It turns out that all the word of mouth about the Mexican horror flick "The Brainiac" (1961) is absolutely correct: It IS one wild and loopy film experience! This picture tells the story of the necromancer Baron Vitelius Destera (played by the film's handsome producer, Abel Salazar), who is burned at the stake in 1661 by the Inquisition in Mexico City and swears vengeance on the descendants of his tormentors. Good to his word, the Baron falls to Earth in 1961 on a comet (the phoniest-looking comet ever shown on film, perhaps) to begin his homicidal agenda. Destera has the ability to transform himself into a giant-headed, pointy-nosed, fork-tongued monster, and his ability to hypnotize with a glance and bend others to his mental will makes his nefarious plans that much simpler. Oh...did I mention that the Baron uses his Gene Simmons-like tongue to suck his victims' brains out? Oh, man! Sounds pretty cool, right? Truth to tell, though, this film has been made on the cheap, with loads of ersatz-looking backdrops, lousy FX, and reams of unexplained happenings. Why, for example, does the Baron need to keep a stemmed dish of brains around for snacking purposes? How do the film's detectives ultimately crack the case of all these homicides? Why is fire able to harm the Baron in 1961 but not in 1661? Where DID that blasted comet disappear to? This movie has so many head-scratching moments, so many outrageous situations, so many admittedly cool murder scenes, such egregiously artificial backdrops and such strange humor (brain tacos, anyone?) that the net result is one of absolute lysergic surrealism. So yes, the movie is a hoot, and features a monster you won't soon forget. Unlike the Baron himself, the film is NOT a brain-drainer, but a genuinely exhilarating cult item. I, for one, was sufficiently impressed to check out director Chano Urueta's next effort, 1962's "The Witch's Mirror"...
46 Reviews
Brain Eater Monster
claudio_carvalho20 September 2014
In 1661, in Mexico, the Inquisition sentences the Baron Vitelius d'Estera (Abel Salazar) to be burned at the stake for witchcraft, necromancy and seduction of wives and damsels of the lords. He is unsuccessfully defended by the noble Marcos Miranda (Rubén Rojo). The Baron curses the descendants of the four Inquisitors - Indalecio Pantoja (Germán Robles), Baltasar de Meneses (René Cardona), Reinaldo Miranda (Rubén Rojo) and Contreras (Miguel Brillas) - promising that he will return in three hundred years to eliminate them while a comet passes in the sky.
In 1961, the astronomer Prof. Saturnino Millán (Luis Aragón) sees the passage of a comet with his assistants Reinaldo Miranda and Victoria Contreras (Rosa Maria Gallardo) in the sky of Mexico. The comet brings Baron Vitelius d'Estera in the form of a brain eater monster. When the baron finds Sebastián de Pantoja, Luis Meneses, Marcos Miranda and Victoria Contreras, who are descendants of the Inquisitors, his vengeance begins.
"El barón del terror", a.k.a. "The Brainiac", is a trash Mexican horror movie directed by the unknown Chano Urueta. The story is non-sense, with a man returning to Mexico in a comet in the form of a cheesy monster and inviting prominent people that do not know him to a party. There are also two police inspectors that are investigating the death of the monster's victims and are also invited to the same party. Therefore the Baron intends to kill the descendants of the Inquisitors and brings the police to his house that he has apparently rented with a butler. Anyway, if you enjoy trash movie, forget the logic, shutdown your brain and enjoy this flick. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
In 1961, the astronomer Prof. Saturnino Millán (Luis Aragón) sees the passage of a comet with his assistants Reinaldo Miranda and Victoria Contreras (Rosa Maria Gallardo) in the sky of Mexico. The comet brings Baron Vitelius d'Estera in the form of a brain eater monster. When the baron finds Sebastián de Pantoja, Luis Meneses, Marcos Miranda and Victoria Contreras, who are descendants of the Inquisitors, his vengeance begins.
"El barón del terror", a.k.a. "The Brainiac", is a trash Mexican horror movie directed by the unknown Chano Urueta. The story is non-sense, with a man returning to Mexico in a comet in the form of a cheesy monster and inviting prominent people that do not know him to a party. There are also two police inspectors that are investigating the death of the monster's victims and are also invited to the same party. Therefore the Baron intends to kill the descendants of the Inquisitors and brings the police to his house that he has apparently rented with a butler. Anyway, if you enjoy trash movie, forget the logic, shutdown your brain and enjoy this flick. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): Not Available
THE BRAINIAC (Chano Urueta, 1962) **
Bunuel197613 October 2006
After five relatively straight Mexican horror films - and despite being aware of the camp value of this one - I wasn't prepared for the laugh riot that THE BRAINIAC turned out to be...though, in retrospect, I guess I ought to have known judging from the brief snippets from it in the Eurotika documentary on Mexican horror films (available on the Region 2 Mondo Macabro DVD of EL VAMPIRO [1957])!
