Brain, The (1988) - 2/5

Watching Syngenor got me in the mood to view more crazy antics of David Gale so I decided to pop in another forgotten horror film with the Canadian produced film The Brain. How could a film about a giant killer brain with sharp teeth not be a little entertaining? The original video box art to the film also scared the shit out of me when I was a kid and the picture on the back with a pair of bloody legs emerging from our evil brain's sharp tooth filled mouth burned its way into my memory and I have never forgotten it.

The film has David Gale as an evil psychologist who has somehow come into possession of an alien brain. The brain has some amazing psychic abilities so he uses the brain to "scan" or "control" people through their television sets. We have a juvenile delinquent who uncovers the evil plot so he and his girlfriend set out to stop David Gale. The only thing standing in their way is our gigantic brain which is hungry for human flesh!

This is a really bizarre film and it's plot never really gels together. The special effects are the highlight of as we get a lot of trippy sequences involving tentacles and the looks of the Brain itself is downright scary. Sadly the budget hinders the Brain when it grows to gigantic size at the end and it is obviously chasing our protagonists while being pushed on a cart. Other than that it's face is something to haunt nightmares!

The acting is acceptable but like I expected David Gale steals the show as he hams up the role perfectly. He knows a film about a giant killer brain with psychic abilities can't be taken seriously so he adds a lot of over-the-top antics to the character. There is even a nice headless nod to his Re-Animator role.

Though the plot never really gathers full steam, the film still manages to entertain as much as a trashy 80's film about a giant carnivorous brain with psychic abilities can. Fans of bizarre horror cinema and forgotten 80's horror are recommended to hunt this film down. Sadly Lionsgate has not released a DVD in the United States yet so fans are still forced to view their wore out VHS copies. I originally sold my VHS years ago and like many other of reviews have stated I am still kicking myself for that. Also like I've stated in other reviews for rare films like this, I have to give a big thank you to my friend Bill who again scored me a copy so I could re-view the film. THANKS BILL!

Written By Eric Reifschneider