film grew after it was released on home video. The film has been characterized as having acquired a cult following, with Kane calling both Basket Case and Brain Damage "cult faves" in 1989. In 2017, Slant Magazines Chuck Bowen called the film a "gnarly gem of 1980s-era punk horror". In 2022, Matthew Thrift of the British Film Institute included Brain Damage on his list of "10 great body horror films". On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 67% based on 15 critics, with an average rating of 6.20/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". See also List of films featuring hallucinogens Notes References Bibliography External links Official trailer 1988 films 1988 horror films 1980s comedy horror films 1980s monster movies American comedy horror films American splatter films American monster movies Films directed by Frank Henenlotter Puppet films Films shot in New York City Fictional parasites and parasitoids Films using stop-motion animation American body horror films 1980s English-language films 1988 comedy films 1980s American films