Sheila and the Brainstem (1989) Blu-ray Premiere from Severin Films
By Lio Renwick
Severin Films is releasing Sheila and the Brainstem (1989) on Blu-ray in June, marking the worldwide home video premiere of a punk rock road movie that spent decades circulating only as an underground bootleg. The 2-disc set comes from a new 2K scan of the original negative and includes two versions of the film: the 112-minute Original Version and the 80-minute Producer's Cut.
Directed by Russell Bates and Matt McDowell, Sheila and the Brainstem is a punk rock road movie about love, death, jerky, kidnapped newlyweds, 24-hour minimarts and a magical brainstem that promises immortality. The Daily Bruin once described it as an "offbeat saga of America wrapped in a Big Mac carton." Bates and McDowell shot the film as UCLA students on a borrowed 16mm camera and maxed-out credit cards, and when no theatrical distributor picked it up, it took on a second life as a bootleg legend.
The movie also doubles as a snapshot of the late-1980s L.A. music scene. Redd Kross, Milo Auckerman of The Descendents and Peter Case of The Plimsouls all appear on screen, with soundtrack vocals from Bob Forrest of Thelonious Monster.
Severin presents the film at its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with English Stereo audio and Closed Captions, drawn from the new 2K scan of the original negative. The Original Version anchors the first disc, where most of the roughly three hours of all-new special features sit. Bates and McDowell record an audio commentary together and sit for an interview titled A World Of Convenience, and the disc gathers further conversations with the people in front of the camera: I Only Drink Diet Item speaks with actress Lisa Jane Todd, You Having Fun, Bruce? with actor Rick Paxson, and Thank You, Goodnight with musician and actor Robert Hecker.
Rounding the first disc are Gridley Plays Itself, a tour of the film's shooting locations, plus the "In The Country" music video by Divine Weeks, directed by Russell Bates, and the trailer. The second disc holds the 80-minute Producer's Cut, accompanied by an introduction from filmmaker Matt McDowell.
Sheila and the Brainstem is Region free and releases June 26, 2026 as part of the Severin Films' Summer Sale. Cover and key art are credited to Jared Yanez.
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