Line #39 Film/BrainDamage


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brain_damage.jpg]]
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3	''Brain Damage'' is the story of Brian ([[Series/GeneralHospital Rick]] [[Series/TheBoldAndTheBeautiful Hurst]]), a young man who stumbles upon Aylmer ([[Creator/{{Zacherley}} John Zacherle]]), an evil Muppet worm demon who offers him drug-endued bliss. The catch? While Brian's high, Aylmer burrows himself into the heads of those around them and literally eats their brains. While it takes Brian a while to notice he's being used as a vehicle for murder, he eventually begins trying to fight back. All the while, Aylmer's former "owners" take efforts to recover him and continue to pump the drug out of him.
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5	It was directed by Frank Henenlotter, the guy who did ''Film/{{Frankenhooker}}'' and ''Film/BasketCase''.
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8	!!''Brain Damage'' contains examples of:
9	* AddledAddict:
10	** The old woman who used to own Aylmer quickly slips into unstable incoherence as her withdrawal persists. When she gets Aylmer in her hands again, all she can do is repeat his name over and over in glee. Until he eats her brain.
11	** Brian, under the influence, is clearly hyperactive and completely out of it. His life quickly begins to revolve around Aylmer, as well.
12	* AffablyEvil: Aylmer's a pretty chill guy. The most negative emotion we see him express is disappointment when Brian tries to go cold turkey, and mild contempt for his former keepers who kept him weak on animal brains while they drained him.
13	* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: Aylmer sneaks up on Brian while he's asleep and injects him with an incredibly addictive substance in order to enslave him.
14	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Aylmer asks Brian why he brought the parasite along to the hotel with him if he didn't realize, deep down, that his attempt at detoxing was going to fail.
15	* AskAStupidQuestion: Re: The girl whose brains Aylmer ate.
16	-->'''Brian:''' Is she ''dead''!?\
17	'''Aylmer:''' ''(Cracking up)'' Well, of '''course''' she's dead! Ha, are you kidding?
18	* BigWhat: Brian lets out one after Aylmer reveals that he ate the brains out of a girl they had met at a night club.
19	* BrainFood: Aylmer feeds on other people's brains. He can subsist on animal brains, but this makes him physically weak.
20	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Brian eventually becomes a reluctant-but-willing accomplice to Aylmer's murders in order to get more juice. While high, he's also quite suggestible to Aylmer's (mental?) commands.
21	* TheCameo: Brian has a brief encounter with another possessor of a tiny evil puppet--Duane Bradley, from Henelotter's ''Basket Case'' films.
22	* TheCanKickedHim: Aylmer takes one victim while he's on the toilet.
23	* DeadpanSnarker: Aylmer's got quite a mouth on him...''literally'', of course, but he snarks a lot, too.
24	* DespairEventHorizon: Brian visibly crosses when he returns home after his failed attempt to break away from Aylmer and hears his ex-girlfriend and brother making out and having sex. He just stares up at the ceiling and emotionlessly slaps Aylmer onto his back without even a sign of resistance.
25	* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:Hardly anybody expects to get squeezed to death by someone whose brains they've mostly sucked out]].
26	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
27	** Under the influence of Aylmer's fluid Brian is hyperactive as a deliberate reference to cocaine.
28	** The Aylmer bears an intentional resemblance to an excited part of the male anatomy and there are several scenes wherein said resemblance is referenced.
29	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:In the end, Brian tries to shoot himself in the head, but the intense overdose of Aylmer's fluid somehow keeps him from dying--in fact, the hole in his head explodes with light and he seems otherwise fine.]].
30	* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:Just before he expires, the old man who used to own Aylmer grabs him and crushes the life out of him.]]
31	* EvilGloating: Partially in song form. As Brian lies strung-out on the floor, Aylmer starts singing "Elmer's Tune"-- a song about how everyone's dancing to the titular character's, well, tune. And when Brian rises up and pleads with him for a fix, Aylmer cheerfully greets him and agrees, since they're ''pals''. This case of gloating is fully justified as Aylmer ''told'' Brian he'd be giving in eventually.
32	* EvilSoundsDeep: Aylmer, courtesy of the rich tones of John Zacherle.
33	* FanDisservice: Brian's a handsome young man in good shape. When he's pale, miserable, strung out and writhing on a filthy floor? Probably not as much, unless that's your thing.
34	* FantasticDrug: Aylmer gives this to Brian.
