Thursday 31 May 2012

The Brain That Wouldn't Die

"The Brain That Wouldn't Die" aka "The Head That Wouldn't Die" (1962, Joseph Green, American International Pictures) is a 'fabulous' little black and white horror/sci-fi B-move.

According to the box it was actually made in 1959, but for some reason wasn't released until 1962. Also, it seems to be available on the public domain, and I got it in the Pound Shop for, wait for it, 50p (it was a buy one get one free). So you know it's gonna be quality stuff!

Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) has become obsessed with his experiements in making body parts remain alive after dismemberment or death and reattaching them successfully to living tissue.

Unfortunately, during an odd car accident, Bill's fiancée, Jan Compton (Virginia Leith) is randomly decapitated. Naturally, Bill's reaction is to save the head, run to his laboratory and reanimate it before it's too late!!! I'd like to think this was the natural gut reaction of every man....not!

He keeps Jan's dismembered head alive in his laboratory while he considers murder in order to obtain a body for his soon-to-be-wife.

Jan, naturally, is not very chuffed with the situation. She's stuck in a tray of liquid as a head for FFS! She probably had an itchy nose, too!

She finds that she is able to communicate telepathically (I believe this has something to do with the life-preserving liquid) and begins to 'talk' to the creature in the locked laboratory cupboard (a failed experiment of Bill's). She hopes to kill Bill (heh, see what I did there?) and then end her own miserable existence.

The hideous creature does as Jan wishes and disposes of the doctor, saving the young woman Bill had planned on butchering. Unfortunately, it leaves the lab without killing Jan, who for all her complaining, doesn't seem too fussed about this. Maybe she figured the liquid would evaporate and she'd eventually die...

A good ol' yarn with some impressive special effects for the day, but not a very expensive movie to make and very old fashioned! The script is a little dull in places and the story makes little sense. But it's a B-movie! What do you want?!

I think if they remade this movie instead of potentially destroying the 'Evil Dead' saga, I would be very pleased. They could really update this film successfully! Unfortunately, this is not the case.

But poor old Jan in the Pan!

[Picture: American International Pictures]

Hani 


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