The Borrower

The Borrower
The Borrower
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John McNaughton
Written by	(story and screenplay); (screenplay)
Produced by	; ;
Starring	Rae Dawn Chong; Don Gordon; Tom Towles; Antonio Fargas
Cinematography	Julio Macat; Robert C. New
Edited by	Elena Maganini
Music by	Ken Hale; Steven A. Jones; Robert McNaughton
Production; companies	Cannon Pictures; Vision Pictures; Atlantic Entertainment Group (uncredited)
Distributed by	Cannon Films (1991, USA); Warner Home Video
Release date	1991;
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Borrower is a 1991 American science fiction horror film directed by John McNaughton and starring Rae Dawn Chong, Tom Towles and Antonio Fargas.^[1] The story revolves around an alien serial killer, who is sent to Earth to live among humans as a form of penalty.

Synopsis[]

An alien serial killer is sent to Earth to live among humans as a punishment for his crimes, and his body is genetically transformed to look like a human. Nevertheless, the transformation is incomplete and every few hours the alien's body begins to revert to its original form, causing his head to explode. The situation prompts the alien to "borrow" heads from anyone who happens to be nearby. He gets it by squeezing the head off with a crab-like claw and skewering it onto his own neck. At the same time, Detectives Pierce (Chong) and Krieger (Gordon) try to figure out who is causing the killing spree, with only one clue: all the heads of the victims have been removed and are lost. The team slowly comes to the conclusion that they are facing a rather unearthly killer.

Cast[]

Rae Dawn Chong - Diana Pierce
Don Gordon - Charles Krieger
Tom Towles - Bob Laney
Antonio Fargas - Julius
Neil Giuntoli - Scully
Larry Pennell - Captain Scarcelli
Tracy Arnold - Nurse

Tony Amendola has a small role as a doctor and Mädchen Amick briefly appears as a rock groupie. Pamela Norris cameos as a hooker.

Production[]

Between making Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer in 1986 and the release of The Borrower in 1990, director John McNaughton got sent numerous horror scripts, none of which he liked. In a 2017 interview he explained:

"When I got the script for The Borrower I was broke. (...) And I got sent bad script after bad script and then came The Borrower, which in some sense was also a bad script, but the conceit that this creature takes the heads off of people and somehow occupies their lives, to me it was like a metaphor for what actors do. That gave me something to take a hold of, other than just the monster that jumps up from behind a tree to scare you and eat you."^[2]

One of McNaughton's previous films (and one of the most well known and revered of his filmography), Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, is referenced in a poster that can be seen in one scene on a street. Also, a TV commercial can be overheard warning about the disturbing nature of the aforementioned film on a scene in the hospital.

Release[]

The Borrower was shown at the 1991 Toronto International Film Festival as part of their Midnight Madness screenings.^[3]

Scream Factory announced the movie on Blu-ray.^{[citation needed]}

References[]

^ Vincent Canby (1991). "The Borrower". The New York Times.
^ "John McNaughton interview". THE FLASHBACK FILES. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
^ Salem, Rob (August 15, 1991). "Midnight Madness Strikes Festival Again". Toronto Star. p. B3.

External links[]

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[1] Vincent Canby (1991). "The Borrower". The New York Times.

[2] "John McNaughton interview". THE FLASHBACK FILES. Retrieved 2021-02-22.

[torstar-mm-3] Salem, Rob (August 15, 1991). "Midnight Madness Strikes Festival Again". Toronto Star. p. B3.

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