Its defenders suggest that the film was intended as a spoof; I may agree about that, given the fact that director Urueta had helmed one of the starkest examples of the genre I've seen so far - THE WITCH'S MIRROR (1960) - but that still doesn't explain why it should have been so goofy and nonsensical!! The film's credit sequence utilizes some of the sketches seen in the prologue of THE WITCH'S MIRROR(!), followed by a reasonably atmospheric sorcerer's trial and burning - though even these scenes don't escape hilarity due to the absurdly elongated list of accuses read before the court, the constantly grinning Klansmen-like judges and guards (on whom the Baron eventually plays a childish supernatural prank!), and the outrageous Pope-like costume the victim is made to wear for his execution. The astrology sequences are, again, long-winded yet impossibly naïve (with all the professor's theories, when his assistant looks into the telescope and tells him there's no trace of the comet, the former suggests that its trajectory may be entirely different to his calculations - but, then, it takes the leading lady a split-second to locate it!).
The special effects are unbelievably cheesy - especially the stationary comet; even more ridiculous is the monster's make-up with its large pulsating head, pointed nose, forked protruding tongue, long scruffy hair and hose-like fingers (the scene where he swipes the clothes of his first victim and leaves the dead man in his underwear is hilarious)! The Baron returns to Earth obviously to exact revenge on his judges' descendants, though God only knows why he needs to turn into a hideous, brain-draining creature in order to do so - I guess, the film wouldn't have become such a cult item otherwise! - but he occasionally adds new victims (such as the girl in a bar - which we're supposed to believe that it all happens without the other people noticing anything! - and a streetwalker, a scene accompanied by some particularly sleazy jazz music) which, if anything, serve to pad out the running-time (but still amounting to a brief 77 minutes) given the thinness of the plot line!
Anyway, the Baron invites all his intended victims to his Gothic mansion - explained by a quick reference to a jewel robbery in a police procedural scene - complete with cadaverous butler (how he knew where to find them, to say nothing of the fact that any of them would accept an invitation from a perfect stranger, I guess, never even crossed the screenwriters' minds!): here we witness another hilarious moment as the faces of the Inquisitors are dissolved onto those of their descendants, presumably for us to note the kinship between them, but this is only apparent in three of the cases - and that's because the same actors are used! So, he insinuates himself into each of their households and, turning into the Brainiac, kills them all - save for the last member, obviously the heroine; another rib-cracking moment occurs here when he excuses himself to his guests (who have come to him rather than the other way around) - sitting on the sofa merely feet away - so as to go to the cupboard where he keeps his supply of brains in a jar and nibble from it (actually, he does this a number of times, on each occasion complaining of an old ailment for which he needs a special medicine!).
Comic relief is provided by the clumsy assistant (with a penchant for American slang) of bald-headed cop David Silva; they finally catch up with the fiendish Baron and arrive at his house armed with flamethrowers (one of which refuses to work!) and they fry him - though he never actually catches fire and, when he finally dissolves into a skeleton, parts of his body are inconspicuously missing!! However, for me, these are the five moments in the film which make it a camp classic: Abel Salazar laughing at his accusers in the opening trial sequence, and then turning serious all of a sudden when the Inquisitors throw him a severe look; the rock falling from the sky announcing the arrival of The Brainiac; German Robles' paralyzed look while the monster is feeding on his voluptuous daughter; Rene Cardona's similar gaze - but, this time, he seems to be doing his damnedest to suppress laughter!; and the corpse hanging upside down (face underwater) in the bathtub.
The supplements, even more than the other Casanegra releases, impart the fun that the film so obviously provides; as with THE WITCH'S MIRROR, the Audio Commentary itself is a gas - even if, in that film's case, the subtext was discussed as well while it's not here...but that's because there isn't any!! As I had never watched the film before, I couldn't compare it to previous editions; suffice to say that that the transfer isn't problematic save for the very last scene - where, for a couple of minutes, there's the presence of some distracting extraneous flickering (that's how I can best describe it!) that, in all the reviews of the disc I've come across, is mentioned only by DVD Savant.
