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.
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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