Mind Killer, When Nerds Want Women

I remember reading comic books in the 1970s...before the term 'graphic novel' was in vogue. The ads were classic. I remember one ad advertising a book called How to Pick Up Girls. I never read that book, but I have no doubt the logic in the book was effective and on point. In 1987's "Mind Killer," we see what happens when a nerd consults a mad scientist instead of the aforementioned how-to classic.

Warren (Joe McDonald) is a library clerk and a total nerd. He's afraid of women but wants one. One day in the library archives he finds a mad scientist's notebooks on mind control. Unbeknownst to Warren, the mad-scientist perfected a mind control technique and became an oozing monster. Warren frequents singles bars and strikes out in embarrassing fashion. Then Sandy (Shirley Ross) is hired at the library and Warren can only drool. Stuttering and embarrassed to no end in his interaction with the sultry Sandy, Warren consults the mind control notebooks. They work! He tests it on a skank and he is no longer a virgin. Next up...Sandy.

This pseudo comedy then turns very dark. The nubile Sandy has some very alluring and erotic scenes thanks to Warren's new found power. Now Sandy throws himself on the former nerd and is horrified that her free will is gone. Disgusted by Warren, Sandy is helpless to reject him. Uh oh, just like the author of the notebooks, Warren begins changing into a hideous monster. Now Sandy is at the mercy of an oozing monster that wants to do all sorts of nasty things to her. As Sandy becomes more helpless, Warren becomes more twisted and horrific.

Will Sandy be able to break Warren's spell on her? Will Sandy's humiliation and subservience to the monster Warren be something she can ever get over? Is Warren's monstrous condition a pertinent metaphor for the ways men attract women in the 21st century? This becomes a dark and sordid tale and watching the victimization of Sandy is very difficult. "Mind Killer," directed by Michael Krueger is a lost gem from the 1980s.