Its defenders suggest that the film was intended as a spoof; I may agree about that, given the fact that director Urueta had helmed one of the starkest examples of the genre I've seen so far - THE WITCH'S MIRROR (1960) - but that still doesn't explain why it should have been so goofy and nonsensical!! The film's credit sequence utilizes some of the sketches seen in the prologue of THE WITCH'S MIRROR(!), followed by a reasonably atmospheric sorcerer's trial and burning - though even these scenes don't escape hilarity due to the absurdly elongated list of accuses read before the court, the constantly grinning Klansmen-like judges and guards (on whom the Baron eventually plays a childish supernatural prank!), and the outrageous Pope-like costume the victim is made to wear for his execution. The astrology sequences are, again, long-winded yet impossibly naïve (with all the professor's theories, when his assistant looks into the telescope and tells him there's no trace of the comet, the former suggests that its trajectory may be entirely different to his calculations - but, then, it takes the leading lady a split-second to locate it!).
The special effects are unbelievably cheesy - especially the stationary comet; even more ridiculous is the monster's make-up with its large pulsating head, pointed nose, forked protruding tongue, long scruffy hair and hose-like fingers (the scene where he swipes the clothes of his first victim and leaves the dead man in his underwear is hilarious)! The Baron returns to Earth obviously to exact revenge on his judges' descendants, though God only knows why he needs to turn into a hideous, brain-draining creature in order to do so - I guess, the film wouldn't have become such a cult item otherwise! - but he occasionally adds new victims (such as the girl in a bar - which we're supposed to believe that it all happens without the other people noticing anything! - and a streetwalker, a scene accompanied by some particularly sleazy jazz music) which, if anything, serve to pad out the running-time (but still amounting to a brief 77 minutes) given the thinness of the plot line!
Anyway, the Baron invites all his intended victims to his Gothic mansion - explained by a quick reference to a jewel robbery in a police procedural scene - complete with cadaverous butler (how he knew where to find them, to say nothing of the fact that any of them would accept an invitation from a perfect stranger, I guess, never even crossed the screenwriters' minds!): here we witness another hilarious moment as the faces of the Inquisitors are dissolved onto those of their descendants, presumably for us to note the kinship between them, but this is only apparent in three of the cases - and that's because the same actors are used! So, he insinuates himself into each of their households and, turning into the Brainiac, kills them all - save for the last member, obviously the heroine; another rib-cracking moment occurs here when he excuses himself to his guests (who have come to him rather than the other way around) - sitting on the sofa merely feet away - so as to go to the cupboard where he keeps his supply of brains in a jar and nibble from it (actually, he does this a number of times, on each occasion complaining of an old ailment for which he needs a special medicine!).
Comic relief is provided by the clumsy assistant (with a penchant for American slang) of bald-headed cop David Silva; they finally catch up with the fiendish Baron and arrive at his house armed with flamethrowers (one of which refuses to work!) and they fry him - though he never actually catches fire and, when he finally dissolves into a skeleton, parts of his body are inconspicuously missing!! However, for me, these are the five moments in the film which make it a camp classic: Abel Salazar laughing at his accusers in the opening trial sequence, and then turning serious all of a sudden when the Inquisitors throw him a severe look; the rock falling from the sky announcing the arrival of The Brainiac; German Robles' paralyzed look while the monster is feeding on his voluptuous daughter; Rene Cardona's similar gaze - but, this time, he seems to be doing his damnedest to suppress laughter!; and the corpse hanging upside down (face underwater) in the bathtub.
The supplements, even more than the other Casanegra releases, impart the fun that the film so obviously provides; as with THE WITCH'S MIRROR, the Audio Commentary itself is a gas - even if, in that film's case, the subtext was discussed as well while it's not here...but that's because there isn't any!! As I had never watched the film before, I couldn't compare it to previous editions; suffice to say that that the transfer isn't problematic save for the very last scene - where, for a couple of minutes, there's the presence of some distracting extraneous flickering (that's how I can best describe it!) that, in all the reviews of the disc I've come across, is mentioned only by DVD Savant.
Did This Really Scare Me?
JerseyJo19 January 2004
The Brainiac was one of the many monster and horror films to appear on Chiller Theater in New York in the early 60's. I also remember the photo of the "Brainiac" with that elongated tongue on Famous Monster trading cards of the same era. Poor special effects and cheesy dubbed dialog, but what the heck, this is one of those flicks you stayed up to watch for scares as a little kid and laughs as you got older. The Mexican horror/monster movie of this era is truly a lost film genre. Fun stuff!
He's a maniac who eats brains!
