Retro Movie Review: THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE

Bill wanted to get ahead, and then he got a head.

Imdb rated The Brain That Wouldn't Die (made 1959, released '62) 4.2 on a 10 scale, and it's at 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet 87% of Google users liked it. This isn't surprising; critics only look at the production quality and how literary the script is, while moviegoers see this bizarre film as a bit of fun. It certainly is that, and it's even memorable in its way.

Directed by Joseph Green, who wrote the film with Rex Carlton, Brain concerns the outlandish attempts of brilliant but arrogant Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason "Herb" Evers) to provide a new body for his fiancee, Jan Compton (Virginia Leith), who was decapitated in a car crash caused by the reckless Bill. Indeed, Jan's head yet lives, thanks (or no thanks) to Bill's special formula, which is improved from his previous experiments.

While the mad scientist runs around looking for a voluptuous body for his fiancee, Jan's head muses and schemes. See, her love for Bill has turned to cold, cruel hatred, and she plots to destroy him and herself, with the help of an unseen, patchwork creature (Eddie Carmel) whom Bill locked in a closet after creating.

Jan's feelings are somewhat understandable, since Bill really is kind of a shit. From the beginning he's egotistical, clinical, and uncaring, so he hasn't any kind of dynamic character arc. By the time he's tricked lovely but damaged model Doris Powell (Adele Lamont) to his summer cottage (which looks more like a castle), it's obvious Bill's driving ambition isn't to make Jan whole again; that's just an excuse. He wants to overcome another hurdle in his quest to master science.

It all builds to an explosive conclusion that includes the revelation of the closeted monster (which, to me, was absurd and disappointing), the rescue of the innocent damsel, and the scientist's fiery defeat. But I'll omit the specifics because I want to leave some surprises for you to discover.

Yes, it's a low-budget exploitation flick that was ripped off from Frankenstein and shot in 13 days, but Leith's performance makes Brain worth a viewing. This is ironic since she reportedly hated the film so much that she refused to return for post-production. Yet she's riveting as she plays just a head and must act only with her face and a constricted voice. She doesn't rush or get histrionic; we can see her ponder things and even wax philosophical.

If there's a downside to her character, it's that we didn't get to know her well when she was whole and thus don't really experience the attitude change. But she's definitely entertaining, as is Evers as the unsympathetic scientist. Brain is not high art, but I feel like director Green still put passion into it, making it some kind of art. Check it out.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die is not rated, but it contains graphic violence, sexual situations, cigarette smoking, and a ridiculous drawing of a cat that meows.

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