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The Brain That Wouldn't Die

Play trailer Poster for The Brain That Wouldn't Die Released Aug 10, 1962 1h 21m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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33% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 28% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) and his fiancée, Jan Compton (Virginia Leith), are driving to his lab when they get into a horrible car accident. Compton is decapitated. But Cortner is not fazed by this seemingly insurmountable hurdle. His expertise is in transplants, and he is excited to perform the first head transplant. Keeping Compton's head alive in his lab, Cortner plans the groundbreaking yet unorthodox surgery. First, however, he needs a body.

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The Brain That Wouldn't Die

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault How can anyone not love a movie in which a woman's bitter disembodied head snarls to a mutant locked in a closet, "I'm only a head ... and you're whatever you are..."? Rated: A May 17, 2017 Full Review Matt Brunson Creative Loafing One of those so-bad-it's-good-to-experience-at-least-once-in-a-lifetime efforts, this grade-Z cheapie is pretty wretched yet deserves extra credit for being so brazenly bizarre. Rated: 1.5/4 Jan 9, 2016 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Z-budget cheapie exploitation mad scientist film from AIP. Rated: C+ Jan 13, 2007 Full Review Mark Palermo The Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) Rated: 2/5 Apr 27, 2005 Full Review Rob Thomas Capital Times (Madison, WI) Pretty awful in its un-MST3Ked incarnation. Rated: 1/5 Aug 12, 2004 Full Review Bob Bloom Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) One of the campiest of all the tacky, cheapo horror films. This is so entertainingly bad, that's it's good. A true guilty pleasure! Rated: 3/5 Mar 14, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tamara K How can anyone not love a film that is this dated and ridiculous? Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review Simon T Atrocious and very badly acted, this also has a truly awful screenplay. A mad surgeon decides to keep the head of his fiancée alive while he seeks a body to graft on. The remarkably tedious action slows to a stop whenever the writers decide to give a purple passage to one of the protagonists. Continuity mistakes and inappropriate library music provide no respite. Dire. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Blobbo X Not as inept as Plan 9 but every bit as silly. Classic of its kind. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A terrible attempt at a film but not without some kitschy entertainment value. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review dave s It's tragic when a loved one is beheaded in a car accident. However, things become exponentially more complicated when you wrap the severed head in a towel, carry it home, miraculously revive it, and try to find a suitable body to attach it to. And so goes the plot of The Brain That Wouldn't Die, yet another low budget piece of camp cinema from American International Pictures. It's as bad as it sounds, which is no real surprise, with all of the trademark pitfalls of movies of this ilk. The only thing that will hold the viewer's interest is the mystery of what kind of noisy creature is being held prisoner behind the locked door. Beyond that, there's really not much of interest to be found here. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review stu b So bad, it's good. When a maverick surgeon loses his fiancee in a horrifying car accident, he keeps her head alive in his secret lab and sets out to find a body to attach to it. Bad acting (except by Virginia Leith, who does a surprisingly good job as the vengeful fiancee--or what's left of her), a lousy script, and amateurish direction all combine to make this one of the trashiest, yet funniest, cult movies ever. Two ratings: as a film, half-a-star. As an unintentionally hilarious comedy: four stars. See it...and be amazed. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/03/19 Full Review Read all reviews
The Brain That Wouldn't Die

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Cast & Crew

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Joseph Green

Director

Jason Evers

Dr. Bill Cortner

Virginia Leith

Jan Compton

Adele Lamont

Doris Powell

Paula Maurice

Brunet Stripper

Bruce Brighton

Dr. Cortner

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The Brain That Wouldn't Die

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dr. Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) and his fiancée, Jan Compton (Virginia Leith), are driving to his lab when they get into a horrible car accident. Compton is decapitated. But Cortner is not fazed by this seemingly insurmountable hurdle. His expertise is in transplants, and he is excited to perform the first head transplant. Keeping Compton's head alive in his lab, Cortner plans the groundbreaking yet unorthodox surgery. First, however, he needs a body.
Director
Joseph Green
Producer
Rex Carlton
Production Co
Sterling
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 10, 1962, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 7, 2015
Runtime
1h 21m
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