Man with the Screaming Brain
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| Man with the Screaming Brain | |
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 Man with the Screaming Brain logo |
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| Directed by | Bruce Campbell |
| Produced by | Thomas Becker (executive producer) Bruce Campbell |
| Written by | Bruce Campbell David Goodman Sam Raimi |
| Starring | Bruce Campbell Tamara Gorski Stacy Keach Ted Raimi |
| Music by | Joseph LoDuca |
| Cinematography | David Worth |
| Editing by | Shawn Paper |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Germany / USA |
| IMDb profile | |
Man with the Screaming Brain is a 2005 science fiction/slapstick film directed by, co-written by, and starring Bruce Campbell. It is Campbell's feature film directorial debut. The film was co-written by David Goodman and co-stars Ted Raimi.
Man with the Screaming Brain was shot in Bulgaria due to low production costs. The film was financed in part by the Sci Fi Channel, where it was aired for the first time on television on September 25, 2005. It premiered on April 3, 2005 at the IHouse in Philadelphia, PA. It was supposed to premiere that same night at the Broadway Theater in Pitman, NJ[1], however that theater went bankrupt earlier in the week and a new venue (the IHouse) was found. Bruce then took the film with him on his book tour and it is being shown at a limited number of theaters throughout the summer of 2005.
Dark Horse Comics published a four-issue series based on the film.
The story has existed in various forms since the mid 1980s. It was originally supposed to take place in East L.A., but after the fall of communism in Bulgaria, that location was chosen.
[edit] Plot
Campbell portrays William Cole, the wealthy CEO of a U.S. drug company who travels to Bulgaria in the hopes of diversifying his company's financial interests. Cole is a stereotypical ugly American who constantly complains about the lack of Americanization of the former communist country. He is accompanied on his trip by his wife, Jackie (portrayed by Antoinette Byron). They hire taxi driver (and former KGB agent) Yegor (played by Vladimir Kolev) to chauffeur them throughout their trip. William asks Yegor for help finding a piece of jewelry for his wife, and Yegor sells him a diamond ring.
William and Jackie have a fight, and she ends up having sex with Yegor. She walks in on William kissing the hotel maid, the gypsy Tatoya (played by Tamara Gorski), Yegor's ex-fiancée. Tatoya steals Cole's money and the ring that he had planned to give his wife (which, it is later revealed, was once her engagement ring). He chases her, and she hits him over the head with a pipe, placing him in a coma. Yegor witnesses the murder, and Tatoya then kills him with his own gun.
Dr. Ivan Ivanov (Stacy Keach) and his assistant, Pavel (Raimi) have been developing an anti-rejection drug, and they have been trying to get Cole's attention. They obtain the bodies of William and Yegor and replace the damaged parts of William's brain with healthy tissue from Yegor's brain. For most of the remainder of the film, Cole has a very large scar on his head from the brain surgery.
When he awakes, Cole begins to realize that he is not alone in his brain; he sees his own death from Yegor's point of view. He begins to hear Yegor speaking to him inside his head. The two work together and vow to take revenge on the woman that killed them both.
Meanwhile, Jackie Cole seeks revenge on Tatoya as well. Jackie has had William's life support plug pulled. She finds Tatoya in her family's apartment, and Tatoya throws Jackie down the stairs, killing her. Dr. Ivanov and Pavel again obtain the body, this time transplanting her brain into a robot.
Robot-Jackie and William/Yegor chase Tatoya through the town. William/Yegor finally kills her, just as Robot-Jackie's batteries begin to fail. William/Yegor collapses after he and his wife reveal their true feelings for each other. Pavel takes the three bodies back to Dr. Ivanov.
The film ends with Cole alive and well, back in the United States, on his way to a brain trauma benefit. His wife Jackie is also very much alive, though her brain has apparently been transplanted into Tatoya's body.
