Brad revisits RAISING CAIN (1992), directed by Brian De Palma!

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Bradley Crain

As I was discovering my love of movies in the 80s, the first director I ever fell for was Brian De Palma. There was a time when people would ask me what my favorite movie was, and I’d answer BLOW OUT. Fox 16 out of Little Rock played the film often, and its style absolutely blew me away. Later, as a young teenager, my family was at our local video store, and we rented THE UNTOUCHABLES. I was sulking because I wanted to rent something different, but my brother wanted THE UNTOUCHABLES, and he won out that night. I remember watching the movie that evening, and I’m so glad my brother got his selection because I loved it so much. To this day, we still laugh about that night and how happy I was to discover that I was wrong. Which brings me back to RAISING CAIN. As an obsessed De Palma fan, I was very excited about RAISING CAIN when it was being released in 1992, and I eagerly watched it in the theater on opening weekend. I watched it again on VHS when it was released a little later, but I haven’t watched it now in many years. It seemed like the time was right for a revisit.

The film stars John Lithgow as Dr. Carter Nix, a child psychologist whose work involves studying the development of children. He’s also a husband and father, living with his wife Jenny (Lolita Davidovich) and their young daughter, Amy. At first glance, Carter seems like a devoted father who just happens to take his work very seriously, but we soon learn that all is not well in the Nix household. It seems that Carter has multiple personalities, and not all of them have the best of intentions. Jenny’s life and relationships are also more complicated than they might initially seem, and the farther the story progresses, the more dangerous things become for her and Amy!

With RAISING CAIN, I wanted to revisit a movie from my past that really meant something to me when it was released, but that has kind of fallen by the wayside since. What’s interesting is that I bought the 2016 Shout Factory Blu-ray release many years ago and had never even opened the package. I finally decided to crack it open and see what all I had. I was surprised to learn that the Blu-ray included two distinct cuts of the film: the theatrical cut, which was the only version I’d ever seen before, and the newer “Re-cut.” The Re-cut is a version that was put together by Dutch filmmaker Peet Gelderblom that followed along with De Palma’s draft script. What’s interesting is that De Palma has given this cut his full endorsement and called it the version he really wanted. Naturally, I decided to check them both out for fun, because I wanted to know which one I preferred. I mean, just because De Palma preferred the Re-cut doesn’t necessarily mean that I would! And to be honest, I knew that spending all this time with early 90s Brian De Palma again would be a blast, regardless of which cut I was watching.

No matter how you slice it, a big part of what makes RAISING CAIN work is John Lithgow. He seems to be having a ball playing multiple personalities, and he also plays his own unhinged father. At times, his shift in personality is abrupt and obvious, while at other times, he holds back, and we aren’t sure which personality is at the front until he acts, and sometimes violently. These moments create some of the most effective surprises in the film. Lolita Davidovich is just so beautiful, and she’s very good as Jenny. Her marriage and family life aren’t as good as they appear on the surface, and she also has unresolved feelings for Jack (Steven Bauer), a man she had known and fallen in love with prior to her marriage. Jack just happens to show back up in her life as our story begins. As crazy as the story gets, and even though Davidovich makes her own share of questionable decisions, she’s still someone we can root for as the story moves forward. I also want to shout out Frances Sternhagen, who has a supporting role as Dr. Lyn Waldheim, whose knowledge of Carter’s past becomes important as the mystery unfolds. She nails the role.

I do think that a person’s enjoyment of RAISING CAIN could be affected by how much they’re willing to go along with De Palma’s directorial excesses. It’s easy for me, because that’s one of the main things I love about his movies. The stylish camerawork and sometimes over the top performances and situations are what drew me in in the first place. However, I can also freely admit that there are times when the film’s outrageous situations and performances become so exaggerated that what could be a genuinely disturbing psychological thriller can get lost as style threatens to take over substance. That’s part of the fun for me, but I do understand how it could take others out of the story. One of the best things about movies is their subjective nature, and while the film works for me, it may not for everyone.

