Dir: John Flynn
Cast: Edward Furlong, Frank Langella,
Amy Hargreaves, T. Ryder Smith
Rated R, Approx: 96 Minutes
Sony DVD
teenage horror films before the
"Scream" influence took over...
I've encountered, everyone seems to think that no one over the age of 12 could possible enjoy this movie. Maybe
I'm a kid at heart, but I really think there is something here. I think this is one of the last good horror films aimed at
teenage audiences since Scream came along and reminded them how hip they are (because they know amazing
things like who the killer was in the first Friday the 13th). Brainscan has what very few of the new teen horror has,
an empathetic and likable lead character. Along with that there's an older established actor (Frank Langella) who
has nothing to be ashamed of from his involvement (come on, Robert Englund must have been at least a little
embarrased in Urban Legend; the same goes for the great Jeffery Combs in I Still Know What You Did Last
Summer).
entertainment on our culture. This topic is told from a teenage perspective but never in the smart-ass
condescending manner we've come to expect. Edward Furlong plays Michael Brower, a loner with a good head on
his shoulders. His mother died when he was young and his father is generally out of the house dealing with business
matters. He comes from a rich family and spends most of his time alone in his big house with his horror related
magazines and video games. When not involved in his horrific hobbies he sets up his video camera to spy on his
next door neighbor Kimberly (Amy Hargreaves). Here it would have been easy to play it for laughs or make Michael a
ghoulish voyeur, but instead he comes across as simply lonely and quite easy to identify with.
close friend - a goofy kid named Kyle (Jamie Marsh).
Occasionally Marsh is annoying, but no more so than
any number of high school kids you'll see at the
nearest mall. At school Michael is a misfit that makes
up at least a small part of most people's personality.
At one point in the film Langella's Detective Hayden
questions Michael's classmates about him, most reply
with either 'freak' or 'weird'. This is never played as
the pity party it sounds like though. Michael finds
solace in his chosen gruesome form of entertainment
another Freddy Krueger riff...
to be the ultimate in interactive terror. In the game Michael commits a virtual reality murder that feels extremely real.
The next morning he finds out that a murder did occur with striking similarities to the one he committed in the game.
Unfortunately he can't get out of the game as he is forced to cover up evidence that he left behind. This is saved
from falling into a run-of-the-mill-thriller rut through introducing the monster behind the game, The Trickster (played
by stage actor T. Ryder Smith). While Trickster is by know means a perfect villain, he seems very heavily influence
by Freddy Krueger - but in the end this all kind of makes sense. Trickster prods Michael along into a more
destructive cycle of violence, but never physically getting involved himself. Trickster is ever the instigator, causing
Michael to question just about everything in his life that he values. The dialogues they have deal with teen issues in
a refreshingly intelligent manner. Eventually the two are forced into a confrontational battle of wills.
Detective Hayden is on the case and he is convinced
that Michael is responsible for a series of murders.
Frank Langella's performance lends this film a good
deal of credibility. The Dracula vet has a powerful
presence and a voice you probably won't be able to
forget for some time (in Roman Polanski's The Ninth
Gate, he delivers an incredible performance almost
entirely over the phone!). Hayden only make matters
worse for Michael as he forces him to rush his decisions
and keep on the defensive.
has probably felt slightly alienated at one time or another, it goes with the violent nature of the genre. Furlong does
a great job bringing this kind of character to life, avoiding creating a freak or a victim of his own self pity. Michael
hasn't turned to the genre simply because he's a sociopath and he feels the rest of the world has wronged him. He
never finds real life violence to be 'cool' or any of the other common stereotypes that are often attached to young
genre fans. He instead turn to horror as a source of entertainment and escape and never loses touch with a
sensible morality.
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