MONSTROSITY aka THE ATOMIC BRAIN (1963)

"Can death be outwitted?" a narrator asks us over footage of a scientist in a hazmat suit engaging in brain transplantation experiments. Will rich old people be able to obtain young healthy bodies? So far, this scientist, Dr. Frank, has put animal brains into a drooling stitched-up thug who looks like an insane Stephen Stills (pictured) and who serves as a guard, and a lovely naked woman who walks around in a trance. All this work is being done for the bitter old Mrs. March who has a plan: she will essentially kidnap a young woman, make the woman the recipient of her will, and have her old lady brain put in the young woman's body so she can be young, sexy and rich. We learn that the doctor has a nuclear reaction switch installed in his lab so he could, if needed, blow the entire place to smithereens (I call that Chekhov's nuclear reaction switch because you know you'll see it again). Mrs. March has advertised for maids and winnowed the replies down to three lovely women: the British Bea, the Austrian Nina, and the Mexican Anita. When they arrive at the mansion, the old lady's first move is to make them turn and pose like models. This sets off mild alarm bells for the women, but not enough for them to leave. Anita is immediately rejected and is given a basement room near Dr. Frank's lab while the other two get upstairs bedrooms. The next day, the upstairs girls are told that Anita has left, but actually the mad doctor has killed the old lady's cat and put its brain into Anita, causing her to crawl and prowl and meow. Nina and Bea become suspicious, and when Bea runs across Anita perched on top of a gazebo, Anita hisses and scratches out one of Bea's eyes. With Anita and Bea out of the running, it's just a matter of time before Dr. Frank straps Nina down to prepare her for the brain transplant. This low-budget 60s horror/sci-fi flick is nothing special, though it may appeal to those who like the combination of sexy ladies, the piling on of outré incidents and cheesy special effects. My favorite moments involve Anita acting like a cat, among the best acting moments in a movie that is indifferently acted by all. Marjorie Eaton as Mrs. March seems to be giving it her all, but she turns in a rather shrill one-note performance that wore me down by the halfway point. Erika Peters, who had a fairly active career in TV shows of the 1960s, is pretty good as Nina. Frank Gerstle, a busy character actor, is adequate but a bit low-key as Dr. Frank. Everyone else feels a bit amateurish, and the post-dubbed sound doesn't help. Though only an hour long, this plods along predictably to a sort of fun final punch-line scene. Don't bother. Released to TV (and mocked on MST3K) as THE ATOMIC BRAIN. [YouTube]