The Brain That Wouldn't Die

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The Brain That Wouldn't Die
A promotional film poster for "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."
Directed by	Joseph Green
Produced by	Rex Carlton Mort Landberg
Written by	Rex Carlton Joseph Green
Starring	Jason Evers Virginia Leith Leslie Daniels Adele Lamont Bonnie Sharie Paula Maurice Eddie Carmel
Music by	Abe Baker Tony Restaino
Cinematography	Stephen Hajnal
Editing by	Leonard Anderson Marc Anderson
Distributed by	American International Pictures
Release date(s)	10 August 1962
Running time	82 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$62,000 (estimated)
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The Brain That Wouldn't Die, also known as The Head That Wouldn't Die, is a 1962 science-fiction/horror film directed by Joseph Green and written by Green and Rex Carlton. A scientist develops a means to keep human body parts alive. When he unexpectedly must use his discovery on someone close to him, events do not go as planned.

This film has fallen into the public domain and can be freely downloaded from the Internet Archive.

[edit] Plot outline

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Dr. Bill Cortner is a successful scientist, and has a beautiful fiancée named Jan Compton. After a horrible car accident that decapitates Jan, Dr. Cortner rushes to his laboratory, where he revives the severed head and manages to keep it alive in a liquid-filled tray.

Dr. Cortner begins to hunt for an attractive new body to attach to his fiancée's head, unaware that Jan now hates him. Because he won't let her die peacefully, she becomes bitter, and communicates with the mutant in the laboratory cell, telling it to kill the scientist.

In 2006, the comedic stage adaptation of The Brain That Wouldn't Die was created in Portland Oregon by Last Rites Productions.

[edit] Trivia

The movie title The Head That Wouldn't Die is visible at the end of the credits in some versions of the movie. This title more accurately describes the premise of the story, as the whole head, not merely the brain, remains alive.

The monster in the closet is played by Eddie Carmel, a well-known, Palestine-born circus attraction, who was known as "The Jewish Giant," in his first "cinematic role."

A clip of this movie is used in the improv TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? during a film dubbing game.

This movie was the first movie watched by Mike Nelson in Mystery Science Theater 3000 (episode 513).

Big Chuck and Little John would play this film with effects that Ghoulardi would create such as using different film clips and audio effects.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die was also featured in the Steve Martin comedy The Man with Two Brains, along with Donovan's Brain.
The movie was adapted into a live stage production by Last Rites Productions, a Portland, Oregon theatre company. They had previously adapted "Manos" The Hands of Fate, a subject of another Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode.