After years before AIP decided to distribute it, and months of dithering, they finally released The Brain That Wouldn’t Die on 10 August 1962. They released it to the drive-in circuit in a double feature with Invasion of the Star Creatures.
These two films show something important about the ecosystem of low-budget production at that time. Star Creatures was an AIP production. So they produced it in order to distribute it. And it is almost unwatchable. It is the kind of film you dash off because all involved know it doesn’t really matter because it is guaranteed distribution. Kind of like The Terror but not nearly as interesting.
On the other hand, The Brain That Wouldn’t Die is, regardless of what you think of it, creative. True, it was the high point of all the principals’ careers. But (sadly), you could say the same of VeSota’s and Haze’s directing and writing careers!
A big reason that The Brain That Wouldn’t Die works is that it breaks out of the typical single-location film with Jason Evers’ trips to find a suitable body — despite the other scenes also being in simple indoor sets.
Of course, what I most love about this film is Virginia Leith (the title character). Even though she spends almost the entire film in a photographic development tray, she isn’t passive. She drives the conclusion of the film and even gets the final black screen laugh.
But there is so much else that works in this film. The acting is really good. And the film looks good — both inside and outside. The trips to find the body also give the narrative enough content to make this all justify 80 minutes. And much of the dialogue is kind of deep.
But above all, the film provides one of the most iconic images in all of film history. That alone makes it worth watching. But I think if you give it a chance, you will find that it’s a lot more than simply “the pretty head in the pan.” And this print from Archive is fabulous:
The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) poster via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.
