Drawing obvious inspiration from both Universal monster movies and the burgeoning Italian gothic craze (particularly Mario Bava's Black Sunday), this jaw-dropping granddaddy of the Mexican horror cycle quickly became a late night television staple thanks to its heavy American distribution from flashy distributor K. Gordon Murray. The frequent reprinting of grisly stills in publications ranging from Famous Monsters of Filmland to The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film kept generations of young horror fans seeking this one out, usually under the most desperate of circumstances, and it never failed to live up to its reputation. The thick vein of grotesque humor and unexpected surrealist imagery keep the film from becoming dated, and even seasoned trash film viewers can still be thrown by its brutality and odd narrative rhythms. Director Chano Ureta (The Witch's Mirror) once again establishes himself as the prime practitioner of Mexican horror's first great wave, with plenty of expert, atmospheric lighting and effectively weird sets keeping even the most mundane dialogue scenes at a disturbing pitch. And of course, the outrageous flame-throwing climax is not to be missed.
Most widely seen in an English-dubbed version ripe with uproarious dialogue, The Brainianc (El Barón del terror) has been a video staple for years in various murky editions, with an amateurish budget DVD from Beverly Wilshire quickly pulled off the market and a double-bill version from Something Weird announced but never released. CasaNegra's much-needed restoration presents an edition far clearer and cleaner than anyone in America has ever seen, and the original Spanish language track is a bit more urbane and serious than its goofball English counterpart. (Some brief footage trimmed from the US prints is reinstated here in Spanish only with subtitles.) Likewise, the bilingual DVD sleeve can be flipped to either an English or Spanish version.
Pulling the maximum amount of extras out of a title with little promotional history, the DVD augments the main feature with an enthusiastic commentary by "Kirb Pheeler," whose "Brainiac Interactive Press Kit" is also present on the disc. His accompaniment is packed with information and odd bits of trivia and humorous anecdotes, mixing the goofy and the scholarly for a solid listening experience that never takes the film too seriously. Casamiro Buenavista offers a more cut-and-dry Mexican appraisal of the film in an essay, while other extras include a gallery of posters and stills, bios for the actors (including future sleaze director Rene Cardona, who appears in a supporting role here), a double-bill American radio spot, and the usual CasaNegra game card insert.
For more information about The Brainiac, visit Casanegra Films. To order The Brainiac, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
