Brain That Wouldn’t Die, The

2318. THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE (1959-USA). With Virginia Leith, Herb (Jason) Evers. “The line between scientific genius and obsessive fanaticism is a thin one.” Such is the premise of this thoroughly spooky science fiction-horror film, which is sprinkled, with liberal doses of sex and gore. It tells the story of Dr. Bill Cortner, a brilliant surgeon who has come to believe that human bodies “are capable of adjusting in ways we’ve hardly dreamed of.” This has resulted in his obsession with the then-radical concept of human organ and limb transplants, Cortner’s plastic surgeon father is skeptical of his son’s ideas. ‘The human body is not a jigsaw puzÂzle to experiment on,” he warns. However, Cortner refuses to heed his father’s warnings. He first is able to bring a newly deceased man back to life; after several minutes with the doctor, this “corpse” regains a strong and steady pulse. Next Cortner and his fiancŽe Jan are in a car crash. He is thrown from the wreck. She is decapitated. “I’ve got to save her,” the doctor declares. The only way he can do so is by attaching her head to the body of another. Where will he be able to find just right torso? This search leads him to a bevy of prospects, including a pair of catty strippers and some beauty pageant contestants. However, the likeliest candidate appears to be a sexy photographer’s model. Her face may be horribly disfigured, but she still has a body one literally might be willing to die for. 82 minutes. Science Fiction-Horror