04/29/06 The Brain That Wouldn't Die

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962), directed by Joseph Green

watched w/ Leslie, Tim and about 30 other people (party); DVD (personal copy) @ home

I'll have to admit that it was very difficult to pay attention to this film during the party that was held at our place this weekend. I had started this film before people started coming over, and then it got more & more crowded and hard to hear the film. I saw the entire film, but portions were almost inaudible, and as bad of a DVD as it was, there were no subtitles to help me out. However, the movie was so awfully bad (it was a staple of MST3K for crying out loud) that it didn't need but that dialogue that myself and party-goers gave it to spice up the flat storyline. This is one the ultimate in cheesy B-movies of the early 1960's sci-fi craving audiences. The plot revolves around a mad surgeon who has been secretly experimenting in human transplantations of organs/limbs and tissue regeneration. Yes, ahead of his time medically (this is eerily evident in today's face transplant society), but downright devious in the moral code of doctors. Anyway, gallivanting along his twisted path, he takes his fiance to his experiment hideout...only to suffer a major car crash along the way. He survives, and lovingly saves his lady's severed head from the fiery wreckage, in order to keep it "alive" on test-tubes and beakers. He must now search the strip-clubs and seedy photo shoots (hey, if he's buying a new model, he'll want an upgrade right?) of middle-America to find the perfect specimen to create his new woman! One slight problem is that the head won't shut up about being imprisoned in the evil lab, the sidekick doctor is a fruitcake, and there's a horrible monster locked in the closet. Oh yeah, that's what I said. There are plenty awkward silences, inept script musings, and oh-so-not-haunting musical scores to this ridiculous fare that you could determine the storyline with no words needed. Don't worry, I checked the rules, and it's ok if I couldn't hear the whole thing...trust me, listening to some of the dialogue later mad me wish I hadn't. It'd be so much better with Tom Servo & Crow partying with me anyway! Now where did I place that severed limb?

2 out of 5 stars