Beware These Evil Brains!!!!

[JaseSF]

Evil brains are kept alive by human experimentation but in the process gain powers at taking over other minds and wills - this is the premise behind the number of film adaptations of Curt Siodmak's novel "Donovan's Brain"

The first filming of this was The Lady and The Monster (1944) which I haven't seen.

The 1953 film version entitled Donovan's Brain is generally considered the best film adaptation to date. Lew Ayres does a terrific job of portraying two characters in the body of one man fighting for possession of his mind. There were times I almost actually believed the actor was two different people  . Gene Evans lends nice support to these scenes in his reactions to the changes in Dr. Cory (Ayres).

Ein Toter sucht seinen Mörder (aka: The Brain/Vengeance) was actually directed by Freddie Francis. This film has a nice atmosphere and there are times I like it better than the 1953 film but Peter van Eyck in the role of Dr. Cory (here spelled Corrie) is not quite as capable as Lew Ayres. What I like best about this film is it definitely adds a 'film noir' sense and style to the settings. 

The Brain (1988) is generally rightly regarded as a truly BAD B-movie but the teeth filled brain in it is certainly memorable if at times downright silly. Yeah this was for me painfully bad in all truth. 

But is that the end of the Brainy films, my fiends?? No of course it was not for there's also:

The Brain From Planet Arous (1957):  This film, directed by Nathan Juran, features an evil alien brain taking over the mind of Steve March (John Agar). Said evil brain then forces  him to do all sorts of nasty things. Egads! This fiendish brain even has intentions on Steve's girlfriend (tagline reads: It Will Steal Your Body and Damn Your Soul!) but  thankfully his girlfriend's dog  has its brain taken over by a good alien brain determined to stop this fiendish floating mind monstrosity. No I'm not kidding! That is the basic plot. Still, this movie though is loads upon loads of fun...for me anyways. 

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) is basically an exploitation film which focuses squarely on the female form and when not doing that focuses on the fiendish experiments of a lounge lizard scientist and his arm-ripping monster in a closet creation --not to mention the girlfriend (who's only got an head) for whom he is searching a new and of course curvaceous full-figured body. Now some may will condemn this film for its overall general sleazy exploitative qualities (but probably not too many on this board) not to mention for its incredible silliness but damn I got to admit that I do love this bad movie... mind-numbingly good fun.

So any more brains to throw in the stew??

[Leah]

Fiend without a Face.

[Silverlady]

Young Frankenstein ...  "Evil Brain" vs "Good Brain" created a hysterically funny "Monster"!
I can watch this movie over and over ...

[JaseSF]

Fiend Without a Face (1958) is awesome and probably the most spine-chilling (or should that be spine-sucking?) brain monsters ever put to screen. The weird squishing noise they make is certainly most startling. Young Frankenstein does indeed make use of brains as do most Frankenstein films, some in which they make a more visible presence than others.

[Chainsawmidget]

What about the Man with Two Brains?  Granted, the brain there isn't evil, but it is alive and floating in a jar, the movie also has some nice mad scientist work, a creepy lab, and an Elevator Killer.

[WingedSerpent]

There's the brain-like alien from the remake of Invadars from Mars  Not technically a pure brain but close enough.  If they ever did Krang for the live action TMNT movies, I think that's what he would look like.

[Leah]

They saved Hitler's head/brain? it is the most evilest brain the world has known about. 

[JaseSF]

Was wondering when someone was going to mention They Saved Hitler's Brain . A movie most bad movie fans most certainly are more likely to know about....although I suspect most would say it's painfully bad.

[retrorussell]

Cain from Robocop 2 died and his brain was put in a giant robot. 



And he had a screen on his chest, IIRC, that would show expressions on a virtual human face.  Creepy!

[Leah]

The evil brains from Futurama! 

[skuts]

City of Lost Children featured an evil brain in a wooden cabinet that stole childrens' dreams.

[Flick James]

The Man with Two Brains (1983) -

Got you all beat. The brain of a woman whom Steve Martin's character falls in love with is placed into the body of the woman he married, who is attractive but whom he can't stand. She fails to tell him that she is a compulsive overeater and gains a whole bunch of weight. Now, that's evil.

[JaseSF]

Bull, do you mean the heads in jars from Futurama? Or were there also actual evil brains on the show? I never caught the whole run of it myself. Wouldn't be surprised if they did have evil floating brains on there though...

Some great additions guys...RoboCop 2 and City of Lost Children certainly aren't films I would have thought of so quickly myself. Invaders From Mars lead alien does resemble a brain in both film versions if I'm remembering correctly (although moreso in the remake, in the original it was more a head in a bubble with squid legs). The Man with Two Brains is an interesting addition to this list too...really need to catch that one myself being a huge Steve Martin fan.

Anyhoos some more brainy brains   (zombies would go yum!  ):



Bet 14 Quatloos on the Newcomer - Star Trek's "The Gamesters of Triskelion"



The Outer Limits - "The Guests"



Journey to the Seventh Planet had an unusual alien part brain/part eye critter.



The Bugs from Starship Troopers had a brainy bug leader.

[Leah]

Bull, do you mean the heads in jars from Futurama? Or were there also actual evil brains on the show? I never caught the whole run of it myself. Wouldn't be surprised if they did have evil floating brains on there though...

there were actual evil brains on the show 

[Shadow]

The Space Children had a big brainy blob from outer space that hung out in a cave and telepathically influenced local kids.