365 Movies Day #72 "Hardware"

So I was around 12 years old and my sisters and I would sleep downstairs in our house on weekends and during the summer so we could watch cable TV all night. Comedy Central was just starting out and had like 8 shows in total, Liquid Television graced MTV and HBO was a source of constant corruption with shows like Real Sex and HBO's Thursday Night Prime films like "Maniac Cop" or a number of films featuring Michael Pare or Eric Roberts.

One early morning around 2AM, a little flick called "Hardware" came on and was forever etched into my memory as one of the creepiest, trippiest films I would ever see. Tonight was the first time I have seen the film since. Some of the scenes were so vividly in my brain in a way that barely any film has stuck with me without repeat viewing. The movie features Stacey Davis long before "Desperate Housewives" and Dylan McDermott long before "The Practice". It's also a fairly early film for the Weinsteins as producers. Iggy Pop's voice also makes an appearance.

The film is set in a nasty post-apocalyptic future. Mo (McDermott) is a scavenger out in the wastelands. In his travels he discovers the discarded head of what's believed to be a maintenance droid. Thinking it will make a great present for his artist girlfriend (Davis), he snags it up. Turns out the head belongs to a rather destructive force that has a tendency to rebuild itself. What follows is a psychedelic excursion into sex, violence and weirdness and the epitome of all that is cyberpunk goodness.

The film is just as crazy as I remember it and I can definitely understand why it messed with my head so much back then. If you're into dark, gritty cyberpunk craziness, this is definitely the film for you.

HARDWARE ON IMDB