Having a loved one taken over by an alien creature has to be one of the more terrifying premises to be tackled by the science fiction genre, from the classic Invaders from Mars to Don Seigel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers it’s a foundation that pretty much can’t miss when it comes to delivering both suspense and horror, that is unless you are one of the people behind the making of 1958’s The Brain Eaters.
Set in a small Midwestern town, the plot of The Brain Eaters revolves around a mysterious alien force that has invaded the Earth intending to take over human minds. The story begins when strange occurrences start to happen in the town, such as a large metal cone being found in the woods and a series of unexplained disappearances. As more and more people vanish without a trace, Dr. Paul Kettering (Ed Nelson), a local scientist, becomes increasingly suspicious. Enter Senator Walter K. Powers (Cornelius Keefe) who arrives in the town of Riverdale to debunk the idea of an extraterrestrial invasion, but is he right, is there something more sinister going on than your typical Flying Saucer scare?
“I’m definitely not an allegory for the Red Scare?”
Turns out this isn’t actually an invasion from outer space but from inner space. In a surprising twist, the plot of The Brain Eaters is about parasites coming from inside the Earth to latch onto the nervous systems of humans and turning them into nothing more than puppets. This is being done with the intensive purpose of forcing upon mankind a “life free from strife and turmoil” and thus creating a utopia. This information is vomited out by missing scientist Professor Cole (Leonard Nimoy), who was “infected” five years ago, but their plans for world domination didn’t stand a chance of succeeding because Kettering is your never-say-die hero scientist and before the film’s meagre 60-minute running time expires he’ll have figured out a way to stop these nefarious invaders from below.
The man smokes a pipe, who could doubt his abilities?
Stray Observations:
• The plot of this movie stole several elements from Robert Heinlein’s novel, “The Puppet Masters” which did result in a lawsuit that was settled out of court for $5,000 dollars.
•
This movie takes place in the town of Riverdale but contains neither
Archie Andrews nor Jughead Jones. Talk about a missed opportunity for
some good synergy.
• We get Leonard Nimoy in one of his earliest
roles but the producers didn’t bother with spellcheck as his name is
misspelled Nemoy in the opening credits.
• One of Kettering’s tests
on the mysterious cone is to fire a revolver into its open portal. Now,
I’m no scientist but that seems not only reckless but insanely stupid.
•
Senator Powers telephones the telegraph office to send a warning to the
Governor but why not just call the Governor directly? Are telegrams
considered more reliable than a phone call?
• Finding a strange mark on the back of someone’s neck would have been a dead giveaway if anyone in this film had watched Invaders from Mars (1953).
•
That our brilliant scientist/hero doesn’t have the back of people’s
necks routinely checked is a bit of an oversight, made even more
hilarious by the “puppeted people” having an obvious pulsating hump on
their backs.
“Officer, have you always had a hunchback?”
Directed by Bruno VeSota, The Brain Eaters presents an intriguing premise but one that falls short in execution and this resulted in a somewhat forgettable experience. The film’s limited resources seem to have constrained the creative possibilities, resulting in a production that struggled to compete with more polished works of its time…well, to be honest, this film struggles to compete with your average student film. Furthermore, the dialogue and acting in the film leave much to be desired as many of the lines come across as stilted and melodramatic, failing to elicit the intended sense of urgency or fear. While this may be characteristic of B-movie productions from the 1950s, it detracts from the overall quality of the viewing experience.
“Have any of you spotted the plot yet?”
The narrative itself is riddled with clichés and predictable plot twists, not helped by the voice-over narration that insists on constantly explaining to us what’s going on. It’s possible the director was worried the audience would nod off and the narration was to give an update to those waking up as to what’s going on. The characters are your typical one-dimensional offerings that you find in these kinds of things, and their interactions lack the depth required to engage the audience emotionally. The dialogue, often delivered in a stilted manner, further hinders the film’s ability to build a connection between the viewers and the characters. It’s hard to guess who is taken over by an alien parasite when everyone has about as much personality as a sea sponge. Worst of all, for a film called The Brain Eaters I expected a lot more in the way of brains being eaten.
“Has his brain been eaten? If not we’ll have to change the film’s title.”
That said, the film does have an eerie atmosphere and a few tension-building sequences with the black-and-white cinematography by Lawrence Raimond effectively contributing to the film’s overall mood, creating a sense of foreboding that permeates throughout, sadly, his efforts were unable to lift the film beyond the plot’s ponderous limitations. As for the movie’s title creature, the practical effects used to depict these parasitic monsters are less than commendable, even considering the film’s limited budget, as they look like fluffy bedroom slippers that someone stuck an antennae on.
“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants!”
In conclusion, while The Brain Eaters offers some enjoyable moments of suspense and atmosphere it ultimately falls short in terms of pacing, character development and dialogue. It may hold nostalgic value for fans of classic sci-fi/horror cinema and those wanting to see Leonard Nimoy in an early role but it is unlikely to appeal to a wider audience or stand out as a particularly memorable or groundbreaking entry in the genre.
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