''The Brain That Wouldn't Die'' is a 2020 satirical remake of the 1962 American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

of the same name. It was directed by Derek Carl and premiered at the Portland Horror Film Festival. Per ''

Starburst MicroPro International Corporation was an American software company founded in 1978 in San Rafael, California. They are best known as the publisher of WordStar, a popular early word processor for personal computers. History Founding and early su ...

'' magazine, the film is nearly a shot-by-shot remake of the original.

Synopsis

Dr. Bill Cortner is a brilliant doctor that has gone mad after decapitating his fiancée Jan in a car accident. He steals her head and succeeds in reanimating it, much to Jan's horror. Cortner is not content with merely bringing her head back to life—he wants to give her an all new body, but must resort to unsavory and deadly measures to obtain one.

Cast

* Rachael Perrell Fosket as Jan Compton * Patrick D. Green as Dr. Bill Cortner * David Withers as William Cortner * Jason Reynolds as Kurt *

Robert Blanche Robert Clinton Blanche (March 30, 1962 – January 3, 2020) was an American film and television actor. Early life Blanche was born in Pomona, California, and raised in Oregon. Career Beginning his film and television career in 1994, Blanche ...

as Detective Mancini * Mia Allen as Doris Powell * Julia Bray as Roxanne * Gaelle Lola Beauvais as Lady Marmalade * Alex Tiefenthaler as The Thing * Kristen Mortensen as Donna Williams * Kelsey Norene as Jeanie Reynolds * Bethany Jacobs as Bonnie * Devon Rawlings as Paula

Production

Funding for ''The Brain That Wouldn't Die'' was partially obtained through a successful

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campaign. Filming took place in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

during 2016 and actors Rachael Perrell Fosket, Patrick Green, Jason Reynolds, Mia Allen, and Robert Blanche were brought on to portray the film's central characters. Inspiration for ''The Brain That Wouldn't Die'' was taken from the original movie, as well as from films such as ''

Re-Animator ''Re-Animator'' (also known as ''H. P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator'') is a 1985 American comedy horror film loosely based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette " Herbert West–Reanimator". Directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Brian Y ...

'' and ''

The Man With Two Brains ''The Man with Two Brains'' is a 1983 American science fiction black comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner. Written by Reiner, Martin, and George Gipe (who previously worked together on 1982's '' ...

''.

Release

''The Brain That Wouldn't Die'' premiered at the Hollywood Theatre as part of the Portland Horror Film Festival on June 21, 2020.

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed to positive and the film holds a rating of 67% on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 6 reviews. '' Rue Morgue'' and

Dread Central Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website f ...

both wrote favorable reviews for the movie and Dread Central wrote that "It’s far from perfect in a technical sense, but we’re talking about art, not bricks. Technicalities be damned, I had fun watching this movie." ''Starburst'' was more critical, questioning "what’s the thinking behind doing an almost shot-for-shot version of a 1962 cult favorite rather than attempt to better it?"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brain That Wouldn't Die (2020 film), The 2020 horror films 2020 films 2020 science fiction horror films American science fiction horror films American independent films 2020s English-language films American mad scientist films 2020s American films English-language science fiction horror films