BA_Harrison21 March 2018
Mexico, 1661: Baron Vitelius of Astara (Abel Salazar) is sentenced to death by the Mexican Inquisition for acts of heresy, witchcraft, necromancy and generally being annoying. As he is burnt alive and a comet passes overhead, the baron vows to return in 300 years to take revenge by killing Inquisitors' descendants. Sure enough, three centuries later the comet reappears, bringing with it the baron, who is able to change from human form into a hideous brainsucking monster.
The Brainiac features one of the goofiest movie monsters you're ever likely to see in a horror film, Mexican or otherwise, the wholly unconvincing creature having tubular quivering pincers, a pulsating hairy head, pointy rubber ears and nose, extra large fangs, and a forked tongue with which to suck out its victims' brains. But as hilarious as this monster is, it cannot make up for the film's dull plot, lifeless direction and cheap production values: printed backdrops stand in for real locations, the comet looks like a cut-out piece of paper stuck to a sheet of glass, and the baron's hypnotic gaze is achieved by shining a light into his eyes.
The film's best moment is the shocking discovery of a body suspended upside down in a bath-tub (the man's head underwater), although any scene featuring the voluptuous Rosa María Gallardo as astronomer Victoria Contreras is worth a look (she can calibrate my telescope any day of the week!); worst (and consequently funniest) moments include the arrival of the creature inside a rock, the baron sneaking off to tuck into his bowlful of brains, and the wide-eyed expressions on the faces of his mesmerized victims.
The Brainiac features one of the goofiest movie monsters you're ever likely to see in a horror film, Mexican or otherwise, the wholly unconvincing creature having tubular quivering pincers, a pulsating hairy head, pointy rubber ears and nose, extra large fangs, and a forked tongue with which to suck out its victims' brains. But as hilarious as this monster is, it cannot make up for the film's dull plot, lifeless direction and cheap production values: printed backdrops stand in for real locations, the comet looks like a cut-out piece of paper stuck to a sheet of glass, and the baron's hypnotic gaze is achieved by shining a light into his eyes.
The film's best moment is the shocking discovery of a body suspended upside down in a bath-tub (the man's head underwater), although any scene featuring the voluptuous Rosa María Gallardo as astronomer Victoria Contreras is worth a look (she can calibrate my telescope any day of the week!); worst (and consequently funniest) moments include the arrival of the creature inside a rock, the baron sneaking off to tuck into his bowlful of brains, and the wide-eyed expressions on the faces of his mesmerized victims.
A maniac with a lot of knowledge is a threat.
lastliberal17 March 2010
Baron Vitelius Destera (Abel Salazar) is burned at the stake by The Inquisition, and vows to return 300 years later to exact revenge, just as Paul Naschy did in El espanto surge de la tumba.
Riding in on a comet, the Baron returns to seek revenge.
Do not expect a polished production; this 1962 after all! But, the brain-eating monster with the forked tongue is a sight to see! What a waste of a good long tongue. :-) He uses hypnotism to stun his victims before he sucks out their brains. Watching a father frozen immobile while his daughter is killed was precious.
The Baron always has a dish of brains around for a snack in between murders.
What an ending.
Riding in on a comet, the Baron returns to seek revenge.
Do not expect a polished production; this 1962 after all! But, the brain-eating monster with the forked tongue is a sight to see! What a waste of a good long tongue. :-) He uses hypnotism to stun his victims before he sucks out their brains. Watching a father frozen immobile while his daughter is killed was precious.
The Baron always has a dish of brains around for a snack in between murders.
What an ending.
Bizarre mix of horror and sci-fi from Mexico
The_Void16 November 2006
What we have here is a bizarre mix of Gothic horror and Sci-Fi. Brainiac may not be the best Mexican horror film ever made, but it's a fun and interesting little flick, and I doubt that any fan of cult horror will regret watching it. The film takes influence from across the horror spectrum, with cult horror films such as Mario Bava's Black Sunday and I, Vampiri being mixed with any number of American Sci-Fi classics involving evil sprouting from a comet coming down to Earth. This hodgepodge of ideas has 'nice try' written all over it, but somehow director Chano Urueta manages to pull it all together into a somewhat fluid and invigorating film. The plot focuses on Baron Vitelius; a man put to death by fire in 1661 for a catalogue of anti-social crimes. He swears vengeance on his punisher's by stating that he will return the next time the comet passing over returns - and he does! 300 years later in 1961, Baron Vitelius comes back to Earth as 'The Brainiac', a monstrous brain-hungry creature that sucks the brain fluid out of the descendants of the people who killed him...
