Why, Oh WHY Did They Save Hitler's Brain?

They Saved Hitler's Brain (1968). Wow. What a concept! What a miserable failure to realize the concept! If Hitler had seen this, he would have begged them to let his brain die. I know most viewers will think their brain has died by the time the credits roll. Don't ask what this DVD cover from Rhino is all about, either. Just ignore it.

   This little flick has an odd history, as this is actually an expanded version of  The Madmen Of Mandoras (1963).  The original running time of the movie was just 64 minutes, and that was too short to sell to TV. In 1968, 20 additional minutes were shot by UCLA film students and added into the film. They Saved Hitler's Brain then became the new title, because, obviously, that makes the movie more sellable. That title is probably known to many people due to parodies of it in shows like The Simpsons, but how many of them have actually seen the movie? Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss. Unless, of course, watching bad movies are a blissful experiences for you. Then, this one is a must see for you.

  Okay, here’s the “plot”:  As the Third Reich is nearing its ultimate defeat, Hitler has his brilliant Nazi scientists remove his head, place it in a glass jar, and keep it alive. To keep the secret safe, all the scientists are killed, and Hitler's living head is spirited away to the tiny South American country of Mandoras. There the head is kept hidden until the loyal Nazis decide it is time for Hitler to return, and lead the Fourth Reich to world domination. Now, nearly thirty years later in 1963 (or is it 1968? I am SO confused!), the still loyal Nazis have decided the time has come. They have a new nerve gas as their secret weapon, and their victory seems assured. A scientist who has created an antidote for the gas is kidnapped by the Nazis, so there is no obstacle to the success of their plan. They force him to help with their plan for world domination, which is known as Operation G. What does the “G” stand for? “Gas”, I am sure, as we know how ingenious the Nazis were in giving clever names to their plans. Government agents from various agencies are dispatched to find the professor, and the Nazi plan starts to unravel.

This a VERY flawed movie, but one that is fun because of that. You can't describe it as “so bad, it's good”, either. “Good” isn't a word that can be applied here. However, there are times when this extremely silly little movie will make you laugh out loud because of how bad it is.  It’s the Plan 9 From Outer Space of Nazi conspiracy movies. Watching Hitler's head (played with gusto by Bill Freed) grimace, roll his eyes, and mug in his glass bottle while yelling “Mach Schnell! Mach Schnell!”, will have you holding your sides in laughter.

         
       "Who's a cute little fascist megalomaniac dictator? You are! Yes, you are, yes, you are!"

The additional footage makes the movie even worse than the original. Fashions and hair styles changed drastically from 1963 to 1968, and those changes are glaring.  The lighting, the grain of the film, and even the cars used in 1968 are obviously out of place with the rest of the footage. I love the fact that the female agent drives a Volkswagen Bug. Hitler won that round! I should mention that none of the agents who show up in the added footage actually make it to Mandoras. That would have made no sense whatsoever, and this movie needs all the logic it can keep on the head of pin.


The name of the little town in Mandoras, Dos Palabras, which translates as “two words”, also strikes me as amusing, right up there with the highly original Plan G. The acting is bad, and so over the top, that you wonder if the director hired them strictly for their ability to over act. The names of the cast don’t really matter, because you won’t care who they were when the movie is over. I am also sure the writers of this little exercise in bad film making would really prefer it if you forgot their names, too.

     
         "Hey, how you doing? Want some candy, little girl? Uncle Adolph has a lollipop for you!"

Without the added footage, Madmen of Mandoras is only a slightly better film, but not enough even to recommend it as a B-movie classic. This was never a good film. This is a film that deserves a remake as a true comedy, though. Oh, if only I had the money!

If you love bad movies, you will probably laugh yourself silly at this one. Being in the public domain, it can be found very cheaply. I even found both versions in one box set, so you can compare them. If, that is, you can sit through this stinker twice in one sitting.  Throw in a bag of popcorn, and you will have a fun evening at home with this lunacy. So, run out, and buy this exercise in paranoia right now. Mach Schnell! Mach Schnell!

