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The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) – Episode 77 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

“What you see is real. What’s done is done and what I’ve done is right. It’s the work of science.” Who can argue with science, right? Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Joseph Perry, Jeff Mohr, and guest Sammie Cassell – as they get all sciency with The Brain that Wouldn’t Die (1962).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 77 – The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962)

A doctor experimenting with transplant techniques keeps his girlfriend’s head alive when she is decapitated in a car crash, then goes hunting for a new body.

IMDb

Your Decades of Horror Classic Era Grue-Crew find much to fault and much to love with a generous portion of cheese to top it off in The Brain That Wouldn’t Die. Filmed in 1959 and released three years later, The Brain That Wouldn’t Die must be viewed through 1959 eyes to be enjoyed. Sexist behavior, attitudes, and dialogue abound and Dr. Bill Cortner, the character with the most screen time, has a likeability factor of zero. On the other hand, the image of Virginia Leith as “Jan-in-the-Pan” is riveting and somehow extremely disturbing.

This episode’s Grue-Crew recommends The Brain That Wouldn’t Die for its iconic and disturbing imagery. As of this writing. The film is available on a Blu-ray from Scream Factory and streaming on Amazon Prime Video.  

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era puts out a new episode every other week. In two weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be a Whitney Collazo pick, Murders in the Zoo (1932).

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans:  leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!

Jeff Mohr
Jeff lives smack dab in the middle of the cornfields of Iowa and is a long-time horror fan. His first remembered encounters with the genre were The Wizard of Oz, Tarzan gorilla chases, and watching the first broadcast of The Twilight Zone episode, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." While he now qualifies as an old fart, he strives to be an Old Boy. Paraphrasing Robert Bloch, he has the heart of a small boy. He keeps it in a jar on his desk. Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.