The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2020) User Reviews

A fun remake!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 15 September 2022]

Yes, somehow this remake of the 1962 original totally got past me until I got an ad for it on Instagram. I wondered, why would someone make this movie again, but now that I've watched it, I think I have my answer.

The filmmakers say right on their site that this "is a surprisingly loving and faithful adaptation, utilizing much of the original film's characters, scenes and dialogue." That's true -- it's incredibly close with some additional scenes that add plenty of humor to the film.

Bill (Patrick D. Green) is working in the lab with his father William (David Withers) and fiancee Jan (Rachael Perrell Fosket) when a patient dies on the table. Bill demands to work on the body and brings the man back to life.

Meanwhile, at the family cabin, Bill has been experimenting with his assistant Kurt (Jason Reynolds) on a variety of test subjects. Jan dies on the way there and soon, her head has been removed and kept alive, all while Bill remembers that he was once a man about town and uses his lothatio ways to seduce exotic dancers and use their bodies to give his fiancee hers back.

While bring a shot-for-shot remake of the original, this adds in scenes of Bill being overpowered by one of the sex workers he tries to knock out, lesbians sitting with him watching exotic dancers and commenting on how they have a better chance than him to get one of the girls and a revised ending -- that uses the original titles -- that shows us what happens after the lab burns.

Directed by Derek Carl and written by Hank Huffman from the original script by Joseph Green and Rex Carlton, this even has a music scene inspired by The Man With Two Brains.

Man -- Joseph Green! He owned Joseph Green Pictures, a company so small that it was just him answering the phones and distributing a wild mix of movies which included everything from Jess Franco's Kiss Me Monster and Two Undercover Angels to Claude Chabrol's Pleasure Party, the kung fu movie From Bangkok with Orders to Kill, Something Creeping in the Dark, Death Knocks Twice,The Sicilian Connection, Luciano Ercoli's Killer Cop and his own film, The Perils of P. K. What a crazy list of movies!

But anyways -- this is a fun restaging of a public domain movie that you've probably watched more than once and probably on Mystery Science Theater 3000. I've always disliked that so many people make fun of it, because it has such a dark story at its heart of a man who causes a woman to lose her entire body yet she uses everything she has to get her revenge once he removes any physical agency that she had. There's definitely so much subtext that it becomes text there. This flew by and entertained me. Isn't that what movies are for?

Fun Remake of Mad Scientist Films of the Past

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 6/10 · 24 November 2020]

This was interesting when I saw it listed as a movie playing at the Nightmares Film Festival. I've seen the original and wasn't sure if this was a remake to that or what they were doing. Regardless, I gave this a viewing part of its Ohio premiere as well as being listed as one of their Comedy/Horror Features. The synopsis is after his fiancée is killed in a car accident, a gifted surgeon revives her severed head in hopes of finding her a new body.

We start this movie off in the operating room. The surgeon in charge is William Cortner (David Withers). He is informed by Jan Compton (Rachael Perrell Fosket) that the patient has passed away. He goes to call it when the other surgeon, Bill (Patrick D. Green) states that he has an experimental treatment that might save him. William doesn't see the need, but does allow it. It ends up working. William gives credit, but states that it is too risky. A statement is made that they're already dead, so what is the harm? We also learn by the end of this, William is Bill's father and Bill is also engaged to Jan.

The two are supposed to spend the weekend together. Bill seemed to be a playboy before meeting her and he's annoyed she won't sleep with him. He is quite reckless as well. At dinner, Bill gets a call from his assistant that his presence is required at the vacation cabin. William wants to get rid of it, but we end up seeing this is where Bill is conducting experiments. Bill tells Jan he has to go and she asks to come along. He reluctantly agrees.

On the way there though, due to his reckless driving, they get into an accident. Jan is killed and Bill removes her head. He is able to bring it back to life. He just now needs to find a new body for it. Jan freaks out and wants to die. She cannot convince Bill or his assistant Kurt (Jason Reynolds) to help her. The serum that Bill gave her to bring her back does give her a bit of psychic ability. She's able to communicate with something that is living in the closet. It sounds big and powerful.

While she is doing that, Bill tries to find her a new body. The problem is that every time he finds a viable candidate, something interferes. He needs to keep a low profile, which is difficult for him. All his questions seemed to be answered in the form of Doris Powell (Mia Allen), a former woman he helped in college. The problem though is the car accident has drawn the attention of the police and Detective Mancini (Robert Blanche) is looking into what happened by going to cabin nearby.

That's where I'm going to leave my recap of this movie. Where I should start is that I've seen the original film just the one time, but I have to give a lot of credit to the team behind this movie. It really does look and feel like that low budget sci-fi movie. For the credits here, they give the name of the actor/actress in this movie, the character they're portraying and sync it up with the scene they're recreating from the past. In that respect, they did an excellent job.

Now I should also point out here, the original isn't that great. It has been awhile since I saw that one and I found it to be below average. What I think works better for this movie; it knows exactly what it is doing. The original is cheesy due to what they had to work with where this movie is in its paying homage. The sets look similar, the acting is over the top and some of things that are said are a bit outrageous. I should also state that this is taking place in 60's, much like the original one as well.

