Product: Brain Twisters [VHS]
Rating: 2.0
I'll Be Right There, Mother!
Disclaimer: This film is included inThe Gorehouse Greats Collection, which is the version I saw. As such, I cannot comment on the quality of this individually packaged disc offered from this page. My review concerns the entertainment value of the film only.Considering that only Farrah Forke, the lead actress in 'Brain Twisters', went on to have any kind of success in acting, and that the overwhelming majority of the other players only have this one film to their credit, it is surprising that this low-rent 'sci-fi thriller' isn't unwatchable. Yes, Terry Londerdee, as the mad neuro-scientist Dr. Rothman, is about as expressive as a stump, but for all that, the rest of the acting chores are handled rather well - or at least as well as anyone could expect for an early '90's schlock science-fiction film put out by Crown International Pictures (it's always best to go into these sort of things hoping for the best but expecting the worst). In fact, there are several elements to the film that could have been excruciatingly awful, but somehow the filmmakers shucked and jived their way to near mid-field. From there though, it's three-and-out, with a shanked punt - little of interest and little to recommend.A shadowy corporate entity is funding a college professor as he experiments with the effect of certain projected images on the stimulation centers of the brain. The corporation's ultimate goal is to subliminally place these colorful and random flashes of light into the background of their video games, thus stimulating areas of the brain and creating a product as addictive as ... video games, I guess. However, once the Pandora's box of the brain is levered open with the stimulus, what comes out isn't always pretty.Neither are the primitive graphics of this early '90's release, though we are saved from having to watch too much of the 'amazing special effects' of Commodore 64 computer technology - the filmmakers were probably rescued by budget concerns. Instead, we simply get a hint of the professor's experiments, which works in the film's favor. And those who still remember the 'Nineties Kind Of Guy' will appreciate Joe Lombardi's pastel performance of the police detective assigned to the case. Additionally, Ms Forke is such a pleasant Girl Next Door as one of the mad doctor's students, I'd be willing to watch another of her films based purely on the job she does here.Now that I've rather archly described how bad this film isn't, it's time to backpeddle - it isn't really any good, either. It's south of mediocre because it isn't interesting, with few of the staples of B-Movie science-fiction or horror to spice up the story. And except for the last scene in the movie, there isn't anything kooky enough - intentional or no - to recommend it either (but I did get a chuckle out of the last thirty seconds. I'll keep it to myself in the interest of avoiding spoilers, but it might be the unintentional best part of the entire film - just not enough to redeem it). No nudity that I remember (and I'm not watching it again to verify, no matter what you say), and only one F-Bomb that I recall. Hardly enough gore to be included in the 'Gorehouse Greats', or to be rated R - more of a PG-13 quickie in the style of the Lame and the Innocuous.Watch it if you must, but if so, do yourself a favor and pick it up on one of the several multi-packs in which it's included (but skip the two-fer release with 'Prime Evil'. That film is so bad the studio should include a five-dollar bill inside the DVD slipcase and retail it for 1.99). Sound and picture were completely serviceable for 'Brain Twisters' in the Gorehouse Greats edition, surely as good as this Rhino plain-jane release. Plus you get other movies to throw popcorn at too. Bonus!