Movie Review: The Brain that Wouldn’t Die (1962) directed by Joseph Green
The father/son surgical team of Dr. Cortner (Bruce Brightner) and Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) has just saved a patient with a radical technique involving direct brain stimulation, but this does not sit well with the older Cortner. He disapproves of human experimentation, wanting all new procedures to have lengthy animal trials first. The hospital administrator has been pressing him on the disappearance of amputated limbs and other discarded parts from recent operations. Bill as much as admits he’s responsible; and emphasizes that he’s close to a breakthrough in transplant medicine. Old Dr. Cortner is not convinced, but is going out of town, giving Bill time to be with his surgical nurse fiancée, Jan Compton (Virginia Leith.)
Whatever plans they had are put aside when Bill gets an urgent call from his assistant Kurt (Anthony La Penna) at “the country place” saying that something has gone wrong. Bill decides that it’s time Jan finally learns more about his research, so they drive out there. Bill is anxious to get this over and drives recklessly (and without seatbelts), resulting in a horrific crash. Only a few miles from the country house at that point, Bill salvages Jan’s severed head and brings that the rest of the way on foot.
Bill’s still in a hurry, so doesn’t have time for whatever Kurt originally called about. A mad science montage later, we learn that what Bill’s been working on is an anti-rejection serum that not only prevents human flesh from rejecting grafts, but actually brings dead tissue back to life. Jan’s head and neck is fixed in place in a pan of this fluid as a temporary solution. Unless Bill finds a donor body to attach her to within about 48 hours, she’ll die for real. So he’s right back out the door.
Wanting the “best” in new bodies for Jan, Bill tries going to a nightclub with exotic dancers, following attractive women down the sidewalk and attending a beauty contest before settling on Doris Powell (Adele Lamont), a model with a facial disfigurement he knew in his student days. He lures her in by talking about advancements in plastic surgery.
Back at the lab, Jan strongly objects to her situation. She would much rather be dead than a head, thank you, and is not placated by the thought of having another woman killed to give her a body. Jan argues with and taunts Kurt, who we learn is a former surgeon torn between hope that Bill can give him a functional new arm, and skepticism because of the actual results of previous attempts. She also bonds with the unseen Monster in the Closet (Eddie Carmel), a partial success with an earlier version of the serum.
This will not end well.
This was a remarkably racy film for 1959, and apparently faced some legal and Hays Code challenges that kept it from being released until 1962. Bill is implied to have had an active sex life prior to getting engaged, and one of the weaknesses of his plan is that he’s too much of a stud to only lure in one woman at a time! (This is most notable in a catfight he causes between exotic dancers.) Male-oriented fanservice takes up a fair amount of the runtime.
While this may not have been the main intention of the filmmakers, one of the major themes of the movie is men only valuing women for their appearance, or quite literally their bodies. Both Jan and Doris have things to say about that, the former woman going over the top due to her even worse situation.
Content note: Some gory violence, Doris talks about domestic violence she’s suffered and we see the lingering results. Body horror.
Overall: This isn’t a good movie, but it’s quite watchable and has some memorable moments with Jan chewing the scenery as best she can given the circumstances. Being more intentional about the contrast between Bill’s allegedly benevolent intentions and his horrific behavior would have helped here. Most recommended to fans of cheesy movies.
There’s a Mystery Science 3000 episode with this movie, and a remake was supposed to come out this year (2020). The trailer makes it look like the remake is leaning heavily on the cheese factor.
Well, I don’t suppose a severed head can do much more with the scenery than chew it. Boom-swish.
Is it possible that you have just watched an antique copy of this priceless cinematic treasure? This film, like such cultural artifacts as Horrors of Spider Island and Attack of the Crab Monsters, must be viewed in some HD format!