I've seen a lot of bad films, and "The Brain that Wouldn't Die" would not be in that list. Some see the movie as pure schlock and camp, and some see it as creepy. The idea of watching a head talk on its own without a body can be a strange thing to watch, but when you start to think about the logic behind it, the head wouldn't be talking without a voice box attached to it or lungs to force air over it, making speech audible.
The film accomplishes the story it sets up: if you mess with people's bodies using experimental methods, you have to be prepared when they turn against you. For years, I thought the movie ended differently, and I totally forgot about "others" that were "experiments" in the laboratory. It was actually shocking how much of a chauvinistic pig and jerk the mad scientist, Dr. Bill Cortner, was. (The actor who portrays him does such a bad job at pretending he's hurt, BTW, when he's involved in his accident.)
There are humorous moments in a few parts which make you wonder what the director wanted to make of these scenes, like when two strippers are fighting after meeting the mad doctor (both having an attraction for him), and as they fight, the camera zooms in on two paintings of cats as a "meow" is heard (to mark the scene as a "catfight"). Also the audio- dubbing of laughter to the shots of the head (Jan in the Pan) laughing was ridiculous and unbelievable. The music was standard small orchestra 60's music heard in everything during that era.
Overall, I had a decent time watching this. It's been featured in a memorable episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and it continues to be a cult film worth checking out. It will make you laugh and get uneasy at times, but it's bound to leave some lasting memories of the movie with you for years to come. 5 stars.
The film accomplishes the story it sets up: if you mess with people's bodies using experimental methods, you have to be prepared when they turn against you. For years, I thought the movie ended differently, and I totally forgot about "others" that were "experiments" in the laboratory. It was actually shocking how much of a chauvinistic pig and jerk the mad scientist, Dr. Bill Cortner, was. (The actor who portrays him does such a bad job at pretending he's hurt, BTW, when he's involved in his accident.)
There are humorous moments in a few parts which make you wonder what the director wanted to make of these scenes, like when two strippers are fighting after meeting the mad doctor (both having an attraction for him), and as they fight, the camera zooms in on two paintings of cats as a "meow" is heard (to mark the scene as a "catfight"). Also the audio- dubbing of laughter to the shots of the head (Jan in the Pan) laughing was ridiculous and unbelievable. The music was standard small orchestra 60's music heard in everything during that era.
Overall, I had a decent time watching this. It's been featured in a memorable episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and it continues to be a cult film worth checking out. It will make you laugh and get uneasy at times, but it's bound to leave some lasting memories of the movie with you for years to come. 5 stars.