If you look up stills of this film before you watch it, do not confuse it with "The Brain that Wouldn't Die". It is as far from that movie as the original "Little Shop of Horrors" is from the musical version. This actually is a very serious film dealing with Nazi scientist Dana Andrews living now in England and experimenting on humans to see if it is possible to transfer their head from one body to another so Nazi leaders will eventually be able to have their frozen heads moved to a younger body.
On the surface, it does sound comical, but it is written to be quite different than how it sounds. Unfortunately, there is an innocent victim of a rape attempt who is murdered, and she ends up having her head removed so it can be later put onto another body. This means that her brain is still alive and she is aware of what is going on around her. However she is not the wisecracking woman from the brain that wouldn't die. In fact, she is quite panicked and desperate to really be dead. Her best friend (Anna Palk), who happens to be Andrews' niece (and unaware of his past), comes across the secrets of her family legacy, and is determined to save her, or at least give her a peaceful rest.
Yes, Dana Andrews switches sides in this colorful science fiction / horror film that takes the hero of "Foreign Correspondent" and other war movies and turns him into a member of one of the most hated political parties in world history. He keeps his accent throughout, and even though his character has evil intentions, it is very apparent that Andrews was trying to instill a conscience inside his evil soul. So when he looks on at the murdered girl with pity, you are almost too tempted to sympathize with him even though his ultimate goal is to return the Nazi party to life through the dead who are seen in their frozen stage as well as briefly unfrozen.
The only comical element is unintentional when a shot of the had held statically on a table is extremely blue. In fact, blue is a major color in this film, being utilized greatly in the hand drawn credits which are gorgeous, reminding me of Charles Addams drawings. This film has many disturbing elements among it themes, but it is not one that you will soon forget. The shot at the finale of the villains getting their comeuppance and the last line are both eerie and touching, and it's the type of film where I bet the audience left the theater in complete silence.
On the surface, it does sound comical, but it is written to be quite different than how it sounds. Unfortunately, there is an innocent victim of a rape attempt who is murdered, and she ends up having her head removed so it can be later put onto another body. This means that her brain is still alive and she is aware of what is going on around her. However she is not the wisecracking woman from the brain that wouldn't die. In fact, she is quite panicked and desperate to really be dead. Her best friend (Anna Palk), who happens to be Andrews' niece (and unaware of his past), comes across the secrets of her family legacy, and is determined to save her, or at least give her a peaceful rest.
Yes, Dana Andrews switches sides in this colorful science fiction / horror film that takes the hero of "Foreign Correspondent" and other war movies and turns him into a member of one of the most hated political parties in world history. He keeps his accent throughout, and even though his character has evil intentions, it is very apparent that Andrews was trying to instill a conscience inside his evil soul. So when he looks on at the murdered girl with pity, you are almost too tempted to sympathize with him even though his ultimate goal is to return the Nazi party to life through the dead who are seen in their frozen stage as well as briefly unfrozen.
The only comical element is unintentional when a shot of the had held statically on a table is extremely blue. In fact, blue is a major color in this film, being utilized greatly in the hand drawn credits which are gorgeous, reminding me of Charles Addams drawings. This film has many disturbing elements among it themes, but it is not one that you will soon forget. The shot at the finale of the villains getting their comeuppance and the last line are both eerie and touching, and it's the type of film where I bet the audience left the theater in complete silence.