The Brain

"Mind over matter"

Director: Ed Hunt Year: 1988 Runtime: 94 min IMDb: ⭐ 5.2
Movie Poster

Synopsis

Dr. Blake runs a TV show called "Independent Thinkers", which is sort of a Scientology-like self-help/religion program. But he's not making his audience think any more independently - with the help of an alien organism he calls The Brain, he's using brainwashing and mind control. The only thing that stands between them and world domination is a brilliant but troubled high school student with a penchant for pranks...

Dr. Anthony Berol Blake runs Independent Thinking, a television show promoting a self-help, quasi-religious program resembling Scientology. But Blake isn't making his audience think any more independently – with the help of an alien organism he calls The Brain, he is using brainwashing and mind control. The only thing that stands between them and world domination is a brilliant but troubled high school student, named Jim Majelewski, with a penchant for pranks. After being caught flushing sodium down a school toilet, Jim is punished and given a warning that he'll be suspended and won't graduate if he keeps doing pranks; reluctantly, Jim agrees to enlist in Blake's program as an alternative. He is then subjected to Blake's experiments, but he is immune due to being extremely smart and suffering from fantasy. He begins to have visions of The Brain as well as other hallucinations. Jim is aided by his girlfriend Janet and best friend Willie when Blake's assistant Verna attempts to take him back to the lab. Willie is killed by The Brain while Jim and Janet do their best to help free the residents of their town from Blake and The Brain's influence. The Brain and Verna brainwash the populace into believing that Jim is a murderer on a rampage; Janet and Jim's parents fall victim to the brainwashing and turn against Jim. Jim returns to Blake's headquarters as the latter plans to broadcast his Independent Thinking to a nationwide audience. Jim beheads Blake in front of a live audience, revealing that he wasn't human. Jim and Janet are then chased by Verna. The Brain breaks loose and kills Verna before going after Jim and Janet. Cornered, Jim finds a canister of sodium and throws it into The Brain's mouth, blowing it up. Jim resumes a normal life with his parents as he and Janet drive off to school together.

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

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Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

someone is sexually assaulted
spoiler No one is SA'd but the main character tries to coerce his girlfriend into sleeping with him. It's very brief and not graphic but still awkward to watch :/
animals are abused
spoiler a live mouse is fed to a giant brain, though
an animal dies
spoiler A mouse is fed to a creature. You don’t see the gory details, but it is understood to be eaten.
a child is abandoned by a parent or guardian
Yes
a woman is brutalized for spectacle
Yes
there's domestic violence
Yes
someone gets gaslighted
Yes
someone is stalked
spoiler Main character is followed throughout the whole movie
there's abusive parents
Yes
someone uses drugs
Yes
someone is drugged
spoiler Someone is injected with a kind of medication against their will
someone is restrained
Yes
a woman gets slapped
Yes
someone is beaten up by a bully
Yes
there's amputation
Yes
someone struggles to breathe
Yes
somebody is choked
Yes
someone is stabbed
Yes
someone has a seizure
Yes
someone falls down stairs
Yes
someone falls to their death
Yes
Someone becomes unconscious
Yes
there's decapitation
Yes
there's body horror
Yes
there's torture
Yes
heads get squashed
spoiler People get heads eaten by monster and some have their heads cut off
a minor is sexualized
spoiler High school student has lewd hallucinations and it's awkward and out of nowhere.
a kid dies
spoiler High school student gets eaten by the monster
a non-human character dies
Yes
a major character dies
Yes
someone dies
Yes
a family member dies
Yes
someone is kidnapped
Yes
a parent dies
Yes
there are jump scares
spoiler They tried to do jump scares but they are very predictable and kind of silly.
There's audio gore
Yes
someone is eaten
Yes
there's incarceration
Yes
needles/syringes are used
Yes
there's a mental institution scene
Yes
there's a hospital scene
Yes
someone dies by suicide
Yes
Someone attempts suicide
spoiler Someone is killed by the monster but it looks like a suicide
reality is unstable or unhinged
Yes
there's a claustrophobic scene
Yes
someone has an anxiety attack
Yes
someone has a meltdown
Yes
shaky cam is used
Yes
there's flashing lights or images
Yes
there are sudden loud noises
Yes
there's screaming
Yes
there is obscene language/gestures
Yes
someone is watched without knowing
Yes
there's ableist language or behavior
spoiler They're in a science institute where the patients are portrayed as "crazy" in the beginning and they aren't treated nicely, nothing graphic though
there is sexual content
Yes
someone is sexually objectified
Yes
there are nude scenes
Yes
existentialism is debated
Yes
a car crashes
Yes
a car honks or tires screech
Yes
there's blood/gore
Yes
there's gun violence
Yes

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