Brain Damage

There's something wrong with Brian, by all accounts a decent fella.  Well, he used to be.  We don't meet him until he's already dealing with a phallic looking organism that speaks (sometimes even sings) to him, promising a worry free existence.  A highly co-dependent relationship soon forms - the parasite will inject some sort of psychotropic chemical into Brian's brain and keep him comfortable (and oblivious), as long as the interloper, which we learn is named "Elmer", can get a steady supply of human brains.  Which of course leads to several murders, which even though present for these acts Brian is lost in a neurotransmitter haze and unaware of what's happening.

Brian's girlfriend Barbara (Jennifer Lowry) and his brother Mike (Gordon MacDonald) are understandably baffled and concerned about his odd behavior.  We also learn that Elmer (nee "The Aylmer") is centuries old and has had many hosts.  Relaying this information is the elderly and alarmingly desperate Morris (Theo Barnes), who lives in Brian's building and with his wife were the most recent caretakers/victims of our jolly phallic pill.  Until Elmer bailed on them.   It doesn't take too much to see that 1988's BRAIN DAMAGE is a drug addiction allegory, right?

Writer/director Frank (BASKET CASE) Henenlotter based this story on his own cocaine jones, coming up with a wildly entertaining, creative bit of sleazy horror that actually has some emotional impact.  The story is ultimately quite sad, though before we get there some deliciously dark humor to leaven the astonishingly gross effects is on tap.  There are two undeniable Hall of Fame genre scenes that I don't want to spoil.  Suffice it to say that one could be considered er, pornographic and the other probably the messiest otitis externa you've ever encountered.    With a very low budget, Henenlotter nonetheless stages some great gory bits and vividly captures New York City.  

Oh, and the Swimming Pool Qs are on the soundtrack.