Review of Brainscan (1994) by Eric K — 25 Apr 2009

The Story: A disturbed teen receives the ultimate gaming experience with Brainscan, an interactive mind-trip into the realm of murder, deception and desire.

Michael Brower (Edward Furlong, Pet Sematary 2) is somewhat a misfit at school. Many of the students label him as weird and frightening; some even call him a freak. Still haunted by dreams of his mother dying, he chooses not to avoid the thought of death, but to embrace it. Due to neglect from his father, Michael's lonesome days and nights consist of watching horror films (with his recently banned horror club at school), listening to metal, playing video games and spying on his neighbor Kimberly (Amy Hargreaves) as she undresses before bed. But things are about to change.

Michael's only friend Kyle (James Marsh, The Forsaken) turns his attention to a video game add in a recent Fangoria magazine (issue #95 to be exact, even though the issue was published 3-4 years before this film was made). The game is called Brainscan-The Ultimate in interactive Terror. Michael decides to call the number listed in the add (1-800-555-FEAR). Upon first ring a delicate and calm, yet sinister voice answers the phone providing little information; but with assurance that the game is on the way. The next day after school Michael comes home to find a CD-ROM in his mailbox labeled Brainscan.

The disc of mayhem sends Michael through a whirlwind releasing him into a world filled with murder and the utmost horror. The next day he describes his experience to Kyle as insanely real as anything he can believe. Not too much later he learns that the night before in his neighborhood an innocent man was brutally murdered. After seeing the body being carried out by paramedics on the TV, it all seems too familiar. The bloody hand print on the bedroom wall, the decorations within the house, the missing foot of the victim, he has seen all this before. Now, being pursued by homicide detective Hayden (Frank Langella, The 9th Gate) as well as the sick and twisted narrator of the game, Trickster (T. Ryder Smith); Michael is riding a thin line between interactive murder, and terrifying reality.

Brainscan's opening murder scene is surprisingly vicious. The quick jerks of a knife lodging into the victims back and being ripped back out produces a very nervous tension. It's an unrelenting approach, and directed quite well by John Flynn (Best Seller). It's a complete 3rd person perspective. So close to a video game it's astonishing, but as realistic as ever. The cameras whisk through the victim's house, occasionally focusing in on material objects and the hand of the murderer. Swift, almost subconscious close-ups of mask decorations on the walls and the victim's cat set a truly creepy ambiance. The music makes this scene all the more aggressive, getting louder and louder to the piercing of each stab, creating the feel of a hyper-techno thrill ride. This is a job well done from a director having nothing to do in this genre beforehand.

Written by Brian Owens (director of Happy Hell Night) and Andrew Kevin Walker (Hideaway, Se7en, 8MM and Sleepy Hollow), Brainscan has only a second-rate premise to begin with. Taking that into perspective, it doesn't end up being an inadequate film, but rather a guilty pleasure. It suffers the half-and-half syndrome. There are some strong characters and some weak ones. Just being one of many virtual reality based horror films in the 90's (The Lawnmower Man, Ghost in the Machine, Arcade) is the cause of this movie not touching fresh ground. Nonetheless, Brainscan gets its simplistic point across.

A lot of Brainscan's good points owe thanks to the film score, provided by George S. Clinton (The Astronaut's Wife, Wild Things). The theme song has a lingering ambiance that is played throughout the film. Sometimes faintly, but at other moments its existence is very known. The themes to older, unforgettable horror film scores come to mind (such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween). Not that it doesn't have a sound of it's own, but the influence is obvious. Musical groups along for the ride are Primus, White Zombie, Alcohol Funnycar, The Butthole Surfers and others. In certain scenes, the rock soundtrack has the right tone, but some of the songs provided are just out of place; thus, another element that weighs the movie down.

Steve Johnson handles special make-up effects, and talk about a remarkable track record (Johnson got his start as an assistant on films such as The Fog and An American werewolf in London. He later went to work on many of his own babies like VideoDrome, The Howling 2, Elm St. 4 and more recently, Blade 2). However, Brainscan is only a small gander at what he's fully capable of. Not a strong gore element here, but Johnson and his crew come up with some bloody and grueling images. A few to take note of are a nasty knee injury, foot dismemberment, and multiple stabbing and ton of bricks to the head death. Trickster's makeup is overall a letdown (he looks like an 80's glam rocker with silly putty on his face). Rene Daalder and Michael Rivero (Final Fantasy) tackle the visual and digital effects. The whirlwind created that Michael goes through upon entering the game is effective but once the finale kicks in, some of the computer generated FX tend to go too far, and simply look ridiculous. The climax is another case of the half-in-half syndrome.

The acting presented in Brainscan is decent enough, but nothing to support an Oscar (as expected). This isn't Edward Furlong's best performance. Sometimes his feat of a troubled teen seems to be strained, and he tends to use his dialogue with the wrong tone of voice. He does pull off the limp pretty well from a childhood accident that made him somewhat crippled. Sometimes he does have a certain mood about him that is likeable, though. The way he looks at people, or into the camera is somewhat entrancing. Amy Hargreaves portrays Kimberly, the girl next door that Michael is infatuated with. Her concern for Michael comes off a little unbelievable at first (seeing how she appears to be popular at school, and Michael is a horror fanatic and loner), but later on in the film, it's understandable. It's a role that is vague on purpose, and in that aspect it's done well. Waiting for Hargreaves screen time is never a sin because she is quite a beautiful dear.

Onto Frank Langella, it's a shame this guy doesn't pin more roles as a lead actor. The guy does his job well, and as detective Hayden he is fully on cue. Something about Langella's voice is so soothing and capturing. It's safe to say he schools everybody else here, and he deserved more screen time. A favorite scene is when he demands the car keys from a fellow officer, saying he is sick of him driving 20 miles an hour in this town. James Marsh plays Kyle and is perhaps just as desirable as Furlong, despite his smaller part. If you were a metal head in high school, you either were this kid or knew him, and that's why he's so likable. The old school Metallica shirt, ripped jeans, combat boots and leather jacket make Kyle who he is before he says a word.

T. Ryder Smith plays Trickster, a love/hate character. In truth, he is perfect for this role, but is this the type of evil you want here? Before his presence is visual he is menacing; but when he becomes a seeable entity Trickster looses a lot of his strength. Smith then produces a more comedic role and it's understandable to an extent. The original idea for this film was to sequelize it to death, according to Fangoria; so it's expected the filmmakers tried to work in an iconic villain. Some of his dialogue is truly genuine, such as when he assures Michael he won't rat him out. Overall, a decent performance, and it works in parts; but whether this was the ideal bad guy for this film is debatable.

Ultimately, Brainscan is one of those movies I am not sure why I like, but it has a place in my heart. True, it is one of those movies that are at its most effective after the first viewing, when it will remain with you for a few days. It actually stayed with me for a few years, but upon just recently viewing, I found it still admirable but to a lesser amount.

I can recommend it to horror fans that aren't biased when it comes to simplistic writing, but for fans of a serious thriller or a gore-fest I cannot. It definitely isn't a movie for everybody, but for people (like myself) who like the best of horror as well as the cheapest of thrills it's worth a rental.