Fantastical cinema, horror and sci-fi, sometimes veers into very strange ground. I don't dare call the disembodied head (a head completely removed from the body) the strangest of those for the simple fact that if I took a hard look into other areas I would not only bet I could find an even stranger subject but many examples as well. For the purpose of this article I am sticking with a subject above the neck. I guess you could say this is taking the CAP off the subject.
I know, that was bad, but before I PART ways let me just say these 10 films only have the subject of a disembodied head in common. The nature of the disembodied head does vary. The majority of them deal with heads living without the benefit of a body, either through scientific or supernatural means. There is also a stone head, an embalmed head, and even shrunken heads; which just goes to prove you can get head in all shapes and sizes...oh that just sounded so wrong.
The Thing That Couldn't Die (1958) - Follows the natural events of digging a well to discover a box containing the head of a sorcerer, evil of course, who was beheaded some 400 years prior. Through the sorcerer's psychic powers people start killing each other. Never say to a sorcerer's head "I've had it up to here with you." Available on DVD
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) a.k.a. The Head That Wouldn't Die - A car crash results in a mad doctor's girlfriend being decapitated. What's a mad doctor to do but naturally keep her head alive in a pan while he searches for the perfect body for her. Talk about the hard way to get head from your girlfriend. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
They Saved Hitler's Brain (1963) a.k.a. The Madmen of Mandoras - When they said Hitler was the head of the Nazi Party, they really meant it. It seems those sneaky Nazis not only escaped to South America as everybody said they did, but they took Hitler's head with them; probably easier to get him through customs that way. The only thing standing in their way of resurrecting him is they didn't count on his brains being in his ass. Available on DVD
The Frozen Dead (1966) - Apparently taking a cue from the aforementioned They Saved Hitler's Brain in both plot and bad acting, this is the story of a scientist who keeps the heads of Nazi war criminals alive in order to find suitable bodies for them and resurrect the Third Reich. Goes to prove you just can't find a Nazi with a good head on their shoulders...maybe on someone else's shoulders. Available on DVD
The Thing with Two Heads (1972) - It seems Ray Milland lost his head, and as a result ended up doing this movie. Coincidentally the plot is about him losing his head and it being put on Rosey Grier's body, with Rosey's head still attached. They then proceed to disprove the old adage two heads are better than one. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Zardoz (1974) - Okay, so it's really a floating stone head, which fits as you have to be pretty stoned to enjoy this movie anyway. Known primarily for grown men running around in red diapers. Available on DVD
Macabre (1980) a.k.a. Macabro - Co-written by Pupi Avati and directed by Lamberto Bava, Macabre tells the story of a woman traumatized by the death of her lover, and after getting out of a mental institution, dealing with her loss by keeping his head in the refrigerator and continuing a love affair with...it. Gives new meaning to the expression 'getting head'. Available on DVD
Re-Animator (1985) - Herbert West must have been a lonely child. His genius has allowed him to create a serum that re-animates the dead, but it also gives him this bad habit of playing with them, such as decapitating a college professor then re-animating his head and body seperately. The professor's head can still talk, and his body can still walk, though these two skills don't necessarily sync well. They always said that professor had a good head on his shoulders, but it's no longer there. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Cemetery Man (1994) a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore - Being a caretaker of a cemetery can't be much fun, and even more so when in your cemetery the dead return to life and you have to kill them a second time. Thankfully you can depend on your dim-witted assistant who had a crush on a young lady decapitated in a motorcycle accident to take advantage of this and dig up her head to put in a gutted TV set to keep him company. Well, at least his TV still has EARS. Available on DVD
Shrunken Heads (1994) - Three teenagers are murdered, so a transplanted Haitian voodoo priest takes it upon himself to re-animate their heads so they can exact revenge. "You look...smaller" is not the line any teenage boy wants to hear. But they can fly and go splat. Available on DVD
I know, that was bad, but before I PART ways let me just say these 10 films only have the subject of a disembodied head in common. The nature of the disembodied head does vary. The majority of them deal with heads living without the benefit of a body, either through scientific or supernatural means. There is also a stone head, an embalmed head, and even shrunken heads; which just goes to prove you can get head in all shapes and sizes...oh that just sounded so wrong.
The Thing That Couldn't Die (1958) - Follows the natural events of digging a well to discover a box containing the head of a sorcerer, evil of course, who was beheaded some 400 years prior. Through the sorcerer's psychic powers people start killing each other. Never say to a sorcerer's head "I've had it up to here with you." Available on DVD
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) a.k.a. The Head That Wouldn't Die - A car crash results in a mad doctor's girlfriend being decapitated. What's a mad doctor to do but naturally keep her head alive in a pan while he searches for the perfect body for her. Talk about the hard way to get head from your girlfriend. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
They Saved Hitler's Brain (1963) a.k.a. The Madmen of Mandoras - When they said Hitler was the head of the Nazi Party, they really meant it. It seems those sneaky Nazis not only escaped to South America as everybody said they did, but they took Hitler's head with them; probably easier to get him through customs that way. The only thing standing in their way of resurrecting him is they didn't count on his brains being in his ass. Available on DVD
The Frozen Dead (1966) - Apparently taking a cue from the aforementioned They Saved Hitler's Brain in both plot and bad acting, this is the story of a scientist who keeps the heads of Nazi war criminals alive in order to find suitable bodies for them and resurrect the Third Reich. Goes to prove you just can't find a Nazi with a good head on their shoulders...maybe on someone else's shoulders. Available on DVD
The Thing with Two Heads (1972) - It seems Ray Milland lost his head, and as a result ended up doing this movie. Coincidentally the plot is about him losing his head and it being put on Rosey Grier's body, with Rosey's head still attached. They then proceed to disprove the old adage two heads are better than one. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Zardoz (1974) - Okay, so it's really a floating stone head, which fits as you have to be pretty stoned to enjoy this movie anyway. Known primarily for grown men running around in red diapers. Available on DVD
Macabre (1980) a.k.a. Macabro - Co-written by Pupi Avati and directed by Lamberto Bava, Macabre tells the story of a woman traumatized by the death of her lover, and after getting out of a mental institution, dealing with her loss by keeping his head in the refrigerator and continuing a love affair with...it. Gives new meaning to the expression 'getting head'. Available on DVD
Re-Animator (1985) - Herbert West must have been a lonely child. His genius has allowed him to create a serum that re-animates the dead, but it also gives him this bad habit of playing with them, such as decapitating a college professor then re-animating his head and body seperately. The professor's head can still talk, and his body can still walk, though these two skills don't necessarily sync well. They always said that professor had a good head on his shoulders, but it's no longer there. Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Cemetery Man (1994) a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore - Being a caretaker of a cemetery can't be much fun, and even more so when in your cemetery the dead return to life and you have to kill them a second time. Thankfully you can depend on your dim-witted assistant who had a crush on a young lady decapitated in a motorcycle accident to take advantage of this and dig up her head to put in a gutted TV set to keep him company. Well, at least his TV still has EARS. Available on DVD
Shrunken Heads (1994) - Three teenagers are murdered, so a transplanted Haitian voodoo priest takes it upon himself to re-animate their heads so they can exact revenge. "You look...smaller" is not the line any teenage boy wants to hear. But they can fly and go splat. Available on DVD
Well now don't you go and get carried away about decapitating anybody watching all these movies. Just remember to keep your HEAD about you.
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