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      Brain Damage

      R Released Apr 22, 1988 1 hr. 34 min. Horror List
      67% 15 Reviews Tomatometer 64% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score A boy (Rick Herbst) grows addicted to psychedelic jolts from an eel-like brain-eating monster called Elmer. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (237) audience reviews
      Teddy B Frank Henenlotter makes this interesting plot watchable with just the right amount of camp, overacting, and bad taste. 'Brain Damage' is definitely a good watch amongst the fodder of 80's brain rot horror movies. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/23/24 Full Review thom g An above average 80's psychedelic horror film with a parasitic monster and a metaphor about the addictive power of drugs and their changing perception of reality. Very enjoyable. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member No spoilers - I just saw this for the first time on Tubi TV, I was surprised with the horror Easter Egg they added in near the end of the movie! A movie that had me laughing as well as wincing! Splatter, inventive FX makeup and creature creation, an obscure story line that the audience had to put together, beginning from the well-executed beginning scenes! The little song is still stuck in my head! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member A nice hidden gem from the past. Brain Damage is fun and innovative. Watch it! It'll blow your mind, pun intended. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review justin t This film is totally insane. It is so crazy that it is amazing. Everything is so extreme. This is like David Cronenberg on acid. Not that I've done acid but I think that I have a good idea what it is like after watching this movie. This had everything that I like in a film. It is just so over-the-top. This is made with zero-budget but that is what is so good about it - they didn't try anything that they couldn't. Perfect insane movie. Utterly nuts. It is so funny because it is so insane. Seriously entertaining. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is absolutely bonkers! It is self referrential without breaking the fourth wall, it is a veritable pastiche, of cult movies. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (15) Critics Reviews
      Walter Goodman New York Times Written and directed by Frank Henenlotter, this oozer specializes in unspecial effects and unspeakable acting. May 21, 2003 Full Review Josh Goller Spectrum Culture The amusing stop-motion creature animation and practical gore effects imbue Brain Damage with an icky quaintness that makes it a compelling midnight movie. Jul 15, 2022 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Brain Damage is rather joyfully tasteless. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 4, 2020 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Gruesomeness finds its way into this drug-fueled trip, utilizing puppetry, stop-motion animation, and buckets of blood as the wrinkled gastropod feasts on brains. Rated: 3/10 Aug 31, 2020 Full Review Matthew Sorrento Film International Traditional readings of the film see it as a commentary on the damning nature of chemical dependency. While the theme's presence is undeniable, the film also depicts the freeing and often empowering nature of stimulants. Rated: 10/10 Dec 24, 2017 Full Review Jonathan Hatfull SciFiNow It's the mix that so many other low-budget schlock-hound filmmakers have gone for, but so few make it work. It's imperfect, tasteless, but hugely watchable. Rated: 3/5 Jun 2, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A boy (Rick Herbst) grows addicted to psychedelic jolts from an eel-like brain-eating monster called Elmer.
      Director
      Frank Henenlotter
      Executive Producer
      Andre Blay, Al Eicher
      Distributor
      Paramount Pictures
      Production Co
      Paramount Pictures
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Horror
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 22, 1988, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 25, 2019