WTF?! - The Head (1959)

WTF?! - The Head (1959)

I've been on a head movie kick lately. I work with mostly younger folks and like to share my silly knowledge of obscure cinema with them. I want them to know that beyond THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS movies; beyond the Beyoncé videos and DESPICABLE ME; there's a tome of wonderful old movies that have exciting storylines and entertaining characters.  While suggesting to one of my coolest coworkers to watch THE MANSTER, I started flipping through the Rolodex in my round little head and reminisced about all the head movies I've enjoyed. So I hit YouTube and started watching the public domain bankroll of films I found. Of course, I watched THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE. I remembered that there was a head movie that I enjoyed even more; Victor Trivas' 1959 thriller THE HEAD. 

THE HEAD comes to us from West Germany. Under the original title DIE NACKTE UND DER SATAN, it shares the stage with many other "man playing God" horror films from the late 50s. In THE HEAD we meet a deformed nurse who visits our main character, Dr. Abel, in search of help to correct her spinal cord. Dr. Abel has established himself as the world's leading transplant authority. Having many successful transplants under his belt he promises to help the nurse (a cousin of one of his staff) and cure her sickness. The good Dr. Abel has a new colleague staying with him. Dr. Ood is most interested in a transplant Dr. Abel did where he took the head of a dog and transplanted it. Ood learns about Dr. Abel's secret "Serum Z" and insists that this head transplant experiment must be tried on a human being. We also learn that Dr. Abel is sick and needs a heart transplant. He puts the mysterious visitor in charge of his heart surgery. The operation goes awry and Dr. Abel awakes from the surgery alive, but just a head kept alive by his own mysterious "Serum Z." 

Then there's Lilly; part time model and full-time stripper. Lilly works at the Tam-Tam, a tiki themed strip club, while modeling for a local artist. Lilly is full of spunk. She has a past and the mysterious Dr. Ood knows what it is. What will ever become of poor Dr. Abel? Will he ever get a new body or will he forever look like the centerpiece on a Thanksgiving Table? Does Lilly know what is in store for her beautiful stripper body?

I have to say that anytime I've ever watched THE HEAD it's been the German film dubbed with American voices. I am captivated by this film's entertainment value and timelessness. It just doesn't seem out of date to me because the heightened drama never fails to entertain. Lovers of anything Mid-Century Modern will absolutely adore the set design and period feel of this film. 1959 was closing in on the end of the Eames Era design and the streamline look of THE HEAD contributes to it's modern and scientific feel. Even THE HEAD's opening credits are enough to make any graphic designer drool at the mouth. I don't know what font-style they created but it could hold up to any present day flourish of typography.

My favorite LOL WTF moments in the film are certainly won by the film's female characters, but mostly Lilly. Her medieval stripper outfit on the castle-esque stage (complete with knight's suit of armor) steals the show as well as her spirited repertoire.  The hunchback nurse reminds me of a Madaline Kahn/Mel brooks character. Her over-the-top reaction to Dr. Ood telling her he's going to perform her surgery is down right campy and delightful. We even see a brief reaction by her landlord later on that is just overblown fun.  Also, a great WTF property; after spending over 100 days under sedation one character is drinking and smoking within the first hour of consciousness. In addition to that you'll be amazed at the bevy of body disposals made by our villain. Buried out back, thrown in the river, thrown on the train tracks; it has it all.

While it's almost next to impossible not to compare THE HEAD to THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE, most would agree that Trivas does a much better job at setting the serious and frightful tones that THE HEAD delivers with its plot to its viewer. THE HEAD's message certainly rings true to present-day morals on science vs. ethics. It's a poetic turn that the experimenter becomes the experiment. Definitely put THE HEAD at the top of your rental list. Your head will thank you.