35	* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler:Aylmer's former keeper squeezes him to death while he's attached to Brian, giving him a ridiculous overdose of juice. Brian's brain is set afire with sparks and his skull starts bulging, and he tries to stop the pain by shooting himself. His brother rushes into the room and is horrified to see Brian, apparently awake and aware, with light and bursts of electricity flowing from the hole in his head. The End]]!
36	* TheGhost: Brian's brother mentions calling their worried father about Brian's behavior.
37	* GiverOfLameNames: Brian initially believes Aylmer is the victim of one, when confronted by Aylmer's ex-keeper.
38	-->'''Brian:''' ''Elmer?'' You fucking named it ''Elmer?!''
39	* GoingColdTurkey: Subverted. Brian attempts this towards the end of the film, but according to Aylmer, his fluid alters a person's body chemistry in a way that makes it impossible. After enduring hours of agonizing pain and horrific hallucinations, Brian breaks and begs Aylmer for another hit... after he feeds him, of course.
40	* HorrorHunger: Aylmer's got a yen for brains.
41	* InfoDump: A massive one, midway through the movie, as one of Aylmer's keepers recites the parasite's long, ''long'' history.
42	* KissOfDeath: [[spoiler:After Brian gives into Aylmer and tells his brother and ex-girlfriend to get away from him for their own sakes, his ex follows him onto the subway while he's high on Aylmer's juice. Aylmer (now in his throat), compels him to grab and kiss her, and during the process the worm gets into her head and eats her brains with their lips remaining locked. To everyone else on the subway, it just looks like a particularly involved French kiss]].
43	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: People high off Aylmer's juices don't remember what happened while they were buzzed. Hence, Brian doesn't remember the murders Aylmer committed.
44	* ManipulativeBastard. Aylmer's been at it for hundreds of years, but then it doesn't take much to manipulate a junkie when ''you're'' the drug.
45	* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: One wonders how the hell Aylmer fits the drug-pump in his mouth given the sheer volume of teeth he has.
46	* MushroomSamba: Pretty much every time Brian gets high has at least elements of this, but his first two hits are the most potent.
47	* MysteriousPast: We don't know what Aylmer is or where he came from, and he never says. His ''known'' history stretches back to the Fourth Crusade or so.
48	* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:By the time Aylmer leaves his head, the old man looks as dead as any of his other victims. It turns out he's just alive enough to kill Aylmer and ''then'' die. [[FiveSecondForeshadowing Foreshadowed by Aylmer a few seconds earlier]], when he said he was "not done yet" eating his brains after Brian told him it was time to leave]].
49	* PerpetualSmiler: Admittedly, that's how the puppet's designed, but from the mocking tone of his voice, it's clear Aylmer would have a terminal case of smug-face if he were a person.
50	* PeoplePuppets: Aylmer demonstrates the ability to control Brian while he's under the influence of his juice.
51	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Aylmer's existence can be historically traced back to the Crusades, but that's only as far as is known.
52	* ReplacementGoldfish: It's a shame Brian dumped his girlfriend out of the blue during part of his pattern of unstable behavior, but hey, at least his brother was always interested in her!
53	* SexforSolace: Brian's brother and his ex engage in this, not knowing that Brian can hear everything they're doing.
54	* ShooTheDog: After completely giving in to Aylmer, Brian tries to tell his ex-girlfriend and brother to get as far away from him as possible because they might get their brains eaten and he'd be too high to stop it, or even remember what happened. [[spoiler:Shame his ex followed ''him'' instead of his advice.]].
55	* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The old man who used to own him calls him "the" Aylmer, implying that there's only one of him. Hopefully.
56	* SymbioticPossession: Aylmer takes a host, gets them high and controls them while they're suggestible via what appears to be a psychic connection. After giving in to his addiction, Brian starts referring to himself and Aylmer as one entity.
57	* TrappedInVillainy: Brian realizes too late he's stuck with Aylmer. He attempts to go cold turkey after their first murders, but Aylmer's juice has altered his body's chemistry to the point he's incapable of getting off the stuff, no matter how hard he tries. Eventually, Brian breaks and becomes his reluctant accomplice just to make the pain stop.
58	* VillainSong: Aylmer appropriates "[[http://tinyurl.com/p2m7uut Elmer's Tune]]" to taunt Brian as he goes into withdrawal.
59	* VocalDissonance: Aylmer is a foot long phallus shaped worm - with a rich, sultry baritone.
60	* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Well, Brian, the worm you were hiding in your clothes sucked out two peoples' brains while you were high.

Context Film / BrainDamage