Horrible Imaginings Film Festival: The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2020)

Directed by: Derek Carl

Notable Cast: Rachael Perrell Fosket, Patrick D. Green, David Withers, Robert Blanche

 

Remakes are a tricky business at the best of times. You have to respect the original material, and try to put a spin on it to justify retreading the territory. That second part is more vital than it may appear on the surface, and luckily we have Gus Van Sant’s Psycho as shorthand that spares further explanation. The genre of the fifties and sixties sci-fi horror has been a fertile ground for remakes with its combination of earnest (if over the top) acting, high concept (if silly) stories, and low budget cheesy special effects. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die was certainly ripe for a new take, and freshman director Derek Carl puts his passion for the original on display in a satire on the era that maintains the existential dread Inherent to the concept.

 

Stuff, The (1985)

Director: Larry Cohen

Notable Cast: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Scott Bloom, Paul Sorvino, Danny Aiello, Patrick O’Neal

When it comes to horror comedies there is a lot to be learned from a film like The Stuff. Particularly because this 80s satirical science fiction horror romp is about as eclectic as they get, scattered in its narrative, and often too quirky for its own good. However, every time I watch the film I am immediately caught up in it as it bounds with an energy and an excitement to its own beat with its fiercely awkward mannerisms. This is a film that is so confident in its own oddities that one cannot help but be swept up in the windstorm of its charm and its strange ability to be so significantly entertaining with its commentaries. Sure, on paper The Stuff is not nearly the perfect film and many times it specifically spins away from following the straight line of narrative. This is why The Stuff is brilliant. This is why enough is never enough. This is why I can’t get enough of The Stuff.