It's abundantly clear that the film was shot on a low budget as the special effects are very simple and mostly done with camera trickery, while the 'Brainiac' creature is so obviously just a man in a mask that it's almost painful. It's lucky, then, that the director manages to tell his story very well and this is often a big enough distraction from the film's shortcomings. The plot isn't particularly deep, but it has direction and flows well. The majority of the film is taken up by seeing the Baron turned Brainiac getting his revenge on the descendants of those that killed him, but somehow it doesn't get old too quickly. One of the most remarkable things about this film is the fact that it's all completely serious! With special effects this cheap and a plot so thin you've got to expect an ample dose of humour, but for some reason this film doesn't seem to have one! The atmosphere is good, however, and the black and white cinematography excellently compliments the central plot and style of the film. Overall, this is far from being brilliant - but it still comes highly recommended to avid cult collectors because it's so much fun to watch!
It's abundantly clear that the film was shot on a low budget as the special effects are very simple and mostly done with camera trickery, while the 'Brainiac' creature is so obviously just a man in a mask that it's almost painful. It's lucky, then, that the director manages to tell his story very well and this is often a big enough distraction from the film's shortcomings. The plot isn't particularly deep, but it has direction and flows well. The majority of the film is taken up by seeing the Baron turned Brainiac getting his revenge on the descendants of those that killed him, but somehow it doesn't get old too quickly. One of the most remarkable things about this film is the fact that it's all completely serious! With special effects this cheap and a plot so thin you've got to expect an ample dose of humour, but for some reason this film doesn't seem to have one! The atmosphere is good, however, and the black and white cinematography excellently compliments the central plot and style of the film. Overall, this is far from being brilliant - but it still comes highly recommended to avid cult collectors because it's so much fun to watch!
While SOME of the film is brainless, it's not that bad...
planktonrules17 January 2019
"The Brainiac" ("El Barón del Terror") is a Mexican horror movie that is neither very good nor bad....it's really a bit of both. My review is based on the Americanized version which was (at times) poorly dubbed.
The story begins with a court of the Inquisition in Mexico. It seems that an evil baron has been dealing with the occult and has devoted himself to evil. Oddly, when he is tried, he seems amused and impervious to pain even when tortured. Ultimately, he's burned at the stake.
Centuries later, a comet approaches the Earth and inexplicably deposits the evil baron back on the planet. There, the suave baron ingratiates himself to many Mexican nobels....and soon kills them because they are descended from the Inquisitors who killed him.
While this plot is highly original and enjoyable, the film also has a bad side. The worst, by far, is the monster. It seems that the handsome baron occasionally turns into a monster who is absolutely laughable....and with a gigantic tongue which somehow sucks the brains out of his victims! It's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" or "Horror of Party Beach" bad....the sort of craptastic 50s/60s monsters who make us laugh so much today because the make-up and masks were so schlocky....and VERY schlocky it is in "The Brainiac"!
The story begins with a court of the Inquisition in Mexico. It seems that an evil baron has been dealing with the occult and has devoted himself to evil. Oddly, when he is tried, he seems amused and impervious to pain even when tortured. Ultimately, he's burned at the stake.
Centuries later, a comet approaches the Earth and inexplicably deposits the evil baron back on the planet. There, the suave baron ingratiates himself to many Mexican nobels....and soon kills them because they are descended from the Inquisitors who killed him.
While this plot is highly original and enjoyable, the film also has a bad side. The worst, by far, is the monster. It seems that the handsome baron occasionally turns into a monster who is absolutely laughable....and with a gigantic tongue which somehow sucks the brains out of his victims! It's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" or "Horror of Party Beach" bad....the sort of craptastic 50s/60s monsters who make us laugh so much today because the make-up and masks were so schlocky....and VERY schlocky it is in "The Brainiac"!
What a sexy looking fella!
