The Brain That Wouldn't Die/The Head That Wouldn't Die (1962) or, The Mad Brain Doctor!

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Plenty of horrific and sensational elements converge on this well-made poster for Joseph Green's The Brain That Wouldn't Die

A mad experimental scientist manages to keep his girlfriend's head alive, after she is left decapitated by a car accident.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die is written and directed by Joseph Green (The Brazen Women of Balzac (1969, producer)), with co-writer/co-producer Rex Carlton (Nightmare in Wax (1969)).
Despite its catchy, colorful title, the very low-budget film is pretty disappointing, and the title is mildly manipulative: The brain in question in the movie is really an entire woman's head, who almost only talks about dying! 'The Brain That Was Obsessed With Dying' might have been a more accurate title. The filmmakers were seemingly also confused about their own title: In some prints, the end shot reads The Head That Wouldn't Die.
The Brain That Wouldn't Die was shot in only 13 days in 1959; then kept from release until '62 because of legal and censorship issues, - and one of the leads, Virginia Leith (Moment of Fear (1960, TV-series)) is said to have hated the shoot so much that she refused to come in to dub her lines in post-production. These lines were then dubbed by Doris Brent (8MM (1999)), who plays a nurse in the film.
The script, story and acting in The Brain That Wouldn't Die are awful.
But the film at least has a jazz score with a dirty feel (by Abe Baker and Tony Restaino), which goes well with the flick's semi-exploitation images, (the lead visits strip clubs, among other places, in his hunt for a suitable woman body.) The slightly risqué effects also work in the sleazy film's favor.

 

Watch a short teaser for the film here

Cost: 62,000 $
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain

[The Brain That Wouldn't Die premiered 22 February (West Germany) and runs 82 minutes. Shooting took place in 1959 in New York and New Jersey. AIP released the film in North America in 1962 in a cut version on a double bill with Invasion of the Star Creatures. Due to a flawed copyright notice the film fell into public domain from the day it was released, and it can therefore be seen and downloaded free and legally right here. Green returned with The Perils of P.K. (1982). Leith returned in 3 TV-series prior to his theatrical return in First Love (1977); Jason Evers (Glitter (1984, TV-series)), who plays the mad doctor, returned in Laramie (1962, TV-series) and theatrically in House of Women (1962). The Brain That Wouldn't Die is rotten at 33 % with a 4.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

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