Jan 29 2009
The Man with the Screaming Brain (Review)
THE MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN (2005)
Directed by and starring Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell is known by many as the king of b-movies. If you’ve never seen Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, Bubba Ho-Tep, or even his more recent TV series Burn Notice, you’re missing out on one of the best actors of all time with a chin that could dwarf Jay Leno. He’s made countless cameos and has an incredibly large fan-base. So when Bruce Campbell decided to write, direct, and play the lead in a movie called The Man with the Screaming Brain, there was an indescribable amount of hype. I mean, it’s the king of the B-movies taking the helm on his own B-movie!
Okay, so I’m a fan of Bruce Campbell, but could you blame me? Look at his chin! Alright, time to give a real review. First off, this movie is not perfect. Those expecting a Sam Raimi type movie (Evil Dead 1-2) with lots of clever camera work and lots of creepy special effects, you’re going to be disappointed. Also, this is a direct-to-TV movie which means the budget is going to be pretty darn low (and it is). However, if you can get over those limitations, The Man with the Screaming Brain can be a fun little B-movie (which is what it is intended to be).
The film follows an unhappy married couple, William Cole (Bruce Campbell) and Jackie, on a business trip in Bulgaria with a cranky cab driver, Yegor. When a crazy hotel maid, Tatoya, murders both Yegor and William, the crazy Dr. Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov (Stacy Keach) and his rap-loving assistant Pavel (Ted Raimi) haul the bodies back to a laboratory where they put Yegor’s brain into William’s body. William ends up with a giant scar on his forehead in the shape of a Mercedes logo and now is stuck with Yegor controlling half his body while speaking in his head. William escapes the doctor’s lab and hilarity ensues as William and Yegor attempt to share the same body and get back at the woman who killed them. Naturally, they don’t like each other. Meanwhile, the maid has also murdered Jackie. Pavel thinks it would be a good idea to put her brain in a robot mannequin body. More hilarity ensues as robot Jackie wants to kill the maid too! And if you think that is ridiculous, wait until you see the happy ending.
The characters take a while to get use to considering the majority of them during the first third of the movie are very unlikable. But once they are thrown into the science fiction mess, you start warming up to them. The comedy is primarily composed of slapstick humor and moments of overacting from the entire cast. Some highlights include Bruce Campbell riding a pink Vespa and getting into a gritty bar fight. But the characters I found to be the most hilarious were Stacy Keach and Ted Raimi who play up their roles with such silliness I don’t know how they could hold back their laughter. Campbell doesn’t do a half-bad job directing. There is a great shot of him running into a crowd of people just after his surgery screaming and scaring people. So, overall, I’d say he accomplished what he set out to make. Be warned, however, if watching actors like Stacy Keach and Ted Raimi acting dorky seems stupid, this is not the movie for you. But, honestly, how can you take a plot like this seriously?
DVD Dump Counter:
-4 murdered people ripe for mad doctor materials.
-3 brain transplants.
-1 hilarious falling-down-the-stairs scene.
-1 rigid break-dancing robot.
-1 mad scientist.
-1 rap-enthusiast lab assistant.
-1 restaurant bit.
-1 chase scene involving a pink Vespa.
Memorable Quotes:
“Sounds like there is some shizzle going on down there my nizzle”
“You must forget to remember, before you remember to forget”
RATING: B-Movie
While not as classic as Evil Dead or Bubba Ho-Tep, The Man with the Screaming Brain is a worthy and enjoyable B-movie. The story takes awhile to get going, but once it gets off the ground, it’s a fun ride. If you’ve never seen a Bruce Campbell movie, this may not be a good starter movie. But if you’re a Campbell fan like me, this is pure movie geek fun.
