by Sherry Lipp


It’s not often I finish a movie thinking it may have been one of the worst films I have ever watched, but that was the case with the 1992 sci-fi gorefest Mindwarp. The film is available for the very first time on Blu-ray in a limited edition release from Twilight Time. So why did I think it was so bad? Was it the bad acting or the cheap looking sets? No, I can stand those things if a film has a decent story or is at least entertainingly bad in a fun sort of way. This film is none of those things. It’s really just an excuse to have a non-stop gorefest pasted into the bare bones outline of a story.

Fan of The Evil Dead series may find some interest in this film because it stars Bruce Campbell. They may also find themselves a bit disappointed in the fact that it takes Campbell quite a while to show up and he’s not in it all that much. Instead the film stars the relatively unknown actress Marta Alicia. Alicia plays Judy, a young woman disillusioned with the literally phony world she lives in. As a kind of precursor to The Matrix, everyone lives their lives plugged into a computer, which then provides them with whatever simulated experiences they want. And in this world not many people are thinking about sex because the only extended simulation we see finds someone performing an opera on a community theater-type stage.

This lifestyle has all followed a nuclear war that apparently decimated the planet for the most part. We don’t know exactly how many people are left, but they were apparently pretty smart, because they were able to create this simulated-life experience. Longing for a real experience, Judy abandons her cyber-existence and ventures out into barren landscape. This is where what little interest the movie held ends. Judy meets up with a nasty group of people where cannibalism and human sacrifice is a way of life. She also finally does hook up with Bruce Campbell and a somewhat romantic relationship develops.

Aside from that, the film devolves into displaying just much blood and gore they could cram into one film. The story is non-existent, the twist can be seen coming a mile away, and the ending is just plain stupid – though at the very least I was glad and relieved it was all over. The only notable thing, aside from Bruce Campbell, is that I spotted Emmy-winning makeup artist Greg Nicotero (of The Walking Dead) in the end credits. Luckily he has moved on to bigger and much better things.

For anyone who is interested in this film, you will be happy to know the film looks and sounds good. The colors are realistic, the detail is sharp, and the sound is clear. Considering this film is an all-but-forgotten cheapie produced by the short-lived Fangoria films, that’s pretty good. I wouldn’t recommend this film to anyone, but I know there is a schlocky horror-loving market out there who might get a kick out of it. Twilight Time, as is their standard, has issued only 3,000 copies.

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Sherry Lipp
Sherry is a writer/blogger specializing in entertainment and food writing. You can find her gluten and grain-free food articles at scdforlife.com.

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