Coventry9 March 2007
For once, the outrageous image displayed on the DVD-cover isn't an exaggeration, as the titular Terror-Baron for some reason really does occasionally mutate into a hideous creature with the long split tongue of a lizard, the big pointy ears of a bat and tiny trunks for hands! I don't know why the Mexican film crew opted for this peculiar monster-design, but it sure is original and a very welcome change from all the usual vampires, witches, werewolves and masked serial killers. The movie atmospherically opens in the year 1661, with the extended and relentless trial against Baron Vitelius d'Estera, who's condemned for sorcery, necromancy and a whole shopping list of other vile crimes against humanity. As a comet passes on the night of his execution, the Baron swears he'll reincarnate within 300 years and extract his bloody vengeance against the descendants of the Inquisitors who burned him alive at the stake. Punctually three centuries later, a comet falls onto earth and the Baron lives again. Introducing himself as a charming and eloquent man, he seeks contact with the kin of his executioners and ingeniously sucks the brains out of their skull whilst they're hypnotized. "Brainiac" doesn't play in the same quality league as some other contemporary Mexican horror films (like "Curse of the Crying Woman" and "The Black Pit of Dr. M"), but it's a tremendously entertaining and competently made black & white chiller. The film is fast-paced and obviously borrowing a lot of style-elements from fellow Gothic classics. The film is also stuffed with ludicrous twists and tacky special effects, yet for some reason the tone remains serious. Even when the screenplay reverts to dreadful clichés and stereotypes, the actors speak their lines straight faced and without blinking. The idea of vengeance against descendants isn't exactly groundbreaking either, but at least the film never gets dull or repetitive! Probably thanks to the incredibly cool-looking Baron, whose appearance is indescribably far-out! "Brainiac" is one bizarre horror film - albeit not THE most bizarre ever, like the tagline proudly announces and the hardcore cult fanatics among us definitely should purchase it.
Worth the price, if you get it cheap
yonhope29 December 2004
Hi, Everyone, Brainiac is a wonderful title for a movie. A maniac who is brainy. Some of the sets are good, especially the indoor ballrooms where we see the ceilings. The hairstyles for the 60s are nice. Wardrobe is fine.
The rest of the movie sucks. The monster sucks brains through little holes in the victim's necks. If that is how he does it, why are the brains still full size when he nibbles on them? I do recommend this movie for anyone who likes really good, well made bad movies. To be a good bad movie, the producer and director have to try hard to make a good movie. The acting here is actually OK. The detectives are funny. I'm not sure if they want to be. The sweethearts are attractive in a sexless sort of way. The cars are so funny they don't show the whole vehicle.
The special effects could easily be done better by an eighth grade student with a twenty dollar budget. The comet looks like a paper airplane. The monster looks like a furry pinata. But the monster does dress smartly. Nice tie and sharp suit.
The story flows like grease through a burrito. It is easy to follow. The butler didn't do it, but he is still guilty of something. There should have been a sequel with the butler and the detectives.
One kind of weird thing I kept noticing in the movie was what appeared to be falling bits of something, like asbestos. Next time you watch, notice little flakes falling in certain scenes.
Not to be missed, unless you are able.
Tom Willett
The rest of the movie sucks. The monster sucks brains through little holes in the victim's necks. If that is how he does it, why are the brains still full size when he nibbles on them? I do recommend this movie for anyone who likes really good, well made bad movies. To be a good bad movie, the producer and director have to try hard to make a good movie. The acting here is actually OK. The detectives are funny. I'm not sure if they want to be. The sweethearts are attractive in a sexless sort of way. The cars are so funny they don't show the whole vehicle.
The special effects could easily be done better by an eighth grade student with a twenty dollar budget. The comet looks like a paper airplane. The monster looks like a furry pinata. But the monster does dress smartly. Nice tie and sharp suit.
The story flows like grease through a burrito. It is easy to follow. The butler didn't do it, but he is still guilty of something. There should have been a sequel with the butler and the detectives.
One kind of weird thing I kept noticing in the movie was what appeared to be falling bits of something, like asbestos. Next time you watch, notice little flakes falling in certain scenes.
Not to be missed, unless you are able.
Tom Willett
One of two K. Gordon movies you have to have...
newportbosco17 September 2006
You LITERALLY cannot buy a bad copy of this one. A short version that used to be on VHS was the one you saw on t.v. as a kid...the longer DVD version, (and they ALL seem to clock in at 77 min) has some scenes that might have REALLY upset viewers on the tube in the 60's..woman seeing her husband already hanging from the shower upside down, dead, for instance..the new CASA release has all the extras you've always prayed for. But this is a MUST have..crazy dubbed script; someone inflating the head of The Brainiac with an air pump to TRY to make the rubber mask look spooky; burning people to death with flame throwers; Tikki/shag culture decor and leading actors, The Baron eating brains out of a dish he keeps at the side of the living room..and the sucking out of the brains themselves..Simply put: It's the best Mexican monster movie K. Gordon Murray imported. Get it. There is nothing like it.
Horror of Horrors :South of the border down Mexico way
sol121823 February 2004
******SPOILERS****** Horror movie released in 1962 from Mexico about a Baron Vitellus who was burned at the stake in 1661 for every crime on the book with the possible exception of speeding and running a red light since automobiles weren't around back then.
