The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)

February 07, 2007

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) starring Jason Evers and Virginia Leith is a movie that screams to have the little talking heads at the bottom of the screen ("Mystery Science Theater 3000" (1988)). It is a movie that it is so bad that it actually becomes good again.

A brilliant young scientist, Jason Evers, is experimenting with transplant surgery when he and his fiancée, Virginia Leith, are in a horrible car accident. She is decapitated and he injects her head with his new serum. He takes her to his secret lab and puts her head in a pan, all in the hopes to transplant it to another body. So he goes out and stars hitting the strip joints (circa 1962) looking for another body. I know… how can this movie get any better? Well, there is a cat fight between two strippers that actually ends with a meow, great acting from a severed head, some of the worst dialogue ever written, a score that screams cheap porn music, and a monster in the closet. Trust me I didn’t ruin anything.

This film is a modern version of Frankenstein (1931). A doctor trying to play God, going where no one will tread, all in the name of science. The budget is low and I mean really low, but all involved make an honest effort and that is what makes this film fun.

Where can you find this cinematic gem? Check the movie specialty stores in the discount rack. It only cost me 5.99 to add this bad boy to my collection.