‘Bodies for sale!’
Monstrosity is a 1963 sci-fi horror film about a rich, unscrupulous old woman who plots with a scientist to have her brain implanted in the skull of a sexy young woman.
The movie was directed by Joseph V. Mascelli. It was co-produced by Jack Pollexfen (The Neanderthal Man; Captive Women; The Man from Planet X) who also had an uncredited hand in directing.
The movie stars Erika Peters, Judy Bamber, Marjorie Eaton and Frank Gerstle (The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake; Killers from Space). Bradford Dillman (Lords of the Deep; Piranha; Bug) provided the ponderous narration.
Plot:
An elderly woman uses her vast fortune to convince an eccentric yet brilliant scientist to transplant her brain into a new, youthful body. The bodies are provided by three immigrant young women who are hired to be servants. The old woman then chooses which of the girls she finds most beautiful and sets about replacing the young woman’s brain with her own…
” …this is a treasure trove of tripe: drunk, horny mad doctors; wheelchair-bound old biddies living in dilapidated gothic mansions; forbidden experiments with atomic power; mutations run amok; and trampy Euro-dames (with atrocious fake accents). Add screamingly inept dialogue (by four screenwriters!), a droning narrator, and feel your own brain pan go nuclear. A must-see for bad-brain movie devotees; makes a cerebral double-bill with The Brain That Wouldn’t Die.” Videohound’s Complete Guide to Cult Flicks and Trash Pics book
Choice dialogue:
Narrator [Bradford Dillman]: “Mrs March had not realized her future body had such a satisfactory shape. Perhaps not as spectacular as the English girl, but in excellent taste. She couldn’t help being amused. The stupid girl was not only modelling Mrs March’s future wardrobe but Mrs March’s future body: so firm, so nicely round in places men like.”
Narrator [Bradford Dillman]: “Three new bodies. Fresh, live, young bodies. No families or friends within thousands of miles, no one to ask embarrassing questions when they disappear. Victor wondered which one Mrs March would pick. The little Mexican, the girl from Vienna, or the buxom blonde? Victor knew his pick, but he still felt uneasy, making love to an eighty-year-old woman in the body of a twenty-year-old girl; it’s insanity!”
Narrator [Bradford Dillman]: “Oh, how she made them sweat. Especially this old fool, companion and gigolo. How many years she’s kept him dangling on promises. Well, sometimes it’s convenient to have a man, especially when he comes cheaper than servants.”
Narrator [Bradford Dillman]: “Where were the live, fresh bodies he’d been promised?”
Narrator [Bradford Dillman]: “As with the other bodies stolen from cemeteries, the nerve endings of the brain were too far gone to receive a proper transplant. The experiment failed to produce anything more than a walking, breathing zombie-like creature. But the doctor permitted her to wander about the laboratory – she was harmless and… at times even amusing.”
Mrs March [Marjorie Eaton]: “I don’t want you running up and down stairs – those pretty legs will get ugly muscles!”
Blu-ray release:
After a successful 2016 Kickstarter campaign by Ben Solovey of Moth Inc., the film was scanned and restored in 4K resolution for a Blu-ray release.
New 4k Restoration from the Original Camera Negative
Feature Length Audio Commentary from writers Tom Weaver and Robert J. Kiss
Widescreen and Fullscreen editions of the film (Blu-ray Exclusive Feature)
Original Theatrical Trailer – Alternate “Atomic Brain” title sequence
Stills Gallery
The Brothers Dillman: Interviews with Bradford Dillman and Pamela Dillman
Mascelli’s Monstrosity: Interview with Michael Goi
Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com
Notes:
The film was shot in 1958 but remained unreleased until September 1963. According to producer Jack Pollexfen, the production company went bankrupt about halfway through shooting, leaving no money to finish the film. It was later retitled The Atomic Brain for TV showings and is now in the public domain.
Cast and characters:
Marjorie Eaton … Mrs March, Frank Gerstle … as Doctor Frank, Frank Fowler … Victor, Erika Peters … Nina Rhodes, Judy Bamber … Beatrice ‘Bea’ Mullins, Lisa Lang … Anita Gonzales, Margie Fisco … Female Corpse, Xerxes … The Cat, Bradford Dillman … Narrator – Lords of the Deep; Piranha; Bug
Technical specs:
1 hour 5 minutes
Black and white
Audio: Mono
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Trailer [720p]:
Free online in black and white as Monstrosity [4K UHD]:
Free online in colour as Monstrosity [4K UHD]:
Free online on YouTube [1080p Premium HD]:
Free in black and white [480p]:
#Monstrosity #TheAtomicBrain #FreeHorror #FreeHorrorMovies #FreeHorrorFilms #FreeHorrorOnYouTube #FreeYouTubeHorror
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