The Head

A bizarre German B-movie horror flick, The Head involves mad scientists and their crazy experiments taking organ transplants, which in 1959 were still new and experimental, to an entirely new level. We start with the sudden death of Prof. Dr. Abel (Michel Simon) and his crazed assistant (Horst Frank) who manages to remove Abel's head and keep it alive separate from his body to keep the professor's knowledge alive and continue his experiments against the professor's wishes.

Buoyed by the experiment's success, and getting away with the murder of the professor's former assistant (Kurt Müller-Graf), he then commits to a similar procedure removing the head of a hunchback (Karin Kernke) and transplanting it onto the body of a boorish burlesque dancer (Christiane Maybach) who he knew in another life, under another name, while lying to both about what he has planned.

The Head is very much a mixed bag. More of a curiosity than anything else, writer/director Victor Trivas' film does provide an atmospheric feel, although one limited by the era's level of special effects, enhanced by Frank's creepy performance as the obsessed Dr. Ood. However, any dramatic moments are limited by both the film's budget and the absurdities of its plot. 

• Title: The Head
• IMDb: link