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Manipulations

Original title: The Brain
  • 1988
  • R
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
Manipulations (1988)
Official Clip
Play clip1:59
Watch The Brain
1 Video
89 Photos
Body HorrorHorrorSci-Fi

A psychologist with an increasingly popular TV show brainwashes his audiences using a giant living brain. A mischievous high school student is sent to the psychologist's institute, and becom... Read allA psychologist with an increasingly popular TV show brainwashes his audiences using a giant living brain. A mischievous high school student is sent to the psychologist's institute, and becomes determined to expose him.A psychologist with an increasingly popular TV show brainwashes his audiences using a giant living brain. A mischievous high school student is sent to the psychologist's institute, and becomes determined to expose him.

  • Director
    • Ed Hunt
  • Writer
    • Barry Pearson
  • Stars
    • Tom Bresnahan
    • Cynthia Preston
    • David Gale
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.2/10
    3.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ed Hunt
    • Writer
      • Barry Pearson
    • Stars
      • Tom Bresnahan
      • Cynthia Preston
      • David Gale
    • 52User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Brain
    Clip 1:59
    The Brain

    Photos89

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    Top cast21

    Edit
    Tom Bresnahan
    Tom Bresnahan
    • Jim Majelewski
    • (as Tom Breznahan)
    Cynthia Preston
    Cynthia Preston
    • Janet
    • (as Cyndy Preston)
    David Gale
    David Gale
    • Dr. Anthony Blakely
    George Buza
    George Buza
    • Verna
    Christine Kossak
    Christine Kossak
    • Vivian
    • (as Christine Kossack)
    Bret Pearson
    • Willie
    Bernice Quiggan
    • Mrs. Driscol
    Susannah Hoffmann
    Susannah Hoffmann
    • Becky
    Justine Campbell
    • Doreen
    Robert King
    • Mr. Sweeting
    Kenneth McGregor
    • Mr. Woods
    • (as Ken McGregor)
    Vinetta Strombergs
    • Ms. Chisolm
    Richard Gira
    • Mr. Majelewski
    Wendy Springate
    • Mrs. Majelewski
    Harry Booker
    • Officer Marks
    Peter Read
    • Security Guard
    Steve Mousseau
    • The Weird Man
    Garry Bron
    • Police Detective
    • Director
      • Ed Hunt
    • Writer
      • Barry Pearson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews52

    5.23.9K
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    Featured reviews

    5AngelHonesty

    Enjoyable Because Its Bad

    The film is a low budget horror movie that has poor filming, a poor storyline that drags on and poor acting. But even with all that said, it's still an enjoyable film to watch, the brain itself is fun to laugh at, with its corny looks and the killing scenes are interesting if not gross. Don't watch with high expectations.
    5jbar19

    Low Budget, Cheesy fun from Canada. 5/10

    The Brain is a slightly silly, sci fil horror story about 2 aliens trying to brainwash Earthlings through a Television show and the two high school students who fight to expose the aliens.

    I get the feeling that they started to make a serious movie and then in the middle of the production, they just started throwing in some silly elements (Topless girl, SODIUM signs, etc)

    The Brain comes off more as a made for TV movie than a feature. It's not very scary and it's not very funny, but it has a certain 1980s nostalgic, goofy charm.

    The two main actors take their roles very seriously and you could tell they both would go on to bigger and better things.

    The alien monster looks like an greasy muppet and is not at all scary. There are several distracting production errors and mistakes that are fairly noticeable.

    The two groups of people who would get the most enjoyment from this movie are 11 year olds (because it isnt very scary) and people who grew up in the 1980s (for nostalgia)

    I can't say that you should go out of your way to see this movie, but if it comes on TV you might want to give it a watch.
    6Platypuschow

    The Brain: Silly but fun creature feature

    The 1980's were saturated with creature features and that's one of the reasons I think they were the best time for horror.

    The Brain is a fine example and though silly it's a lot of fun if you can just take your brain out for a moment (Pun intended and hilarious).

    It tells the story of an evil guy intent on brainwashing everyone in town through his television show using a erm......brain....creature...thing.

    It's certainly one of those movies which doesn't explain a vast amount and expects you to fill in the gaps. In this case however considering the subject matter I had no problem with that at all.

    With a creature that looks like a Madball (Which oddly started the year before this came out) it's not all that easy to take seriously but I really don't think you're supposed to.

    At its core it's just a creature feature with a big conspiracy plot behind it with a passable cast and sfx.

    Sure it's not for everyone, in fact it could be considered niche but it's watchable stuff for what it is.

    The Good:

    Creature is interesting

    Plot is passable

    The Bad:

    Very little is actually explained

    Still a bit silly

    Things I Learnt From This Movie:

    Everything you see on television is real

    Police car rear doors can be opened at will from the inside

    Axes are immune to bloodstains
    5Tikkin

    Mild cheese

    I found this really cheap on DVD recently and just HAD to snap it up - it's one of those horror flicks I kept seeing on ebay but didn't want to pay too much for it.

    It turns out that it's not a bad cheesy monster flick, but nothing special either. I would describe it as average. The brain itself is funny to watch, especially when it attacks. The scene at the end where it explodes in a shower of sparks is hilarious. The plot is silly and loosely ties all the events together. There's some boring moments and some fun moments.

    Overall I would rate it as average. There's loads of better films out there, if you're a fan of The Brain then you may want to check out The Suckling (a film about an aborted killer foetus) or The Deadly Spawn. Both have similarities to The Brain and are much more entertaining.
    sebpopcorn

    Caution: sodium in use

    The Brain is the story of an evil alien brain that tries to take control of the world through a threadbare looking self-help show. When it fails to take control of a rebellious teenager it sets him up as a murderer which as it turns out is pretty easy. If you shout "he killed them" to the cops they will believe you, even if you are holding an axe and there is a headless cop at your feet.

    The effects for this movie range between shoddy and outright hilarious. The brain itself is obviously the comedy highlight but also memorable is the explosion where two very obvious fireworks can be seen. The story itself isn't that bad and there is some good acting, the thing is though you'll just be laughing at the effects too much to notice much else. I'm not saying it's well written though, the ending is spelt out in mile high letters within 20 minutes which is a bit of a shame.

    People are always saying that bad movies are "so bad they're good" but this is one film that's genuinely deserving of that accolade. I really enjoyed it, if you feel like some cheap laughs and a watchable story you'll find them with this movie.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ed Hunt asked Cynthia Preston if she'd be nude during the scene where she's laying in the floor after having sex, but she refused. She would agree to go naked in later films and TV shows though.
    • Goofs
      The dialogue implies that the story takes place in the US, but the road signs are obviously Canadian.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Anthony Blakely: [watching The Brain eat a nurse] That's food for thought!

    • Crazy credits
      WARNING: The washroom scene is a dramatic representation. Combining sodium and water may cause serious injury. Do not attempt it!!!
    • Connections
      Featured in Svengoolie: The Brain (1995)

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    FAQ14

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 4, 1988 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La mente
    • Filming locations
      • Xerox Research Centre of Canada - 2660 Speakman Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada(Psychological Research Institute)
    • Production companies
      • Brightstar Films
      • International Video Entertainment (IVE)
      • Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 34m(94 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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