The last time I saw this one I was probably seven, watching it play on WPIX New York’s “Chiller Theatre.” “Ahh! Chopped off talking lady head! Scary!! Ahhh! What’s that thing in the other room?!?” Great movie for an unattended seven-year-old, I watched Chiller Theatre anytime I had the opportunity and saw some great old royalty-free monster movies in the pre-VHS-pre-DVD-pre-Netflix days (which means I was holding a very low bar of excellence for entry).
Now I’m (mumble-mumble) years old and am watching it for the second time, and I can say it’s definitely a strong contender if you’re a seven-year-old with no real access to choice on the TV.
There are other ways to watch this… there is the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, which is about as good as it gets with this one. There’s also a 2020 remake of this movie, a shot-for-shot remake. I’m not lying – someone actually spent time and money on that project.
The basic premise is a Dr Frankensteinesque tale of a mad scientist who kills his fiancĂ© in a car crash, but keeps her alive by cutting off the head and keeping it in a lasagna pan full of strawberry jello, with plans to kidnap a stripper and replace the stripper head with his wife’s head. This is a really messed up way to get a hot new girlfriend with a killer bod. He’s got a monster in a nearby closet, and the fiancĂ© can talk to it with her mind, because of course she can. Together they end the movie.
Fun fact, due to a botched copyright notice, this movie has been free to the public domain for its entire existence. Oops!
