AFTERWORDS: VR Killed The Radio Star (Halloween Special)

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis—when I was a kid killing time, I couldn’t have imagined this.

We’ve discussed a fair number of 90s horror movies this season. Dr. Giggles immediately comes to mind. It’s a film that, like many horror movies, promised much with a fantastic poster or VHS box art but ultimately failed to deliver. It was a strange era.

The juggernauts of slasher cinema, Jason and Freddy, were being retired by the studios that created them. We yearned for fresh villains and new icons. I give Brainscan credit for trying to reignite the slasher party in the mid-90s.

Is the film dated? Absolutely. Is the concept half-baked? Definitely. However, at least they tried. Truth be told, Brainscan is one of the better horror films aimed at teenagers in the 90s.

The cyber-ghoul known as The Trickster was actually pretty cool. I think the filmmakers were unsure what to do with him. To be honest, they didn’t give him much to do. T. Ryder Smith, the actor who portrayed the character, was fully committed to delivering a wild performance, and I appreciate that.

We were trying to do something different, as many films at the time were playing it safe. Is Brainscan a stone-cold horror classic? Not really, but it’s a heck of a fun ride. If you grew up at the time and loved Eddie Furlong, you could do a lot worse. Hell, even I love Pet Sematary II, largely thanks to Clancy Brown’s over-the-top performance.

Grab a Surge soda, put on your favorite mixtape, and sit back for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, a time when CD-ROMs might just kill you.

Many horror films shy away from the corniness associated with their era, but Brainscan embraces its time and place. That’s largely why the film works.

Is it cheesy? Sure. Are the special effects incredibly dated? Absolutely.

Regardless, I still had a lot of fun with this movie in 2024. It may not be A Nightmare on Elm Street, but it’s definitely not Dr. Giggles, and for that, I’m grateful.