Product: Brain Twisters [VHS]
Rating: 1.0
Let's Twist Again...
Some movies go with the "everything but the kitchen sink" philosophy. If you throw enough generic elements into a movie, it just has to be good. Conversely, if a director takes the elements of one or more genres and puts the elements into a movie without a bit of creativity, the result could be similar to this movie.This movie seems much like a typical slasher film. We have a variety of scenes that appear vaguely disturbing, with strange or sinister characters at every turn. A number of scenes have the slasher perspective, so we know where the slasher is, though the victim does not. However, other than have the accouterments of a slasher film, this movie is actually a schlock science fiction movie.You would hope for something that is not stereotypical in this movie, but you may as well forget about that. We have a corporation that is funding the work of Dr. Philip Rothman. Naturally, anyone connected with a large corporation that wears a suit and rides in the backseat of a car must be evil (stereotype alert). Dr. Rothman shows flashy lights in a little booth to various people, consisting mostly of young, reasonably good-looking female students (stereotype alert). Apparently the flashy light thingy is supposed to be part of a mind control experiment, and the software for the mind control is going to be installed in video games (stereotype alert).Caught up in the paranoid nonsense and experimentation is Laurie Stevens, played by Farrah Forke. Forke is the only actor in this movie who went on to have a career in acting, starting with an on-going role in "Wings" the year after starring in this movie, her first. Laurie gets the flashy light treatment from Dr. Rothman, but the treatment just ramps up her libido, a little (really little), and she kisses the target rather than killing him; oopsie!Laurie wanders around campus looking generally morose and sad, as various people on campus kill themselves and other students, though not necessarily in that order. It would all be fun, except the action is slightly faster than watching grass growing. There are a few, all too brief moments of suspense, but the movie lets those moments go to waste. I could provide more details about the non-excitement, but you have the gist of what is happening.This movie has a few moments where it seems like it will take on the most stereotypical elements of slasher films, nudity, wanton sex, blood, gore, extended chase scenes through the woods, and the not-so-occasional expletive, but the movie backs away from these elements at what seems to be the brink. We do see what appears to be blood in a couple of scenes, but the appearance of the blood seems inconsistent with the attacks that cause the blood, so the appearance is more humorous than terrifying.When you get to the far side of the movie, there is the obligatory final scene that suggests the end is far from over (trust me, it is over). Oh, my, is it possible that video games are being used by large corporations to establish mind control over our children? Only if you are a paranoid person who believes there is a nefarious plan behind the actions of corporations and governments.This movie bears some similarities to other movies, beyond just the slasher stereotypes. Depending on the aspect of mind control, some other movies in this genre might be "Videodrome," "Dreamscapes," "Mirage," "Conspiracy Theory," and "The Manchurian Candidate." All these movies handled the subject much better than this movie, in more interesting and intriguing ways. Indeed, if you are looking for a movie where someone is either being controlled or trying to control someone through some kind of brainwashing or mind control, try any of the aforementioned movies rather than this one.As a side note, the picture quality seems quite good, as is the sound, which should be expected for a film from 1991.With so many good movies in the world, the only reason that would justify purchase of this film is that you must have all the movies about brainwashing or mind control. Alternatively, perhaps you are a huge Farrah Forke fan and you must have every film in which she has appeared.Incidentally, if you want a good twist (or twister), try "Peppermint Twist" by Joey Dee and the Starlighters, "The Twist" by Chubby Checker ("Let's twist again..."), or the game "Twister." While none of these will twist your brain, they are far more fun than this movie.Good luck!