The Story: A mad scientist keeps his decapitated fiancée’s head alive in a turkey roasting pan while he searches for a suitable body. The fiancé has a hard time dealing with it and strikes up a friendship with a monster in the closet. The audience sleeps until the finale.

Wow. I don’t know what else to say but here goes anyway...

Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason “Herb” Evers) is a handsome young mad scientist who has a slight obsession with transplants. One fine day, he is merrily but recklessly driving with his lovely fiancé Jan (Virginia Leith) and drives off the road. Luckily, he is thrown clear of the wreck but not so luckily, Jan is decapitated and the good doctor only manages to rescue the poor girl’s head before the car burns up. Billy whisks the head to his secret cellar laboratory (complete with set design that would make Ed Wood feel cheap) and plops it in a pan with tubes and serums and stuff. While Jan whines about just wanting to die, the good doctor wanders around town looking for the perfect body for Jan. As Jan strikes up a friendship (and some kind of psychic bond) with an unseen monster in the closet and begins to hold dull but slightly amusing one-sided philosophical discussions with it, Billy gets involved with the sleaziest women a movie of this era could get away with. We get strip teases, a cat fight, and hints of wild promiscuous sex and other fun stuff as the “action” in the lab slows from a crawl to a virtual halt. Eventually, the expected “twists” lead to an unexpectedly gory and dementedly goofy finale.

Fine, Jason. We could read that on the box. What’s the movie like?

Uh... it’s like... pretty much what I described. This is not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it’s a pretty awful movie in most respects. The acting is of the “I can remember the next line but only if I stare straight ahead and recite it” school, the cinematography is of the “turn some lights on and aim the camera at the action” school, the sound would have been better if the mikes had been in the same room as the actors, the music and editing are virtually random cut-and-paste jobs, and... you know, bad late-50s/early 60s exploitation filmmaking at its finest.

But... somehow, this movie has a filthy, grimy feel that almost (ALMOST) makes it worth recommending. The sleazy (for 1962) sexual content and near-nudity pushed the envelope as far as it could be pushed, and the finale is amusing in its plodding stupidity but is incredibly bloody for the period. I mean, a guy gets his arm ripped off by the monster in the closet (okay, it’s out of the closet by this time... er... never mind) and takes about forty years to bleed to death as he flails around the cellar smearing blood all over everything. In 2002 it would mean nothing but in 1962 this was unheard of. The inspiration for “Re-animator” and Frank Henenlotter’s films surely starts here. And then there’s the monster when he finally comes out of the... makes his appearance: imagine Zippy the Pinhead on acid with a bad acne problem and you won’t be far from what shows up here.

Does any of this make any coherent sense? Not really. Anything faintly resembling quality, class or even competence? Absolutely not. Faintly amusing in its seediness and crassness? Sure. Worth watching? It’s your call. I wouldn’t watch “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die” again, and don’t know if I would bother watching it even once knowing what I know now (It’s too dull and talky to be interesting until the end, and not quite incompetent enough to be worth many laughs of the Ed Wood variety), but I’m not incredibly sorry that I’ve seen it. So... no, I don’t recommend it but if the description interests you, you may disagree. If you watch it and don’t like it don’t blame me. If you do like it, don’t tell me because I may worry about your taste and/or sanity.

P.S. This was also an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 that I saw about half an hour of a few years back. From what I remember, it was not one of their better episodes but I understand that a DVD is available with both the MST3K version and the original uncut version that I’ve reviewed. If you MUST see it, maybe you should hunt that DVD down.

You can tell a lot about a movie that declares itself The Brain that Wouldn't Die up front and The Head That Wouldn't Die over its end title. This is one of the loopiest and most endearing of the Z-budget independent cheapies. Released by AIP in abridged form, copies of the uncut sleazefest version have been around on video for awhile, but not looking this good. Synapse Films' DVD is a very satisfying rendering of this campiest of mad doctor movies.

SYNOPSIS:
Dr. Bill Cortner (familiar character actor Jason Evers, here billed as Herb) is obsessed by unconventional surgical ideas, even though openly discouraged by his father. But not even his fiancee Jan Compton (Virginia Leith) knows that Bill has installed his own Frankenstein-style mad lab in the family country house, complete with a crippled assistant, and an unseen 'Thing', the result of his failed earlier research, locked away in the dark.

