Saturday Night at the Frights: January 3, 2009

The Brain (1962)

This remake of Donovan’s Brain (1953) stars Peter van Eyck as Peter Corrie, a scientist working to keep animal brains alive once the bodies have stopped working. He is called to provide medical assistance to a plane crash survivor, and even though the survivor, a wealthy international financier whose plane was sabotaged, appears dead, Corrie realizes he can keep the victim’s brain alive. Problems arise when the strong-willed brain overtakes Corrie’s personality and has Corrie try to solve his murder.

More of a murder mystery with supernatural elements than an outright horror film, The Brain served as award-winning cinematographer Freddie Francis’ horror film directing debut. He adopts an eerie, noirish style to tell the story and maintains a taut pace. He uses close-ups on Eyck to signal the personality changes, but these are kept to a minimum. As a result, The Brain plays more like a detective story, with Corrie interviewing suspects and occasionally upsetting them by adopting Holt’s (the victim) mannerisms or voice. Still, the ending provides a surprise or two (at least as to motivation) and the movie is enjoyable if not particularly memorable. However, those looking for an outright horror tale will likely be disappointed.

The Cabinet of Caligari (1962)

When Jane’s (Glynis Johns) car breaks down, she seeks assistance from a nearby estate. Her host promises help, but the next day she wakes up and finds herself a prisoner. Who is this mysterious Caligari who wants to question her about her life and why is he holding her captive?

The 1960s were loaded with twisty, black and white thrillers thanks the success of Psycho (1960). Robert Bloch, on whose novel Hitchcock’s 1960 classic was based, wrote the script for this one, and it’s a mixed bag. Johns hits the right notes of hysteria and Dan O’Herlihy is captivatingly sinister as the mysterious Caligari. But the film itself is a half hour Alfred Hitchcock Presents or Twilight Zone episode stretched to an hour and forty-five minutes. There’s a two-pronged twist at the end that half works. But there are too many scenes that seem like the same ground is being covered again and again. The title suggests it’s a remake of the 1920 classic, but this is not the case. The Cabinet of Caligari is a modest success thanks to its cast.

The Flesh Eaters (1964)

Pilot Grant Murdoch (Byron Sanders) is flying an alcoholic actress (Rita Morley) and her secretary (Barbara Wilkin) to the former’s next performance when they must make an emergency landing. Little do they know that the island they picked is home to a Nazi-inspired mad scientist (Martin Kosleck) and his flesh eaters.

This grandly entertaining low-budget feature serves as a showcase for Martin Kosleck, who became something of a second-tier horror star of the 1940s with performances in The Mummy’s Curse (1944), The Frozen Ghost (1945) and House of Horrors (1946). While the rest of the cast, most of whom spent their careers playing minor roles in episodic television, are merely adequate, Kosleck gets to pull out all the stops as the seemingly concerned and helpful biologist who is secretly plotting the unwanted visitors’ doom. The audience is well aware of the duplicity, and The Flesh Eaters is a lot of fun for those of us who have a taste for mad scientist pictures.

The other item worth noting is the rather gory nature of some of the deaths. This film and Blood Feast (1963) helped launch the gore films that started replacing the gothic horrors of the 1960s. The bloody effects, shown mostly in quick cuts, are effective if not spectacular. And while the presentation of the mammoth flesh eater won’t win any technical awards, it somehow suits the film given the subject matter and style. Add to all of this a dose of intentional humor, and The Flesh Eaters is any easy recommendation for fans of more outlandish horror fare.