What would happen if you crossed David Cronenberg with the paranoid drug world of William Burroughs? Oh wait, that's already been done-it's called Naked Lunch. As far as I remember, apart from a few original scenes, that film was mostly arty-farty and way too slow. This movie, though, is much crazier and makes the most of its small budget. According to the credits, the story is based loosely on H. P. Lovecraft, but with a very free hand, to say the least! Dream specialist Ambrose London is invited by the neurotic Dr. Barnard to Arkham Asylum to investigate an imprisoned murderer with a split personality. This detainee has it pretty bad; whenever his alter ego takes over, his eye color changes, and blue light streams out of his mouth. Ambrose concocts a cocktail of peyote and amphetamines, which he administers to himself and the patient. Unsurprisingly, things go horribly wrong, and the psychopath quickly takes control of the entire facility, leading to a frenzy where nurses and inmates attack each other like zombies. The plot gets thickened by aliens with huge penises (complete with little faces on the tips) and a cast that seems almost entirely made up of past-their-prime porn actresses. It's the kind of movie where, after every absurd moment, you know an even crazier twist is around the corner-and it does not disappoint. It's a bit unfortunate that, amid all the low-budget chaos, the script does not take the time to explain who the characters are and what drives them, but otherwise, this is a pornographic splatterfest that more than delivers on its promises.
