Jim Majelewski is a student at Meadowvale High and a practical joker. Unfortunately, some of his practical jokes get him in trouble with the school authorities. His latest prank gets him in trouble with Mr. Woods (Kenneth McGregor), the principal of the school. He calls in Jim’s parents (Richard Gira and Wendy Springdale). He warns them that, if Jim doesn’t change, despite being brilliant, he won’t be able to graduate.
The school recommends that Jim see Dr. Anthony Blakely (David Gale). Blakely is a psychologist that runs The Psychological Research Institute, an organization that is supposed to help troubled kids. In addition, Blakely has a weekly self-help style television program called “Independent Thinking”, which is broadcast locally to the town. Jim reluctantly agrees to go to the institute where he is subject to a brainwashing experiment with an alien brain from outer space, in a mind control attempt.
Jim experiences some strange hallucinations but retains his will. Jim leaves the institution, but the hallucinations continue. During one of them he crashes his car. Dr. Blakely’s aide, Verna (George Buza) tells the police that Jim is having a breakdown and injects him with a tranquilizer. He then takes him back to the institute and locks him in a padded room. Jim manages to escape but inadvertently sees the giant alien brain sitting in a vat of liquid.
Jim tries to warn people about the alien, but Blakely uses his television platform to brainwash the citizens into believing that Jim is a murderer.
“The Brain” was released in 1988 and was directed by Ed Hunt. It is a Canadian science fiction horror film.
The movie does have some strange horror elements to it but there is also a lot of camp with a sort of retro style monster. It’s actually a fairly good horror movie with some decent entertainment value. Not because it’s a great movie but because it’s quirky. One of the drawbacks is that the chase scenes, and there are many, go on longer than needed. The film is done as straight horror, but the unintentional camp adds a wonderful slant to it.
The interiors of the Psychological Research Institute were shot at the Canadian General Electric plant in Toronto and the Ontario Science Center in North York, Ontario. The exteriors were of the Xerox Research Center in Mississauga, Ontario.
The movie is part of the German "SchleFaZ" series. SchleFaZ is a German term that, in essence, means “worst film ever”. It is similar to MST3K or RiffTrax.
**Spoiler David Gale, who you might remember as the eventually headless Dr. Carl Hill in “Re-animator” 1985, is once again cast as a conceded doctor, and all-around prick, who once again loses his head. I suspect it may have been an homage to “Re-animator” but I’m not sure.**