In the 1950s and 60s, John Agar made a ton of ultra-low budget horror films of varying quality (though most were pretty poor--at least when it came to the technical aspects of the films). While many would make fun of the films, I like them because of their campy qualities and sense of nostalgia. So, when I found THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, I was thrilled to see it. Oddly, however, the film is a combination of an excellent and rather original plot and super-duper cheese!
The film begins with some sort of light crashing in the nearby desert. Agar and an expendable friend go to investigate. It turns out that there is a giant translucent brain with eyeballs named Gor who is waiting to be "rescued"--because he plans on taking over a body and setting about taking over the Earth. You really have to see this stupid special effect to believe it--it's incredibly dumb. Also, having already seen the really bad Peter Graves sci-fi film, KILLERS FROM SPACE (1954), I knew that nothing good would be waiting for him in this cave!! Too bad Agar's character hadn't seen it--he would have known that only bad things are waiting inside!
Once back home, you know that the alien living within Agar is evil, as the dog doesn't like him and Agar is really interested in sex---reaaallly interested! This SHOULD have let his fiancée know that he was an alien or a Communist or something bad (as every clean and good American can only think of sex once legally married) and eventually she and her dad go to the cave themselves. This is an interesting point in the film, as ANOTHER floating eyeballed brain appears to them, but this is a good one. It seems that Gor is an evil being that escaped from his prison and he's come to help the Earth rid itself of this over-sexed alien.
Who will prevail? Will the evil Gor become our overlord? Is the nice alien really nice or able to defeat Gor? Will Gor get laid? Tune in and find out for yourself! Just be forewarned that the final scene with the inflatable brain suspended by wires is a sight you won't soon forget!! Overall, while silly and cheesy at times, the plot is interesting and it's fun to watch Agar, as he really does great in this sort of role. In other words, while a low-budget horror film, Agar puts a lot of energy into it and plays up the "evil Agar" to the hilt! While for years he's gotten a lot of ribbing for bad acting, in this film he was perfect for the role and I think that sometimes he's unfairly attacked. While certainly no thespian, what could you expect from Agar with the sort of parts he was offered in the years following his divorce from Shirley Temple? Plus, his antics as Gor were just darn funny--and were meant to be.
While not a film I'd recommend to the average person, for lovers of 50s sci-fi, this is an absolute must!
The film begins with some sort of light crashing in the nearby desert. Agar and an expendable friend go to investigate. It turns out that there is a giant translucent brain with eyeballs named Gor who is waiting to be "rescued"--because he plans on taking over a body and setting about taking over the Earth. You really have to see this stupid special effect to believe it--it's incredibly dumb. Also, having already seen the really bad Peter Graves sci-fi film, KILLERS FROM SPACE (1954), I knew that nothing good would be waiting for him in this cave!! Too bad Agar's character hadn't seen it--he would have known that only bad things are waiting inside!
Once back home, you know that the alien living within Agar is evil, as the dog doesn't like him and Agar is really interested in sex---reaaallly interested! This SHOULD have let his fiancée know that he was an alien or a Communist or something bad (as every clean and good American can only think of sex once legally married) and eventually she and her dad go to the cave themselves. This is an interesting point in the film, as ANOTHER floating eyeballed brain appears to them, but this is a good one. It seems that Gor is an evil being that escaped from his prison and he's come to help the Earth rid itself of this over-sexed alien.
Who will prevail? Will the evil Gor become our overlord? Is the nice alien really nice or able to defeat Gor? Will Gor get laid? Tune in and find out for yourself! Just be forewarned that the final scene with the inflatable brain suspended by wires is a sight you won't soon forget!! Overall, while silly and cheesy at times, the plot is interesting and it's fun to watch Agar, as he really does great in this sort of role. In other words, while a low-budget horror film, Agar puts a lot of energy into it and plays up the "evil Agar" to the hilt! While for years he's gotten a lot of ribbing for bad acting, in this film he was perfect for the role and I think that sometimes he's unfairly attacked. While certainly no thespian, what could you expect from Agar with the sort of parts he was offered in the years following his divorce from Shirley Temple? Plus, his antics as Gor were just darn funny--and were meant to be.
While not a film I'd recommend to the average person, for lovers of 50s sci-fi, this is an absolute must!