After watching both the theatrical cut and the Re-cut, I have to admit that I think the newer version works a little better. The main reason is that it keeps more of its cards close to the vest when it comes to Carter’s personalities, building more suspense and making some of the later revelations that much more effective. I enjoyed the experience of approaching the story from a different angle. It didn’t suddenly turn RAISING CAIN into a completely different movie for me, and I still love both versions, but it did give me a new appreciation for what De Palma’s true vision was.

For me, RAISING CAIN still holds up as a super entertaining psychological thriller that gives John Lithgow plenty of room to show off his talents. It’s a true “De Palma film,” so it might get a little carried away with its own twists and turns, but I really enjoyed revisiting the theatrical cut and especially discovering the new cut. Neither version will take over those spots I’ve reserved for BLOW OUT, THE UNTOUCHABLES, or DRESSED TO KILL, but that’s fine and dandy. I still loved it, and after all this time, I’m glad I finally opened that Blu-ray!

A Blast From The Past: Stoned (dir by John Herzfeld)

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In 1980’s Stoned, Scott Baio plays Jack Melon, a teenager with a problem.

Jack is shy, awkward, and can’t escape the shadow of his older brother, Mike (Vincent Bufano). Mike is champion swimmer. Jack is someone who can barely walk down a hallway without walking into a wall. But then Teddy (Jack Finch) gets Teddy hooked on marijuana, the so-called weed with roots in Hell! Soon, Jack is acting weird, making strange jokes, and getting all of the attention in the world. Unfortunately, Jack is also alienating those closest to him and his newfound habit leads to a near-tragedy.

Stoned was aired as an ABC Afterschool Special and, while it’s not quite Reefer Madness, it does adhere to the general anti-drug formula. In record time, Jack goes from being shy and dorky to being goofy and potentially dangerous. We get all the expected scenes of Jack devouring ice cream, Jack wandering around in a daze, Jack realizing that the girl he likes what’s nothing to do with the new Jack, Jack’s well-meaning teacher (played by the show’s writer and director, John Herzfeld) confronting his students about their drug use, and Jack accidentally hitting his brother with an oar. Jack thinks that marijuana is opening his brain because, while stoned, he suddenly realizes that a tree looks like “Old Man Eber.” Stoned goes on to show Jack ruining his life but I have to admit that I spent most of the running time wondering who Old Man Eber was. (Seriously, Old Man Eber sounds like some sort of Lovecraftian ghoul, waiting in the shadows to drag one to an Arkham cemetery.) Of course, someone nearly dies as a result of Jack’s marijuana use. What’s interesting is Jack is able to save the person’s life, even though he’s stoned. Would non-stoned Jack have been able to do it?

From the fashion choices to the cast to the message that marijuana is the most dangerous thing on the planet, Stoned is one of those TV specials that epitomizes its time. This was a film that was made at a time when it was inconceivable that there would some day be commercials for edible gummies and it shows. Watching Stoned is like stepping into a time machine.

Today, of course, Scott Baio is better known for his politics than his acting. Whenever I see a headline that reads, “This veteran Hollywood star is calling out his industry for not understanding America,” I know the story is inevitably going to be about Scott Baio complaining about his taxes. That said, Scott Baio is convincing when he’s playing Jack as being awkward and insecure but he definitely goes a bit overboard once Jack starts smoking. While that probably dilutes the effectiveness of the film’s message (because, let’s be honest, real stoners are going to watch this and easily recognize the fact that Jack is trying way too hard to convince everyone that he’s stoned), it does give this film a certain entertainment value.

Here is Stoned, complete with the commercials that aired when the show was original broadcast on November 12th, 1980:

Horror Film Review: Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (dir by John D. Hancock)

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In the 1971 film, Let’s Scare Jessica To Death, Zohra Lampert played Jessica, a woman who is struggling to remain sane.

