I bought this as part of the MST3K series (a show I've recently become completely addicted to). And while I always love Mike and the bots' riffing ("Help, the road is attacking meeee!!"), I'm also kind of glad for the DVD inclusion of the original, uncut movie. Is it okay to admit I kind of actually *liked* this old clunker??
That's not to say it's completely undeserving of sneers. There's the just-can't-buy-it notion of a head being able to talk and breathe and laugh and *act* with no oxygen (no lungs!!) There's the overacting to painful degrees by both supporting actors (a Noel Coward song once begged Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage Mrs. Worthington-- but in Leslie Daniels' case the opposite might be begged; there are some actors that really oughta just stay on the stage, where the overdramatics would play better). And of course there's the hokey monster at the end. However, there's also performances of genuine creepiness from both leads, especially Virginia Leith as the undead head. Between her raspy voice (you try talking distinctly with *your* vocal cords sheared in half) and her honest amusement at the frightened lab assistant, she actually manages to be believable and menacing. Both she and Jason Evers as the power-drunk doctor/boyfriend get to transform through the movie from cutesy lovers to truly deranged evildoers. It even touches on the timeless question of, if you had to decide between life in a paralyzed (or bodyless) state vs. dying, which would you choose? Just imagine what a more rounded cast and a more pro director might have come up with.
Recently Showtime regurgitated several B-movie titles with modern day stars and effects (with mixed results). This is one I wish they'd try to revamp. It's bad, yes.... but as other fans of other movies roasted by the SOL might argue, it's not all *that* bad.... Bottom line, thanks MST3K for introducing me to this one!
That's not to say it's completely undeserving of sneers. There's the just-can't-buy-it notion of a head being able to talk and breathe and laugh and *act* with no oxygen (no lungs!!) There's the overacting to painful degrees by both supporting actors (a Noel Coward song once begged Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage Mrs. Worthington-- but in Leslie Daniels' case the opposite might be begged; there are some actors that really oughta just stay on the stage, where the overdramatics would play better). And of course there's the hokey monster at the end. However, there's also performances of genuine creepiness from both leads, especially Virginia Leith as the undead head. Between her raspy voice (you try talking distinctly with *your* vocal cords sheared in half) and her honest amusement at the frightened lab assistant, she actually manages to be believable and menacing. Both she and Jason Evers as the power-drunk doctor/boyfriend get to transform through the movie from cutesy lovers to truly deranged evildoers. It even touches on the timeless question of, if you had to decide between life in a paralyzed (or bodyless) state vs. dying, which would you choose? Just imagine what a more rounded cast and a more pro director might have come up with.
Recently Showtime regurgitated several B-movie titles with modern day stars and effects (with mixed results). This is one I wish they'd try to revamp. It's bad, yes.... but as other fans of other movies roasted by the SOL might argue, it's not all *that* bad.... Bottom line, thanks MST3K for introducing me to this one!
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