A teeny tiny accident happens on the way to the lab ... Jan is decapitated in an auto mishap. But faster than you can say, 'Suture self!', Bill has her head propped upright in a plate of blood, and connected to various life-sustaining support systems. Although Jan's ghostly voice begs to be allowed to die, Bill makes plans to graft her head onto the body of another ... and immediately goes out on the town to choose his future wife's body from the available babes & strippers. But back in the lab, Jan discovers that her disembodied state has given her extrasensory powers - and starts transmitting telepathic orders to the horrid Thing in the Closet.

REVIEW:
Under-funded, under-directed, and dripping with some of the earliest outright gore scenes, The Brain that Wouldn't Die is a wonderful mess. It has perhaps the worst-filmed accident ever in a movie, and is padded with trashy strip acts and catfights that apparently were retained in the general release for the kiddie matinee market. But artistic poverty is totally beside the point. The film is very enjoyable for its utter lack of taste, and features three great - no, awful - no, great camp performances.

As the assistant with a mangled hand, Leslie Daniel matches the immortal Jay Robinson for exuberant delivery of his grossly overwritten dialogue - you want to clap for him. 'Herb' Evers should be concerned that he's throwing his career away by being trapped in the wrong role, but instead aquits himself well under the impossibly primitive direction. That the movie works at all is due to the very impressive Virginia Leith, who weirdly is never humbled by the risible situation of playing a head on a dish. Her voice is the first and last thing heard in the film, saying creepy things like, "Please let me die." If the IMDB is to be believed, she was the only woman in the cast of Stanley Kubrick's first movie, Fear and Desire, years earlier.

The film is so patently 'unreal' that petty details like how a severed head can possibly talk, are irrelevant. The Brain that Wouldn't Die is one of the best of the Z-pictures, the kind of irrational creepshow that once aired on local television stations at 2 AM. You'd see it half-asleep, and then spend the next day wondering if it was really that strange, or if you had just dreamed it up. It's as if the show had beamed in from another dimension - absurdly ridiculous, but hard to forget.

Surgical horror made a comeback in the late fifties with George Franju's Eyes Without a Face, which seems to have inspired sick surgery pictures like Die Nackte und der Satan (The Head) and the ever-popular They Saved Hitler's Brain. But Virginia Leith's head has the most personality by far - there's a giddy tension wondering what will become of her, and what she'll say next: "There is an ultimate in horror - and it is I." You can't hate a picture with lines like that.

The box claims 20 minutes of reinstated footage, but that must refer to some grossly edited television cut. Some of the sleazy female wrestling may have been restored as well, but the big shock are the famous deleted shots of gore at the end, when the Thing in the Closet breaks out and finally gets its hands on someone to mangle. Couple that with a prolonged dismemberment scene earlier on, and the show comes to a gory, abrupt, and frankly disturbing finish. There's a bizarrely haunting final dialogue line, that I won't spoil by repeating here.

TECH NOTES:
Synapse Films' DVD of The Brain that Wouldn't Die presents this cult favorite in the best possible light. The transfer is fine - the source appears to be 35mm in good shape (a few blemishes here and there) and the sound is exceptionally clear. The movie actually looks, well, like a real movie, instead of the blurry 16mm prints we're used to. The quality holds up when cropped to a theatrical 1:78 on a widescreen television; the tighter compositions help focus the dreamlike atmosphere. Synapse's slightly windowboxed transfer displays the full width of the image, too. Some packaging says 'widescreen edition' - but the picture is neither letterboxed nor enhanced. Savant's review copy reads 'Special Edition.'

Bryan Senn's liner notes are adequate, but don't get around to expressing its basic appeal. The lurid cover art is right from the original posters, and is included in a gallery of stills, along with an odd shot of the monster with a nude model. The original trailer is also on board.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Brain That Wouldn't Die Special Edition rates:
Movie: Just Fair - but hilarious camp fun
Video: Good
Sound: Good
Supplements: Trailer, still selection.
Packaging: Amaray case
Reviewed: May 4, 2002

THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE was a production that Roger Corman would have been proud of. Shot on-the-cheap mostly on a basement soundstage, the film had little impact when American International released it in 1962. But, THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE went on to become a true cult film, warping the minds of genre fans everywhere with its cheesy charms. I first saw THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE back in the 1970’s on a Saturday afternoon show called Creature Double Feature. I found it very entertaining; there’s nothing more fascinating to a young genre fan than a talking, disembodied head. Toss in a monster-in-the-closet sub-plot, and I was hooked. But what I did not know at the time, that I was viewing the cut, sanitized version of this bizarre film. I’d heard about an uncut version circulating throughout the underground for many years, never realizing it would soon show up on our very own DVD format. Leave it to the mind-bending folks at Synapse Films to bring this one to fruition. Synapse has taken their name and logo from the human brain, so it’s only appropriate that THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE become their signature release.