Why this works for me in doing this, if you're not going to make a serious movie and update everything, I think that it works better to shift this more into the comedic realm. This was listed in the Horror/Comedies section of the festival as I said so I came in ready for that. We're getting more of a satire as there are some things being said that would be fine back in the 50's, but now is cringe-worthy. It is said tongue in cheek here though where I felt they almost want to wink at the camera so it plays well. I love there are 3 movies being shown on TV that fall into the same era/genre, including the original The Brain That Wouldn't Die. Those sci-fi/mad scientist movies being shown made me laugh as well since it tells me, the team behind this know what they're referencing.

What I think really helps this movie is the acting. The actors/actresses know exactly how to play the character. Fosket is probably the best performance. We don't really get a lot her before the accident, but she seems nice. I love that her being experimented on makes her quite bitter and that change happens quickly. It is actually empowering in my opinion. Green is an arrogant doctor, but he does it so over the top that it made me laugh. Withers is fine as the skeptical father. I also really enjoyed the performance by Reynolds as the assistant. He really has to deal with Jan more than anyone else in her new condition. They play off each other well. Aside from that, we have a bunch of good looking women on top of that, including Allen. They all help to round this movie out for what was needed.

The last thing to touch on would be the effects. They actually don't do a lot with them. There is really more credit here to the use of camera angles and things to this effect. We do get some blood that had good color. There is an interesting scene where we see blood spray. I think for realism there should have been a bit more, but it is also recreating something from the original. Aside from that, the make up of the thing later was interesting and the cinematography worked as well.

There really isn't much more to say about this movie. I love that they took a low budget movie from the 1950's and did a shot for shot remake just adding the comedic element. What sets it apart though is making it a satire on the time period that also seems to poke fun at things we see today as well. The acting fits for the movie needed. The sets did feel like the time period while also somewhat timeless. This is really a movie you aren't supposed to take too seriously, but I don't think that is a detriment to what the movie is doing overall. Despite these movies not really being what I would normal turn to, I still think this is above average.

Laughed in spite of myself.

[JoeB131 · 6/10 · 29 June 2023]

This movie was a remake of the 1962 Cult Classic of the same Title. But while that movie accidently wandered into camp (to be mercilessly mocked by the likes of MST3K and Svengoolie) this remake decided to tack right into the wind and be intentionally camp.

Most of the acting is intentionally over the top. I realized what I was in for when during the first scene where the protagonist engages in a risky surgery to bring a man back from the dead, and it features Monty Python comical blood spurts.

The jokes are cheap, but I laughed at them, so I guess they were effective.

Additional characters and scenes are added to pad out the story, including the world's worst detective, and several prostitutes who avoid becoming Jan in the Pan's Body Donor.

I will give credit to the actress who played Jan in the Pan. (I didn't come up with that name, MST3K did.) She takes the role seriously and delivers her lines with a straight face while everyone else is massively overacting.

Is it worth watching? Sure, good for a laugh.

You probably enjoy my review more than this movie

[vikanov · 1/10 · 22 April 2023]

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2020) is a terrible remake of the 1962 cult classic of the same name. This updated version is a prime example of how a bad movie can be made even worse. Despite its low budget, the original film had a charm that made it enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately, this remake lacks any of that charm.

The movie follows a surgeon named Bill Cortner who is obsessed with finding a way to keep human brains alive. After a car accident leaves his fiancée Jan comatose, Bill decides to take her head and keep it alive in a laboratory. From here, the movie takes a turn for the worse.

The acting in this movie is terrible. Every single actor delivers their lines as if they are reading them off cue cards, with no emotional depth or nuance. The lead actor, Patrick D. Green, is particularly bad, with a performance that is wooden and unconvincing.

The special effects in The Brain That Wouldn't Die are laughably bad. The film uses a combination of practical effects and CGI, but neither is executed well. The gore is over-the-top and cartoonish, while the CGI is so poorly rendered that it's almost distracting.

The script is equally bad. The dialogue is clunky and unrealistic, and the plot is convoluted and confusing. The pacing is also off, with the movie dragging on for far too long without any real payoff.

In conclusion, The Brain That Wouldn't Die is a waste of time. It fails to capture the charm of the original and is poorly executed in every way. The acting is terrible, the special effects are laughable, and the script is a mess. Save yourself the headache and avoid this movie at all costs.

Thoroughly enjoyable

[JobinJE · 10/10 · 7 November 2020]

This movie was cheesy in all the right ways. I literally laughed out loud on multiple occasions. The performances were spot on for what was appropriate for each character, from serious to just plain silly. Do yourself a favor and indulge in this campy remake!

A Hilarious Tribute to the Original 1962 Campy Classic!!!

[Pumpkin_Man · 8/10 · 11 September 2022]

Ironically, I watched the remake a day after seeing the original in its entirety for the first time. It's an almost shot-for-shot remake, but they poke fun of its predecessor throughout, while also showing respect. I loved all the nods to the original, and they even show clips from other cheesy classic films in the background. Everybody did a great job. (It was also fun to see the late great Robert Blanche as a Joe Friday-esque detective trying to figure out what's going on. I had seen him in 'Leverage' and I was happy to see take a more comedic role before his passing.)

Dr. Bill Cortner is a brilliant doctor who has almost perfected a way to bring the dead back to life. After a tragic car accident decapitates his fiancé, he's able to keep the head alive and breathing until he can find the body of another woman to take her place.

While Bill goes out at night in search of a body, Jan in the pan makes friends with Bill's monster-like creature trapped in a room within the basement, and together, they will seek revenge against Bill.

If you love campy movies that spoof campy movies, you'll love THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE!!!