THE BRAIN LEECHES (1978) - Maybe the worst movie ever?

The Burgomaster · December 09, 2011, 09:17:23 AM

I finally got my hands on a DVD-R copy of Fred Olen Ray's sci-fi comedy THE BRAIN LEECHES, which supposedly was never released and was made for $298. I need to let this movie sink in for a day or two, but it may have risen to the top of my worst movies ever made list.

To set the stage, I'll give you a few pieces of information about this movie:

* It is in black & white
* It has a running time of about an hour
* Most of it was filmed outside or in rooms containing little or no furniture (some scenes just feature two actors talking to each other in front of a plain white wall)
* Some scenes are silent, except for the voice of a narrator who tries to tell us what the hell is going on

The story involves a spaceship crashing in a rural town (we never see it . . . but a few people talk about it). Alien leeches from the ship take over some of the town folk, turning them into zombie-like creatures who wear sunglasses. When they take off their sunglasses, they reveal large, white eyes. This effect seems to have been created by having the actors close their eyes and painting their eyelids white.

The alien leader is a sock puppet who speaks English in a whispery voice. You can very clearly see the arm of the person who is operating the sock puppet. I hope this was an intentional attempt at humor, but maybe it was just cheesy filmmaking.

In one scene, a car starts and we hear the sound of the ignition. But when the car starts moving, there is no sound effect for the engine or the gravel being kicked up under the tires. The car just speeds away silently down a dirt road.

In another scene, a car crashes into a warehouse and stock footage of a nuclear explosion is edited in.

This has bottom-of-the-barrel dialogue, acting, direction, editing, lighting, sound, make-up, set decoration, and special effects. Definitely a candidate for the Crap Hall of Fame.

By the way, the copy I bought from Super Strange Video is a lot better quality than what you see in the clips below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZcPNrBes5g

Raffine · December 09, 2011, 10:29:45 AM

Wow! This sounds a bit like THE BRAIN EATERS (1958), which is pretty rotten in its own right.

RCMerchant · December 10, 2011, 09:58:11 AM

I agree.Iv'e sat through TV Mikels the CORPSE GRINDERS...this was even more difficult. Not because it's bad...I like Bad Movies. It's because it's tedious.
It hurts. It HURTS.

RCMerchant · December 10, 2011, 10:04:44 AM

Quote from: Raffine on December 09, 2011, 10:29:45 AM
Wow! This sounds a bit like THE BRAIN EATERS (1958), which is pretty rotten in its own right.

It's WORSE than Andy Milligan movies. That says a LOT.

SynapticBoomstick · December 10, 2011, 10:31:57 PM

The problem with gems is that they tarnish. Now I see what $298 gets you in the film business.

Archivist · December 12, 2011, 02:04:47 AM

Um, wow. That does sound pretty bad. I don't mind movies that are this poor, but only if they are short (10-20min) student or experimental films. I like how the exploding car is stock footage of a nuclear explosion - that reeks of coolness. Or just reeks.

Flangepart · December 12, 2011, 01:40:30 PM

But it does make me think of a Colman Francis 'epic'.

InformationGeek · December 13, 2011, 09:14:44 AM

Maybe worst film ever? I'll be the judge of that! I've sat through Monster A-Go Go, After Last Season, The Legend of the Titanic, and Nutcracker: The Untold Story. This movie will have no effect on me! I'll look around for it and get back to you all later on my thoughts.