The Brain the Wouldn't Die

Underbelly · June 25, 2008, 09:31:48 AM

I watched this masterpiece on archive.org the other day. What a great film this is, so wonderfully stupid. I had not seen it since it in years! My favorite part is how easily he takes the head from the car. It must have been completely severed, nice and clean. Hell, when we see her face, there isn't a scratch on it. And wasn't her hand moving when he got to the car?

peter johnson · June 25, 2008, 10:37:07 AM

Speaking of heads being easily moved into and out of cars, have you seen "They Saved Hitler's Brain"?

Yes, I do love The Brain That Wouldn't Die -- a true classic of its kind. Yes, I do believe you're right about her visible hand, though it's been a number of years since I've seen this one. What I remember most about this film is the snappy, staccatto way of speaking the actors all affected, like many pictures of the time.
peter johnson/denny crane

Andrew · June 25, 2008, 11:20:23 AM

I like this one, and a review for it is pending (probably during August). From the rough draft of the review:

Quote

Hell hath no fury like a woman beheaded.

I was laughing at Jan in the pan when she ranted about being powerful. Yeah, you are pretty powerful there, girl. Just you wait, there are things in this world that even a woman's head in a lasagna pan is afraid of. A spoiled three-year-old with a croquet mallet, for example.

Underbelly · June 25, 2008, 11:41:33 AM

I did write a small piece on it on my blogs if you are interested.

www.willinois.com/views

JPickettIII · June 25, 2008, 11:47:23 AM

This is a fun movie. I did like that the head was easily taken from the car with no mess. I have the MST3K version. The best parts (if you have seen the MST3K version) is when they focus on the main character and Mike and the Bots freak out because they are in a different universe. Truly a classic!

Saucerman · June 25, 2008, 11:57:18 AM

My friends and I tend to mute the film and add in our own dialogue, usually lines from REANIMATOR (1985).

There's just something about Jan, in a raspy, male voice, saying, "West...you bastard..." that brings a tear of joy to my eye.

Rev. Powell · June 25, 2008, 01:27:31 PM

I love this movie, not just for the "head" scenes but also for the delightfully sleazy search for a replacement body for Jan. It just adds such a delightful current of queasy unwholesomeness to the film that helps catapult it above the standard mad scientist movie. Plus, what bad movie lover can't adore lines like "I'm just a head... and you're whatever you are... but together, we're strong!"

lester1/2jr · June 25, 2008, 05:09:13 PM

I like when he's bringing the heead up the embankment in his shirt like "gotta get this to the lab "

BixDugan · June 26, 2008, 02:49:41 PM

A few weeks back on the Fangoria Radio Show (Sirius) they had a trivia question:

In "The Brain That Wouldn't Die", whose brain was it. (what was the characters name?)

All I could think of was "Jan in the Pan"...LOL

I did give my answer, but it didn't make it to the air.

The Hosts are usually Dee Snider and Debbie Rochon. Neat show if you're into Horror.

Underbelly · June 27, 2008, 10:04:37 AM

I watch movies like this and wonder, How could a person actually make a movie this bad? Granted there is a low budget and it was filmed in less than 2 weeks, but really . . .

But it's great that they did, huh?

Do you think they watched it after it was done and looked at it with any sense of pride?

peter johnson · June 27, 2008, 10:24:22 AM

Oh, absolutely they were proud of this --
Believe me, a group of people can sit together in a screening room and mutually convince themselves that they've created the next "Citizen Kane", when what is actually seen in the cold light of day is pathetic. It's a strange phenomena, but it's real. This is why so many films get advance screenings -- some studios know that they're too close to their own projects to have an objective eye.
peter johnson/denny crane

SynapticBoomstick · June 27, 2008, 08:47:42 PM

One of the first movies to be put into my personal collection and still one of my favorites. If they ever remade this today, the tag line would probably be something corny like "He's looking for head." or something along that line but the movie really has a creepy quality to it despite the burlesque tones; knowing that this "gentleman" wants to saw the head off of another person makes you cringe at his attempts to woo the women he meets, "no, don't go with him, he's going to kill you!".

The ending was hailed as "a new level of gore" and even though by today's standards it's pretty low it's still pretty painful looking. "now your name is No-Hands Harvey!" I still love the last line of the movie, "You should have let me die." He really should have.

xupernaut · June 29, 2008, 09:35:16 PM

I watched this treasure a couple weeks ago it was the mst'ed version.Good stuff y'know they just don't make human head/brain transplant flicks any more what a shame.It hilarious how the doctor shamelessly goes shopping for a woman with a nice body that won't be missed.A true class act.

I told my wife at the time if I ever get decapitated I expect her to do the same for me.She said no you believe that??

Underbelly · June 30, 2008, 09:49:04 AM

To remake this film would a crime, really.

Here is what would happen . . .

Some young director will try to remake this but try to improve it. He will improve the dialogue and acting, use CGi effects, change the plot until it makes sense, add love scene, and somewhere in all this will be a moral dilemma and a nude scene. Probably Keanu Reeves will star in it and it will be horrible. They won't realize that its the bad acting, plot, direction, total lack on sense that made the movie worth watching. (ok, you'll still get the bad acting from Reeves)

Rev. Powell · June 30, 2008, 09:35:15 PM

Quote from: Underbelly on June 30, 2008, 09:49:04 AM
To remake this film would a crime, really.

Here is what would happen . . .

Some young director will try to remake this but try to improve it. He will improve the dialogue and acting, use CGi effects, change the plot until it makes sense, add love scene, and somewhere in all this will be a moral dilemma and a nude scene. Probably Keanu Reeves will star in it and it will be horrible. They won't realize that its the bad acting, plot, direction, total lack on sense that made the movie worth watching. (ok, you'll still get the bad acting from Reeves)

I'm sure Jeff Broadstreet has this next on his to-do list after he finishes desecrating SPIDER BABY. The only good news is he probably can't afford Keanu's services.