The Brain that Wouldn't Die (1963)

[Gluttony]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

After a careless moment, a scientist and his hubby get in a car accident! The scientist comes out alright, but his squeeze gets decapitated. Luckily (or not so), her significant other has perfected a way to keep her head alive while she searches for the perfect body as a replacement!

Wow. If anybody needed an example of drive-in sleaze, this would be one of the better places to begin. The movie is filled to the brim with seedy locations, nasty motivations, callous characters, revenge, science mutants, ominous monsters behind doors, telepathic heads and cute models. This is also much better than the similarly themed Atomic Brain, which came a year later (more on this one later).

The first third or so is a bit slow, but the remainder is odd cinema at it's finest. About the only real problem is that it drags out the inevitable ending a bit too long. However, it all ends happily... for the monster.

TO COOL FOR SCHOOL MOMENT- The first time we see the giant monster in action with the Scientist's assistant!

8 out of 10

[countchocula]

Decent schlock, but I've only seen the MST3K-ed version. It's mostly sluggish, and I don't know if I could stomach it on its own. The finale is a riot, but the preceding hour is a trying bore.

[blacksnake]

Yeah, I saw this movie on tv. It wasn't Mystery Science 3000 though. They did however cut off the scene with the car accident so I didn't see how it happened. I found the film to be enjoyable and I liked the second half as well. It was also fairly bloody for the time.

[countchocula]

Yeah, the dismemberment is hysterical.

"Why doesn't he just pull his arm out of his shirt?"

[the dead one]

You guys are really taking me down memory lane with this stuff!
A schlock fest if there ever was one, my fondest memory was seeing this baby on Chiller theater! Saturday nights in my house was "Horror Movie" night, I rank this flick up there with "Attack of the 50 foot Women" when it comes to fun cheese! :D

[Gretchen_Ross]

i love the part where the husband goes to the burlesque joint to find a "body" for his wife. the dancer comes up to the table and starts gyrating and the bots are all "tonight's special is broiled salmon with potatoes and side salad...".

[darchangel]

i've also seen the MST3K version, and found it ultimately hilarious...


<when the final credits flash the words 'the head that wouldn't die'>

"isn't this movie called the BRAIN that wouldn't die?"


:D




Death to Beth

~darchangel~

[spacemonkey]

Yeah I saw this one a while back and really dug it.

I see it as the grandaddy of Bride of Re-animator.

Crazy scientist doesnt want to let his girlfriend die, comes up with a serum to keep her "alive". Not only that but he also has a failed experiment hidden away in a closet, much like Dr. Herbert West has his failed experiments hidden away inside of that old mausoleum.

Oh and theres a big fight with the failed experiment(s) at the ending of the movie.

Wow, now that I think about it, the similarities are staggering.

[teenkiller]

Goddam! This movie was boring. There were a couple of sequences that were overly long and wordy but it picks up nicely for the finale. I'm in total agreeance with countchocula there. Very schlocky. It's funny to see that even in the 50's they were making such dumb movies with no integrity.

The doctor trying to murder the model with the scarred face so he could decapitate her and transplant her severed body to the living head of his girlfriend is pretty hilarious. Luckily the film is only around 70 minutes long so you don't have to endure too much if it's not to your liking.

Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[bigred760]

Wasn't this on "Mystery Science Theater 3K?"

[darknite125]

I really enjoyed this movie and the mosnter at the end was one of the coolest I've ever seen.