At the site of his execution the Baron seeing a comet in the evening sky curses those who condemned him to death. The Baron last words is that when the comet comes back some 300 years hence he'll be back to take out his revenge on his executioners descendants.
Now in Mexico City 300 years later in 1961 Baron Vitellus is back and he's back with a vengeance. Hilarious horror movie with the crazed Baron Vitellus on the loose in Mexico City and the surrounding countryside. The Baron goes out offing the offspring of those who offed him 300 years ago. The cheap and ridicules horror special effects in the film had the Baron when he was in action looking like he was waring a bad Halloween mask that was a cross between Groucho Marks and one of the dogs in the movie "The Killer Shrews".
The Baron does in his victims by sucking out the brains of his victims with what looks like a two foot fork tongue and keeping the brains in a golden punch bowel that he has locked up in his study where we occasionally see him eating them!
It seems odd that the descendants of those who had Baron Vitellus executed were all living in a area that was something like ten square miles, this three hundred later? Did they ever think of moving all those years? The Baron knowing everyone of his victims names and addresses had no trouble at all tracking them all down and, not knowing how else to better describe it, tongue them to dead.
There are some scenes in "The Brainiac" that are really weird even for a low-budget and badly written horror flick like it is. Whenever Baron Vitellus gets ready to turn into the Brainiac and do his victims in his face lights up, like in the comic books when someone gets a bright idea and you see a light bulb blink and light up over his head.
There's also two scenes in the movie when the Baron, changing into the Brainiac, goes after his victims they suddenly freeze in their tracks and their eyes seem to pop out of their heads looking like they were a pair of ping-pong balls. Baron Vitellus also has a way with the ladies in the movie, he seems to be the strong and silent type. In a scene at a bar a very attractive woman goes up to him and starts a conversation buys him a drink and is almost about to invite him to her home and undress and go to bed with him. All the Baron does is just sit there without saying a word to her and then for what seems to be no reason at all, she wasn't one of the descendants of those who did the Baron in as I could see, turns into the Brainiac and does what he did to all his victims in the movie, sucks her brains out.
The Baron Vitellus/Brainiac is finally done in by the two detectives that were on the case with a pair of flame-throwers that left him looking like a mound of bones and ashes. The detectives were also the comic relief in the movie with one looking like a diminutive former Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota and the other looking and acting like Phil Silvers with a full head of hair.
At the site of his execution the Baron seeing a comet in the evening sky curses those who condemned him to death. The Baron last words is that when the comet comes back some 300 years hence he'll be back to take out his revenge on his executioners descendants.
Now in Mexico City 300 years later in 1961 Baron Vitellus is back and he's back with a vengeance. Hilarious horror movie with the crazed Baron Vitellus on the loose in Mexico City and the surrounding countryside. The Baron goes out offing the offspring of those who offed him 300 years ago. The cheap and ridicules horror special effects in the film had the Baron when he was in action looking like he was waring a bad Halloween mask that was a cross between Groucho Marks and one of the dogs in the movie "The Killer Shrews".
The Baron does in his victims by sucking out the brains of his victims with what looks like a two foot fork tongue and keeping the brains in a golden punch bowel that he has locked up in his study where we occasionally see him eating them!
It seems odd that the descendants of those who had Baron Vitellus executed were all living in a area that was something like ten square miles, this three hundred later? Did they ever think of moving all those years? The Baron knowing everyone of his victims names and addresses had no trouble at all tracking them all down and, not knowing how else to better describe it, tongue them to dead.
There are some scenes in "The Brainiac" that are really weird even for a low-budget and badly written horror flick like it is. Whenever Baron Vitellus gets ready to turn into the Brainiac and do his victims in his face lights up, like in the comic books when someone gets a bright idea and you see a light bulb blink and light up over his head.
There's also two scenes in the movie when the Baron, changing into the Brainiac, goes after his victims they suddenly freeze in their tracks and their eyes seem to pop out of their heads looking like they were a pair of ping-pong balls. Baron Vitellus also has a way with the ladies in the movie, he seems to be the strong and silent type. In a scene at a bar a very attractive woman goes up to him and starts a conversation buys him a drink and is almost about to invite him to her home and undress and go to bed with him. All the Baron does is just sit there without saying a word to her and then for what seems to be no reason at all, she wasn't one of the descendants of those who did the Baron in as I could see, turns into the Brainiac and does what he did to all his victims in the movie, sucks her brains out.
The Baron Vitellus/Brainiac is finally done in by the two detectives that were on the case with a pair of flame-throwers that left him looking like a mound of bones and ashes. The detectives were also the comic relief in the movie with one looking like a diminutive former Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota and the other looking and acting like Phil Silvers with a full head of hair.
