Type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Film |
Founded | 2001 |
Founder | Darrin Ramage |
Headquarters | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
Products | Motion pictures |
Parent | Maxim Media Marketing, Inc. |
Website | braindamagefilms |
Brain Damage Films is a US-based international independent film production company and distribution company. It was founded in 2001 by Darrin Ramage. [1] [2] [3] A division located in the UK was launched in September 2009. [4] The company's films are noted for their horror aspects and Z movie budgets. They are also known for a variety of shock/exploitation films, most notably the Traces of Death series, which was produced in response to the popularity of the Faces of Death series.
Brain Damage Films movies usually contain sexuality, nudity, gore and graphic violence, and other elements common to horror films. Founder Darrin Ramage is quoted as saying "everyone is looking for B and B: blood and boobs." [5] After producing and distributing direct-to-video horror films, including Death Factory, Hell's Highway , and The Vulture's Eye , Brain Damage Films created a fan following which continues to grow. The fans are often referred to as "Gorehounds." [6]
Brain Damage Films has served as a launching pad for several people who are now well-known within the horror film genre, including: Ron Jeremy, who has appeared in at least four Brain Damage Films movies), David C. Hayes (wrote, produced, and acted in Brain Damage Films movies), and Sean Tretta (wrote, directed, and produced several Brain Damage Films movies).
Brain Damage Films has explored other territories, including television and music. In 2007, New York-based production company Chatsby Films filmed and produced a reality TV show, titled "Gorehounds", about the Brain Damage Films office and its employees. The show was never broadcast on a television network or released in any form. [7] The Brain Damage Music division was launched in 2011. Its only release so far has been Arizona metal band Reign of Vengeance's album "Disemboweling Swine". [8]
Films produced and distributed by Brain Damage Films are often criticized for their production value and quality. [9] [10] On 22 June 2005, the British Board of Film Classification rejected Traces of Death , stating that "the work presents no journalistic, educational or other justifying context for the images shown." [11] On 14 December 2005, the German government banned Brain Damage Films' website from appearing on major search engines such as Google, stating that the website was "reported as illegal by a German regulatory body". [12]
Brain Damage Films has produced at least six original independent horror films since 2002:
Below is an incomplete selection of films currently distributed by Brain Damage Films.
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