leading up Halloween I’ll be posting some recommendations for scary movies to help you celebrate Shocktober.

Night 8: Bill Paxton Memorial Night II/Psychological Horror Night
"We can’t all do good, but at least do no harm."
Brain Dead (1990) 
Brain Dead is perhaps most famous for being the movie that stars both Bill Pullman and the late Bill Paxton. No one would blame you if the movie’s DVD cover art and producer, Julie Corman (wife of the legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman), made you think that Brain Dead was just B-horror movie schlock. It’s actually a psychological thriller about the mind’s perception of reality, with some B-horror schlock thrown in. The screenplay was written in the 1960’s by Charles Beaumont for Roger Corman, but remained unproduced until Julie Corman rediscovered the script in the late 80’s. Charles Beaumont’s other writing credits include several episodes of The Twilight Zone (including some of my favorites: "Number 12 Looks Just Like You," "The Living Doll", and "Perchance to Dream"). Director Adam Simon updated the story for the 80’s and the film was released in 1990. 
Bill Pullman plays Dr. Rex Martin, a neurosurgeon researching brain functions and mental illnesses. He is asked by an old friend, Jim Reston, played by Bill Paxton, to investigate a mathematician, Halsey, played by Bud Cort, that had a mental breakdown, killed his family, and destroyed the top secret research he was doing for Paxton’s company. Paxton pressures Pullman to perform a risky brain operation that would either cure Halsey’s mind and allow him to remember the sensitive corporate information or would leave him brain dead. Each actor fits nicely into their respective roles. Pullman as Dr. Rex is completely comfortable with his character and great to watch as the reserved, intellectual scientist that loses his mind to paranoia and delusions. Paxton as Reston, with his slicked back hair, is great as a corporate sleaze and potentially dubious friend.You're equally willing to believe that he has a devious secret agenda or that he's a trustworthy friend. It's a role he plays with brilliant ease. The company Paxton’s character works for is a giant conglomerate whose holdings are so ridiculously diverse that a cutting edge neuroscience division seems plausible. The downside is that science is expected to conform to corporate bottom lines, once again proving that real villain of many 80’s and early 90’s movies is, you guessed it, Reaganomics.
While Brian Dead is more than just B-movie schlock, it still does not take itself too seriously. Pullman works in a lab with brains floating in jars and the approach to brain surgery is just a step above The Man With Two Brains. The film really hits its stride when it travels into mind bending territory. The visions Halsey has while being operated on are creative, fascinating, and surreal. Pullman’s character keeps seeing a laughing man in a bloody white suit. At an incredibly awkward dinner he hallucinates that Paxton is kissing his wife while his boss pats him on the back. Pullman reaches for the rafters with his descent into madness and hits every note solidly.
Even as it delves into dreams, delusions, and altered reality Brain Dead still keeps an exciting and very interesting tone. Don’t get caught up in trying to figure out where a mental break happened or a dream began. The fun in Brain Dead is in the twists and turns and not knowing what will happen next. 
Brain Dead is a psychological mind bender with more traditional horror movie effects and scares. Shades of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Twilight Zone run throughout the story. It finds a nice balance between serious psychological horror and campy fun horror. You could call it cerebral schlock, but no matter how you categorize it, Brain Dead makes for great Shocktober viewing.

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