Brain Damage is one of Frank Henenlotter’s zaniest, most bad taste films - and that’s saying something! Sitting between Basket Case and Frankenhooker in Henenlotter’s ouvre, Brain Damage really is the ultimate head trip, with talking, brain-hungry parasites, mind-bending special effects and more bad taste gags than you can shake a stick at. And this Arrow Video release sees it finally arrive on Blu-ray in all of its gory glory.

Director
Frank Henenlotter (Basket Case, Frankenhooker)

Cast
Rick Hearst (TV’s General Hospital)
John Zacherley (Frankenhooker)

IT’S A HEADACHE FROM HELL!


From Frank Henenlotter, the man behind such cult horror favourites as Basket Case and Frankenhooker, comes Brain Damage – the ultimate head-trip, now finally on Blu-ray!


Meet Elmer. He’s your local, friendly parasite with the ability to induce euphoric hallucinations in his hosts. But these LSD-like trips come with a hefty price tag. When young Brian comes under Elmer’s addictive spell, it’s not long before he finds himself scouring the city streets in search of his parasite’s preferred food source – brains!


Featuring late TV horror host John Zacherley as the voice of Elmer, Brain Damage boasts some of the most astonishing bad taste gore-gags ever realized, including the notorious “brain-pulling sequence” and a blow-job that ends with a distinctly unconventional climax.


Well, first of all, what’s not to love about Frank Henenlotter? His glorious forays into bad taste cinema have to be seen to be believed and Brain Damage is no different. In fact, it’s probably the most extreme of the lot, with the infamous “brain-pulling” sequence as well as a blow job scene from hell. Of course, being a Henenlotter film, it also has its tongue firmly in its cheek so even as the bad taste and gore scenes role in, it’s always with a perfectly pitched sense of humour.

And that sense of humour brings us squarely on to Elmer, one of the best horror villains ever created. A disgusting parasite with the power to induce euphoric hallucinations, Elmer also has a taste for human brains, forcing his host, Brian, to go out in hunt of them. Voiced by late night TV horror icon John Zacherley, Elmer is in equal parts gross and hilarious, making him a real horror baddie for the ages.

If any film deserves the Arrow Video treatment, it’s Brain Damage and this special edition Dual Format release does not disappoint. It comes with oodles of special features, including a brand new audio commentary by Henenlotter himself, and early birds can also get their hands on some special limited edition extras. There’s even an extremely limited edition Elmer pin badge available only from the Arrow Store plus a few selected retailers and conventions.

So, get on board with us for the ultimate Henenlotter head trip!

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations

Original Mono and 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround Audio Options

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Isolated Score

Brand new audio commentary by writer-director Frank Henenlotter

Listen to the Light: The Making of Brain Damage – brand new documentary featuring interviews with actor Rick Herbst, producer Edgar Ievins, editor James Kwei, first assistant director Gregory Lamberson, visual effects supervisor Al Magliochetti and makeup artist Dan Frye

The Effects of Brain Damage – FX artist and creator of “Elmer” Gabe Bartalos looks back at his iconic effects work on the film

Animating Elmer – featurette looking at the contributions of visual effects supervisor Al Magliochetti

Karen Ogle: A Look Back – stills photographer, script supervisor and assistant editor Karen Ogle recalls her fond memories of working on Brain Damage

Elmer’s Turf: The NYC Locations of Brain Damage – featurette revisiting the film’s original shooting locations

Tasty Memories: A Brain Damage Obsession – an interview with superfan Adam Skinner

Brain Damage Q&A with Frank Henenlotter recorded at the 2016 Offscreen Film Festival

Image Galleries

Original Theatrical Trailer

Bygone Behemoth – animated short by Harry Chaskin, featuring a brief appearance by John Zacherle in his final onscreen credit

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck

Limited Edition O-card with exclusive artwork

Collector’s Booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Gingold, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Limited edition O-card with exclusive artwork
Collector’s Booklet with new writing on the film

FIRST PRESSING ONLY:

EXCLUSIVE ENAMEL “ELMER” PIN BADGE RELEASE ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE ARROW STORE, DIABOLIKDVD AND PRE-RELEASE AT TEXAS FRIGHTMARE WEEKEND 2017★

★Limited quantities available, whilst stocks last.

FEATURE RUN TIME: 86 MINS

ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1

AUDIO: MONO 2.0 / 5.1 DTS-HD MA

COLOR

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

SUBTITLES: ENGLISH SDH