The movie stars Herb (BASKETCASE 2) Evers, as Dr. Bill Cortner, a horny physician with a God complex. After this film, Evers changed his name to Jason Evers so he could continue to find work! Lovely Virginia (CURTAINS) Leith plays Dr. Condon’s doomed fiance, Jan. Leslie (STRANGERS) Daniels portrays Kurt, a former surgeon but now Dr. Condon’s lab assistant. Adele Lamont is Doris Powell, Dr. Condon’s old high school acquaintance. The film also features the voluptuous Bonnie Sharie and Paula Maurice as two strippers. THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE pretty much killed the career of director Joe Green (as well as anyone else who participated in the shoot).

In an emergency room situation, Dr. Cortner (Herb Evers) uses his controversial techniques to revive a terminal patient. His father (Bruce Brighton), who is also a surgeon, is impressed. But he warns his son about his unconventional approach. Jan (Virginia Leith) is a nurse at the hospital and is engaged to Dr. Condon. What she is unaware of is Dr. Condon’s secret agenda to perfect organ transplantation. Dr. Condon has developed a formula called adrenoserum, that brings life to human tissues when injected. A phone call from Dr. Condon’s lab assistant, Karl, prods Dr. Condon to come to their suburban lab and attend to one of their ‘experiments’. He takes Jan up to the lab with the intention of revealing his secret work to her. However in his rush to reach the lab, his sports car crashes. Dr. Condon is thrown clear, but poor Jan has been decapitated.

Dr. Condon scoops up his fiancé’s head and takes it back to the lab, and with the help of Karl, they set up her head in a dish pan filled with plasma. When Dr. Condon injects her head with adrenoserum, the cells become active. Dr. Condon plans to save his fiancé by any means necessary. Karl is shocked when Dr. Condon informs him he is going to graft Jan’s head onto a new body. The problem remains, where to get a full female body. He leaves the lab and heads for the seedy side of town and flirts with local strippers, looking for an opportunity to make his deadly move. Meanwhile’s Jan’s head revives and she is not happy. Dr. Condon’s adrenoserum causes a disturbing side effects in her brain, granting her extrasensory powers. She establishes contact with a creature in the closet—a mass of deformed human tissues, the product of Dr. Condon’s mistakes—and forms an alliance with it. Together they vow to wreak vengeance upon Dr. Condon, the source of their misery.

Dr. Condon, looking to get away with the perfect crime, blows opportunities to secure a buxom female body for Jan. He then manages to con a former acquaintance (Adele Lamont) to accompany him to his laboratory with the promise of a restored complexion (she has huge scars on her face). Back at the laboratory, Jan and the creature dispose of the sniveling lab assistant, Karl. Dr. Condon comes back to the lab and drugs the woman he abducted, then prepares her for surgery. Jan tries talking sense into her Dr. Condon, but he’ll have none of it. To save this innocent girl, the unholy alliance must put an end to Dr. Condon’s delusions of grandeur.

Yes, THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE is a cheaply made film with poor sets and questionable props, but Joe Green’s direction is ripe with conviction. His script is convincing and the dialogue is above average for a film of this ilk. Issues abound about what role science and medicine have in our lives and what their boundaries should be. Green touches on some relevant themes in modern medicine. However, don't be too fooled by its real intent. It is a sleazy story about a man obsessed with his aptitude in medical science who wishes to fuse together his dead girlfriend's head with the perfect body, thereby creating the perfect woman for a man with the best of both body and soul. The movie also attempts to create a sense that what Dr. Condon is doing to his girlfriend is wrong and against nature.

While THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE is not for everyone, it has all the ingredients of a superior exploitation flick. Besides the psychic disembodied head and the grotesque monster, THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE features strippers who try to look like Betty Page, pre-E.R. surgery scenes, catfighting, Dr. Condon’s strip bar escapades, over-the-top acting, and plenty of gore. Some of the best scenes consist of Dr. Condon trying to talk women into going back to his laboratory. He tries to be sneaky about it, because he doesn’t want to leave any evidence behind that will tie him to their disappearances. His escapades in locating a suitable subject for the body transplant are a highlight of the film and generate more suspense than any of the killing or gore scenes.

