Brain Damage Films

Brain Damage Films
Subsidiary
Industry Film
Founded 2001
Founder Darrin Ramage
Headquarters Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Products Motion pictures
Parent Maxim Media Marketing, Inc.
Slogan
  1. 1 In Indie Horror
Website braindamagefilms.com

Brain Damage Films is a US-based worldwide independent film production company and distribution company. It was founded in 2001 by Darrin Ramage.[1][2]

The company distributes a variety of horror and shock genre movies in many formats, including DVD, Blu-Ray, and cable, satellite, and internet Video On Demand.

Company information

The company's films are noted for their horror aspects and sometimes lower budgets. They are also known for a variety of shock/exploitation films, most notably the Traces of Death series, which was produced in response to the popularity of the Faces of Death series.

The films usually contain sexuality, nudity, gore and graphic violence, and other elements common to horror movies, making "Brain Damage" a fitting name. Founder Darrin Ramage is quoted as saying "everyone is looking for B and B: blood and boobs."[3]

Some notable films from Brain Damage Films are the Traces of Death series, Fear of the Dark, Death of a Ghost Hunter, Terror Toons, Zombies Anonymous, Strange Things Happen at Sundown, The Great American Snuff Film, RetarDEAD, Monsturd, 7 Nights of Darkness, Hell's Highway, Goth, Operation: Nazi Zombies, the Skeleton Key series, and The Abducted (aka Match.Dead).

History

Brain Damage Films was founded in 2001 by Darrin Ramage, who claimed to have over "8 years experience in independent films to independent retailers distribution."[4]

After producing and distributing Direct-to-video horror films including Death Factory, Hell's Highway, The Vulture's Eye, The Witch's Sabbath, and Goth, Brain Damage Films created a fan following which continues to grow. The fans are often referred to as "Gorehounds."[5]

Brain Damage Music

The Brain Damage Music division was launched in 2011. Its only release so far has been Arizona metal band Reign of Vengeance's album "Disemboweling Swine".[6]

Gorehounds TV Show

In 2007, New York-based production company Chatsby Films filmed and produced a Reality TV show, titled "Gorehounds", about the Brain Damage Films office and its employees. The show was never broadcast on a television network or released in any form.[7]

Brain Damage Films UK

In September 2009, a UK Brain Damage Films was launched by UK-based Cult Laboratories. Among the Brain Damage Films titles that were re-released in the United Kingdom were Curse of the Wolf, Fist of the Vampire, Bachelor Party in the Bungalow of the Damned, The Taste of Flesh, Hell House, Awaken the Dead, Death of a Ghost Hunter, Silent Bloodnight, Serum, Prey for the Beast, Secrets of the Clown, and Torture Me No More.[8]

Notable affiliations

Brain Damage Films has served as a launching pad for several people who are now well-known within the horror film genre, including:

Horror films produced by Brain Damage Films

Starting in 2002, Brain Damage Films has produced at least 6 original independent horror films:

Controversy and criticism

On 14 December 2005, the German government banned Brain Damage Films' website from appearing on major search engines such as Google, stating that the website was "reported as illegal by a German regulatory body".[9][10]

On 22 June 2005, the British Board of Film Classification rejected Traces of Death, stating that "The work presents no journalistic, educational or other justifying context for the images shown."[11]

Films produced and distributed by Brain Damage Films are often criticized for their production value and quality.[12][13]

Films Distributed by Brain Damage Films

Below is a list of films currently distributed by Brain Damage Films as of 7 September 2012, according to the Internet Movie Database.

The 2002 film Machine Head was a low budget independent horror film produced, written and directed by Michael Patrick and Leonard Murphy. It portrays a teenager who creates a zombie as a science project. A Monsters & Critics reviewer stated that, despite the film's low budget being reflected in its special effects and lighting, "there is still plenty fun to be had, and with laughs too", writing that the film was "a whacky low budget slice of Frankenstein fun" ending with a "great homage" to that iconic character.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Brain Damage Distribution". Bloody Disgusting.com. 15 May 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Brain Damage Films on Fox News 10 August 2006. Fox News.
  3. ↑ "Darrin Quote from News Story". USA Today. 27 October. Retrieved 27 October 2008. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ↑ "Archive.org Historical Capture of BrainDamageFilms.com". Wayback Machine. 28 February 2002. Archived from the original on 2 February 2002. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "Brain Damage Films About Page". Brain Damage Films Official Website. 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Brain Damage Record Label". Articlesdic.com. 2012. Retrieved 2012.
  7. ↑ "Gorehounds TV Show". Zonie. Retrieved 2012.
  8. ↑ "Brain Damage UK". Articlesdic.com. Retrieved 2012.
  9. ↑ "Google.de search for BrainDamageFilms.com". Google. Retrieved 2012.
  10. ↑ "Google takedown notice from Germany". ChillingEffects.org. Retrieved 2012.
  11. ↑ "Rejection of Traces of Death by the BBFC". British Board of Film Classification. 2005. Retrieved 2012.
  12. ↑ "Brain Damage Films criticism". SoiledSinema.com. 2008. Retrieved 2012.
  13. ↑ "Negative reviews of Brain Damage Films releases". AnythingHorror.com. 2011. Retrieved 2012.
  14. ↑ Parlin, Geri (8 December 2011). "Filmmakers resurrect punk rock: Locally shot zombie flick now on DVD". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  15. ↑ McKeague, Andy (2 November 2005). "DVD Review: Machine Head". Monsters & Critics. Retrieved 21 January 2013.

External links