10 Syfy Original Horror Movies That Actually Aren't Awful
8. Man With The Screaming Brain
Syfy Air Date: September 25,
2005
Directorial debut of horror legend Bruce Campbell, Man With The Screaming Brain is the strange story of William Cole (played by Campbell himself), the wealthy CEO of a US drug company looking for new business in Bulgaria. Things take an immediate turn for the bizarre when Cole begins an affair with Tatoya, a gypsy hotel maid who decides to take a lead pipe to his head.
Robbed and left for dead, Cole's barely functioning body is found by two opportunistic Russian scientists who replace the damaged parts
of the American’s brain with healthy tissue taken from the brain of another of Tatoya's victims. When he comes to, Cole finds that he is sharing his mind with someone else.
Campbell’s original script had the events of the film taking place in LA, though the network were unable to provide the funding to make this happen, which is why the project was hastily rewritten to take place in far-cheaper Bulgaria. It was an enforced change that ended up being for the better, however, with the unusual setting adding to the atmosphere of a film that is nothing if not unique.
Rotten Tomatoes critic Rob Gonsalves called Man with the Screaming Brain a decent and diverting piece of work from perhaps the hardest-working man in film, while his fellow reviewer David Nusair insisted that the film was required viewing for Campbell fans.
Those unaccustomed to the Evil Dead star’s hammy style might be tempted to reach for the remote ten minutes into the feature, but Bruce’s go-for-broke approach to this long-time passion project ensures that it never gets boring.