A Scare A Day- American Mary (2012)

 All right all you horror fiends, it is time to get your groovy ghoulie on! I've been into horror films since I was 5 years old and saw King Kong for the first time. Yeah, King Kong is a fantasy, really, and not a horror film. But, it did feature giant monsters, and one thing led to another. Forty-seven years later, and I am still wandering the realms of nightmares looking for the next movie to bring chills up my spine. I thought maybe it was time for me to share my love, and what better way than to write a blog showcasing a movie a day> I am starting this on November 1, so I can end the first year on Celtic New Year, the time when the veil is thinnest between the worlds, Samhain. Or as it is more commonly known, Halloween. Every horror fans favorite holiday, right? So, if you follow the blog every day, and watch all the movies, you will have seen 365 horror films in just one year. How cool is that?

Over the next year, I will be showcasing new films and old ones. Color and black & white. Even some silents. Some will be classic works of cinema art, and other will be B-movies that make you want to scratch your own eyes out rather than watch them again. The key is they are all horror films, Period. If you know of a film you want me to talk about, let me know. Now, let's go right into for our first day's movie!

Our first Cinema Du Jour is American Mary, a 2012 film from  Jen & Sylvia Soska via their Twisted Twins Productions. The Soska Sisters are well-known for their Dead Hooker In A Trunk, and American Mary is their sophomore effort to that cult classic. Dead Hooker In A Trunk will get it's own feature here in the future.

The plot of American Mary is pretty simple: Mary Mason is a medical student studying to become a surgeon. Unfortunately, as most students are these days, she is struggling financially. Mary decides to try and become a stripper, and goes to audition at a sleazy club owned by Billy Barker. While their, Mary is asked to perform surgery in the back room to save a wounded associate of Barker's, for which Barker pays Mary $5000. Mary does perform the surgery, solving her financial problems of the moment, and goes home. A few days later, a woman named Beatress calls Mary, and then shows up at her home to offer her another surgical job. Beatress offers her $2000 just to talk to a  friend of hers who wants a very unusual surgery, an extreme body modification, and another $10,000 if she operates. Mary does agree to do the surgery, and collects her fees. Shortly thereafter, Mary has an experience that makes her drop out of medical school, and she goes into the extreme body modification underground market, becoming a celebrity in the scene. Billy Barker becomes a more permanent fixture in her life, as well. The further into this world Mary goes, the darker her life becomes. Mary finds herself becoming a much darker person, as well. Is this is a movie that can have a happy ending? Watch it for yourself and see.



Mary Mason is played by Katharine Isabelle, who is best known (and loved) for playing Ginger Fitzgerald in the Ginger Snaps trilogy and Margot Verger on the Hannibal TV series. Antonio Cupo plays Billy Barker, and Tristan Risk is Beatress Johnson. Also, watch for the Soska Sisters to make a cameo as patients of Mary.

I have to say, I just recently discovered this film, and truly love it. The originality of the story just caught me up in it, and the darker things got for Mary, the more I wanted to know what would happen to her. Mary has both beauty and strength, but you know that both are also very fragile under the surface. I don't want to give spoilers here, so I have avoided a lot of what happens in the film in my summary above. I mean, the whole idea is for me to make you want to watch the film, right? I will say, though, that American Mary is a film that it seems many people cannot seem to figure out.

I've seen American Mary described as a slasher film, torture porn, and a gore fest. None of those folks got it right at all. While the film has some aspects of gore, this is so minimal, I guarantee you see more in an episode of The Walking Dead. The Soska Sisters were smart enough to imply more than is shown, leaving the viewer's imagination to do the rest. This is a dark journey into Mary's psyche, sometimes humorous, often scary, and always sad. Isabelle's performance in the film is brilliant, and Cupo and Risk give great performances in support, as well. Risk's performance as Beatress is actually stand out, and you will never forget her character.

So, boils and ghouls, grab some popcorn, put a copy of American Mary on, and have some fun. Now, I mentioned wanting to start this blog on November 1st, and I tried. But, internet connectivity issues didn't allow that to happen. So, you are getting this entry on November 2nd, and I will be posting another entry later this afternoon so as to not screw up my 365 movies in a year goal. Come on back now, ya hear?