Good afternoon, House of Madness gamers:
Ahhh, the guilty pleasure; everyone has at least one, but if you're willing to be honest with yourself and cast aside the judging eyes within, the list could be as long as one of Spongebob's arms (guilty pleasure). Do you secretly sing along with Duran Duran when nobody is looking, pretending you're Simon Le Bon to the makeshift microphone that doubles as a back scratcher? Perhaps you have a little crush on David Spade or Amy Schumer, even though the rest of the planet would like nothing more than to punt them both into outer space without a ship. Or a reason. Or a helmet. When your better half leaves the house to do a little shopping, instead of taking this opportunity to do something productive, you curl up on the couch and watch 56 episodes of COPS even though you verbally assault it every time the show is advertised on TV. Yes, everyone has a guilty pleasure indeed, and just imagine the doors that would open for the people and objects in question if we as a society were willing to just be honest and open about our secret lustful desires; Simon Le Bon would still be king, David Spade and Amy Schumer would still be funny, and COPS would still be......OK, no way of possibly making that show with redeeming viewing qualities. I tried. My most guilty pleasure when it comes to film is hands down "Brainscan", and it's not even close.
Michael (Edward Furlong) is not your average high schooler. Years back, he lost his mother to a car accident which left his knee permanently scarred as well, and his father is always away on business giving Michael the run of the roost. He's in love with his neighbour Kim (Amy Hargreaves), but can't muster up the courage to make his move, other than watching her through the lens of his camcorder as he ogles at her breasts from afar while she changes in the not so privacy of her bedroom window next door. So romantic! One day Michael's bestie Kyle (Jamie Galen) tells him about this crazy video game he read about in Fangoria Magazine called "Brainscan", and it's all the rage right now. Mike decides to delve a little deeper by calling the automated 800 number for more information, and is surprised to hear a real voice on the other end, who also quickly thanks Mike for his interest in playing, and states the first disc shall arrive soon and the game will begin. Whatever. A few days pass and "Brainscan" is all but a forgotten memory until the mail comes, and lo and behold, so does the first disc in the mysterious realm Mike is about to fall into head first.
The game begins through the eyes of a murderer, and Mike must make his kill in the allotted time given, or the game will end and so will the excitement. As his character makes his way through a dark house, he is given instructions on where to go and who to hunt, and when the time comes, how to murder. Mike completes his mission with over nine minutes to spare, and he didn't just make the kill, he took a little souvenir in the form of the deceased victim's foot - what a natural! The next day as he's getting over the high of playing and giving himself proverbial pats on the back, he turns on the television to see a news report of a murder close-by, and the man wasn't just murdered, but was horribly mutilated and missing his left foot. Uh-oh. How is this possible? It's just a game after all, and he never left his house as far as he knows, albeit he was in a transient state of almost hypnosis while he was playing. Suddenly, a being resembling some kind of cross between Mickey Rourke and Alice Cooper named Trickster (T. Ryder Smith) emerges from the computer monitor, and tries to ease the tension by explaining that no one will ever know it was Mike that committed murder.......but there's a slight hitch. There was a witness. Part two of the game will consist of Mike eliminating the witness, and even though he has no interest in ever playing again, Mike realizes it will come down to a case of him vs. the witness, and he's not ready to go to prison just yet.
Each disc forces Mike deeper into trouble, having to double down on his previous predicament, all while being goaded and chided by the Trickster. Is all of this really happening, or has Mike gotten himself so ensconced in the game that reality doesn't exist anymore, and he's just desperately waiting to wake up? Time is running out, the police are closing in, and the Trickster is having the time of his fucking life.
Madness Meter: 7.9/10
NB
