| The Brain That Wouldn't Die | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Reynold Brown | |
| Directed by | Joseph Green |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Stephen Hajnal |
| Edited by |
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| Music by |
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Production company | Rex Carlton Productions |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 71 minutes (theatrical) 82 minutes (uncut) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $62,000 (estimated) |
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (also known as The Head That Wouldn't Die or The Brain That Couldn't Die) is a 1962 American science fiction horror film directed by Joseph Green and written by Green and Rex Carlton.[1] The film was completed in 1959 under the working title The Black Door but was not theatrically released until May 3, 1962, under its new title as a double feature with Invasion of the Star Creatures.[2][3]
The film focuses upon a mad doctor who develops a means of keeping human body parts alive. He keeps his fiancée's severed head alive for days, along with a lumbering, malformed brute (one of his earlier failed experiments) imprisoned in a closet.
The specific plot device of a mad doctor who discovers a way to keep a human head alive had been used in fiction earlier (such as Professor Dowell's Head from 1925), as well as other variants on this theme. It shares several key plot devices with the West German horror film The Head (1959).
The film was in the public domain in the United States from the day of its release due to a flawed copyright notice.[4]
- ^ Young, R.G., ed. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 72. ISBN 1-557-83269-2.
- ^ American Film Institute (1997). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. Vol. 1. University of California Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-520-20970-2.
- ^ McGee, Mark T. (1984). Fast and Furious: The Story of American International Pictures. McFarland. p. 232. ISBN 0-899-50091-9.
- ^ "Turner Classic Movies". Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.