Nightmares in a Damaged Brain - Will's Review

You know how the saying goes; Another week, another forgettable (though not entirely terrible) slasher with the word nightmare in its title!

This week, our leading man goes by the name of George Tatum and has spent an indeterminate amount of time in some kind of experimental medical facility, where he is the first person to be declared successfully cured of psychopathy by a state of the art technique.

His being 'cured' however, leaves me with 2 questions; who does he regularly wake screaming from a dream about an axe murder, and why are the guys who run the facility so worried about his escape near the beginning of the movie?

MINOR SPOILERS

A reasonable person might be inclined to think that someone who frequently dreams about a couple engaged in a light bondage session suffer coitus interrupts by way of an axe, while a young boy looks on, might not be all that stable. A reasonable person would be right!

And so Tatum  makes a beeline for a family which is so clearly his own (it's supposed to be a surprise when we find that out - it isn't) killing anyone he encounters.

There's a hint that Tatum 's rehabilitation might be part o some sinister government programme, but as this may have given the movie a point of interest, the idea is quickly dropped.

The Italian influence is obvious in this one, even though it's an American movie, unfortunately the galioesk feel that is played over the opening scenes is quickly dropped in favour of a more typical low-rent post-Halloween stalk an slash, albeit a slightly confused one.

Forgettable but not utterly terrible.

Body Count: 8

Boob Count: 1 Pair

Most Memorable Death: Quit Ice-Picking on me!

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Nightmares in a Damaged Brain - Lisa's Review

***SPOILERS ***

A little late with the review for this one, my apologies, just completed a relocation back to good old Norn Iron.

Soooo what to 'Nightmares in a damaged brain', well I enjoyed this one.  I can find quite a few faults if I want to be pedantic, but sometimes I like the general 'feel' of a movie and with this one I did.

Our basic storyline is a schizophrenic George Tatum being released from his secure unit due to the supposed success of some new experimental wonder drugs.  It is very clear however from the outset that George is far from cured.  He is obviously being released to commit all kinds of havoc.

The first signs our man is not all well (apart from the fact he's in a mental institution) is his recurring nightmare flashback.  He is obviously very disturbed by this each time he wakes.  As the story progresses we get to see more and more of the scene which gets progressively more gorey and disturbing.  With each 'vision' more havoc is wreaked by George.  I don't know why, but I kind of felt sorry for him.  Wierd I know, but there was something very human about him.

I think of all the wierd places, his humanity is exhibited by his visit to a peep show (on a side note, how interesting!  I had no idea how they worked and was amazed that men can see other men looking in at the same woman... you would think that would put them off). He seems like any man in these scenes and is almost gentle in his approach when the stripper approaches him and allows him to touch her.

The following of George, runs alongside a story of a family and their very odd young son, who has a bit of an obsession with blood and being a little sod.  They are being pestered by telephone calls and the mother is getting increasingly worried about it all.  I think it is meant to be a surprise, but this is Georges family and he is making his way to them all through the movie.  Now I'm not the quickest in the world cracking onto these things granted, but even I managed to grasp this one.

In the finale as George arrives at his family home (wearing a quite creepy mask and carrying a leathal looking ice-pick).  People die.  We also see the entire 'nightmare' played out and we can make full sense of the scene.

Sadly the effects are very poor and I think this movie would have been much better if it had of had a 'less is more' approach.  The blood was fine, but the texture of flesh and skin was all wrong, a beheading was almost laughable and is it even possible for hands to reach for the stump of a neck when the head has gone??    I did enjoy the axe to the head though.

Anyways, that aside.   I did like the movie, the ending and the feel.  I liked Georges character.  Very believable.  The 'like father, like son' angle was quite poignant too.

I am giving this one the 'Lisa Recommends' tag.  You could do worse than check this one out.

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WEEK 60: Nightmares in a Damaged Brain

Alternate Titles : Nightmare, Dark Games, Blood Splash, Schizo

Year: 1981

Reviews / Author Comments due: 14/07/2012

DPP Status: Successfully prosecuted 

BBFC Status: Passed uncut in 2005

IMDB: LINK

Wikipedia: LINK

DVD: Uncut R2

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