As the film begins, Jessica has just been released from a mental institution. As Jessica explains it, she’s been hearing voices ever since her father died. She struggles with depression and sometimes, she gets paranoid. Her husband, Duncan (Barton Heyman), has just purchased a farm in Connecticut, a place where he believes that Jessica can find some peace. Their friend, Woody (Kevin O’Connor), will be moving out to the farm with them. Woody is a bit of a hippie. Some people would say that Jessica and Duncan are hippies as well but honestly, both of them seem to be more like people who desperately want other people to believe that they’re hippies as opposed to genuine members of the counterculture.

Upon arriving at their new farm, Jessica is shocked to discover a woman named Emily (Mariclare Costello) standing in their farmhouse. When the shocked Jessica calls out for Duncan, he immediately assures her, “I see her, too!” Emily explains that she’s spent the last few months living in the deserted farmhouse. Though Emily offers to leave, Jessica insists that Emily have dinner with them and spend the night. When it becomes obvious that Woody likes Emily, Jessica suggests that Emily should be allowed to live with them.

Duncan agrees to let Emily stay and, much like Jessica, you immediately start to wonder about his motives. Is he merely letting Emily stay to keep Woody happy? Or is he agreeing with Jessica because he’s scared that disagreeing with her will cause her have another breakdown? Or is it possible that he’s attracted to Emily himself?

As the days pass, Jessica struggles to adjust to life in the middle of nowhere. The location is beautiful but, because it’s so remote, it’s menacing as well. The people in the nearby town are strangely hostile and they always seem to be wearing bandages on their necks. Jessica starts to hear voices in the distance, taunting her and telling her that she has no place out in the country. Are they real or is it just her imagination? Is Jessica trying so hard to convince everyone that she’s okay that she’s actually pushing herself to a relapse? And what about the mysterious blonde girl that keeps appearing in the distance, watching Jessica but running away whenever Jessica tries to approach her?

And then there’s the picture that Jessica finds in an antique shop. It appears to be a picture of Emily but the shop’s owner assures her that the picture is over 100 years old….

Apparently, the script for Let’s Scare Jessica To Death was originally called It Drinks Hippy Blood and it’s intent was satirical. You wouldn’t be able to guess that from watching Let’s Scare Jessica To Death, which is one of the creepiest and most dream-like horror films that I’ve ever seen. Unfolding at a leisurely pace and featuring hazy but gorgeous cinematography, Let’s Scare Jessica To Death keeps both Jessica and the audience off-balance. You’re never quite sure if Jessica is right about Emily and the town or if she’s relapsed and is drowning in a sea of her own paranoia. Duncan and Woody both treat Jessica as if she might fall apart at any second. At times, Duncan and his constant concern is so suffocating towards her that you feel that, if Emily hadn’t been there waiting for them, Jessica would have had to create her. As frightening as Emily may be, only Emily can set Jessica free from her domineering husband.

More than being just a character study of a woman struggling to remain above water, Let’s Scare Jessica To Death is also a portrait of the death of counterculture idealism. Jessica, Duncan, and Woody appear to have a chance to live the ideal hippy life on their Connecticut farm but that dream collapses under the weight of all the petty human emotions and foibles that they wrongly thought they could escape. Duncan treats Jessica like a child, gaslighting her whenever she questions anything that’s going on. Woody seems like a good guy but he’s so laid back that he refuses to stand against the tide. Jessica is betrayed by everyone around her. In the end, not even the mysterious blonde girl is willing to actually warn Jessica about what’s happening.

Zohra Lampert gives a wonderfully empathetic performance as Jessica and Mariclare Costello and Gretchen Corbett are well cast as the enigmatic strangers that Jessica can’t seem to escape. Let’s Scare Jessica To Death is a creepy and atmospheric dream of dark and disturbing things and it’s definitely one to see.