Man With the Screaming Brain

Reviewed by:
Gregg Braverman

The idea of giving B-movie big shot Bruce Campbell the reins to write, direct, and star in a low-budget sci-fi flick is a no-brainer for a network created with the purpose of broadcasting low-budget sci-fi no-brainers. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone put much thought into Man With the Screaming Brain. The madness starts with an admittedly ridiculous premise: While visiting Bulgaria, wealthy industrialist William Cole and his street-wise taxi driver become the murder victims of a beautiful gypsy. Fortunately, mad scientist Ivan Ivanov rushes them through an experimental procedure, allowing their two brains to inhabit one body. Hideously scarred and seeking revenge, Cole must hunt down his sexy assassin before the pigheaded cabbie now sharing his skull drives him bonkers. Outside a Virginia Tech home game, no one does hokey as well as Campbell—mostly because no one else wants to. But for all its deliberate cheese, this made-for-TV movie fails to scoff at itself, mocking instead any viewer still tuned in beyond the first commercial break. Just like the rest of the Campbellian oeuvre, Screaming Brain has crafted ham acting, intentionally clichéd dialogue, and a premise more outlandish than Fahrenheit 9/11. But unlike other Campbell classics, this one is as bad as it looks.

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