Herb Evers is a hoot to watch, because he plays Dr. Condon in such a serious manner. He exhibits William Shatner-style method acting, and actually winks at the camera when he announces he is off to find a female human body. His rambling on about performing these atrocities for the benefit of mankind is particularly effective. Virginia Lieth gets the best dialog in the film, and I like how she plays with her new founds powers by tormenting Leslie Daniels (as Karl), and laughing at his cowardice. Though she has no body or appendages, she is far from helpless. Leith really makes the most of her unglamorous role, and she gets my vote for best disembodied performance in a brain film. Leslie Daniels keeps a straight face and imbues his Renfield-inspired character with Shakespearean intonations. A warped melodramatic moment occurs between Leith and Daniels, when they argue about the pratfalls of life and death. Eddie Carmel projects lots of physicality into the Zippy the Pinhead-influenced monster.

SIGHT
Synapse presents THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE uncut in a full frame window boxed format, which displays more picture image than any previously available on home video (bootleg or not). Considering the 1962 vintage of THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE, the image is impressive. Given the age of the elements, it’s customary to see mild scratches, blemishes, and grain. Except for around the reel break, Synapse’s print is very good and leagues ahead of Rhino’s MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 DVD. It’s obvious that Synapse spent some time cleaning up the source elements, whereas Rhino just ported over their MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 VHS transfer to DVD. The claustrophobic cinematography is full of magnificent detail. The deep, dark black level results in an evenly balanced black & white transfer; without any grayish tones (or any other colors) bleeding into the image. Don’t take my word for it. Check out the VHS quality trailer, then watch the feature and you’ll see how clean the image looks. The production design is lacking because of the budgetary restrictions, but the filmmakers managed to instill a sense of dread and urgency into the visuals. The strip club scene is pure camp, but damn those big-breasted strippers look good, despite the unrevealing 1950’s attire. The cat fight is a riot, too. The makeup effects and gore look convincing in the transfer. I have to disagree with those who say that Eddie Carmel’s monster isn’t frightening. It scared me as a kid, and though the look is tame by today’s standards, it still strikes me as creepy and unlike any other creature from the horror films of the 50’s and 60’s. And the fact that Eddie Carmel is an imposing seven feet tall adds to the creature’s mystique. Good job by Synapse.

SOUND
The original mono sound elements have been remastered to a Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 soundtrack. Synapse cleaned up the anomalies, and removed the hiss, pops, and audio dropouts. I noticed some slight background noise, but this is a very fine job, along the lines of what Anchor Bay does on their DD Mono 2.0 tracks. The sound is clean and natural. The dialog and sound effects are delivered without distortion. It’s a riot listening to Carl the lab assistant argue with the disembodied head about morality, and Dr. Condon justify his actions for his cold-blooded experiments. Sound effects like car engines, car crashes, laboratory noises (like the bubbling test tubes), and the monster in the closet knocking (and pounding) on the door, all sound great. Abe Baker and Tony Restaino composed several motifs for the film. The majority of the score sounds like typical 1950’s style horror/sci-fi themes. But the score switches to some swinging nightclub music when Dr. Condon peruses the dance clubs looking for some attractive women. This music alternates between lounge and jazz (and includes some prominent sax) and sounds pretty hip even today. Despite only being a two channel mono mix, Synapse does a nice job with the sound. This is a good test for them since this is the oldest film they have released yet, and its pretty good. This bodes well when the time comes for them to go even farther back into the vaults.

FEATURES
There are only two extras on this DVD. One is a production photo gallery which displays the poster artwork and rare behind-the-scenes photos. Several shots don’t even appear in the movie, including a few of the creature menacing the strippers in the film (and at least one is topless). The other extra is the cool theatrical trailer, though the quality is a bit fuzzy. Some more extras would have been nice.

CONCLUSION
While THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE does not qualify as a classic, and it did not exactly make the stars household names, its effect on subsequent genre films is clear. Stuart Gordon relied more on THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE when he made REANIMATOR, than the actual H.P. Lovecraft story itself. And Steve Martin took a comedic slant on this and other brain films (like DONOVAN’S BRAIN and THEY SAVED HITLER’S BRAIN) when he made THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS. I’m very happy with what Synapse has done with the film; they have delivered a quality audio/visual presentation that outdoes similar DVDs done by Image Entertainment. Don’t even think about getting that MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 DVD! Hopefully, those folks at Synapse will release more overlooked psychotronic films from the same era on DVD. Forget those recent generic horror films like LEPRACHAUN IN THE HOOD; and check out a DVD that will fry your synapses.