Whacked out horror
phdyr519 August 2006
Silly but not without some unsettling moments. In its time and for its target audience, it was probably terrifying. Best viewed by nostalgists.
Most amusing for me was the resemblance of the "human" Baron to Sheldon Leonard, and it you know who that is, you were a kid when this movie came out and probably would have been cowering under your seat during the transformation scenes.
The atmosphere is aided considerably by the black and white photography, and achieves a consistent surreality that meshes well with the truly bizarre screenplay. Forrest J. Ackerman on acid might have penned something similar.
All in all, entertaining, and despite its shortcomings, capable of inciting some mild shudders. And where can I get one of those neat brain cases?
Most amusing for me was the resemblance of the "human" Baron to Sheldon Leonard, and it you know who that is, you were a kid when this movie came out and probably would have been cowering under your seat during the transformation scenes.
The atmosphere is aided considerably by the black and white photography, and achieves a consistent surreality that meshes well with the truly bizarre screenplay. Forrest J. Ackerman on acid might have penned something similar.
All in all, entertaining, and despite its shortcomings, capable of inciting some mild shudders. And where can I get one of those neat brain cases?
Compellingly weird
gortx23 August 2001
A lot of films have taken on the "cult film" mantle in the past couple of decades. Many of them (i.e. BATTLEFIELD EARTH) are not the joyous exercise in pure "so bad it's good" glee that its followers claim. But, let us stake a claim that THE BRAINIAC deserves a place in that hall of fame.
Torture, the Inquisition, Comets, Astronomers, Barons, falling meteorites, serial stalking, a head-pulsing 300 year-old demon, and brains! Yup, that's a brief overview of the topics covered in the deliriously entertaining THE BRAINIAC! I had a chance to actually witness the indescribable movie on the big screen yesterday, and the audicence went wild. And hey, we get to see an evil serial killer munching on a plate of fresh brains 4 DECADES before Anthony Hopkins had his hors d'oevres in HANNIBAL!
Torture, the Inquisition, Comets, Astronomers, Barons, falling meteorites, serial stalking, a head-pulsing 300 year-old demon, and brains! Yup, that's a brief overview of the topics covered in the deliriously entertaining THE BRAINIAC! I had a chance to actually witness the indescribable movie on the big screen yesterday, and the audicence went wild. And hey, we get to see an evil serial killer munching on a plate of fresh brains 4 DECADES before Anthony Hopkins had his hors d'oevres in HANNIBAL!
Nobody likes the Spanish Inquisition
bkoganbing30 July 2017
The Brainiac opens in Mexico City 1661 where because it is ruled by Spain they've brought in the Inquisition. A certain nobleman played by Abel Salazar has been tried and found guilty of all kinds of nasty things the Inquisition frowns on. As he's burned at the stake Salazar says he's coming back to settle accounts like anyone named Corleone would.
300 years later as a new comet which apparently is only seen by a select few goes across the sky Salazar reappears as a wealthy baron. But when he gets the descendants of his accusers alone, he turns into one ugly beast with a hypnotic stare that freezes them. Then out come the teeth, a pair of sabre-tooth tiger like fangs where he drills into their skulls and sucks out the gray matter.
This doesn't exactly have the production values of a Yankee film, but for the genre it's not too bad.
I guarantee nightmares for days.
300 years later as a new comet which apparently is only seen by a select few goes across the sky Salazar reappears as a wealthy baron. But when he gets the descendants of his accusers alone, he turns into one ugly beast with a hypnotic stare that freezes them. Then out come the teeth, a pair of sabre-tooth tiger like fangs where he drills into their skulls and sucks out the gray matter.
This doesn't exactly have the production values of a Yankee film, but for the genre it's not too bad.
I guarantee nightmares for days.
Such a polite monster, except when he just stares at you awkwardly...
Aaron137525 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, this film is called Brainiac for its English release and no, the villain her is not a super intelligent computer or sentient being. He is a strange looking and probably hastily put together monster that eats brains! Well, he apparently sucks brains out through his elongated tongue then someone spits it out into an oversized goblet thus, reassembling the brains and eats them later, usually out in the open of his castle, instead of in his private chambers. This monster comes to us from Mexico so from the Mexican title I am going to say it translates into The Baron of Terror rather than Brainiac.
The story has a man accused of witchery and stuff of that nature. He is not really getting the fairest of trials, but apparently he has not exactly been denying what they are accusing him of. A man testifies on his behalf only to receive 200 lashes from a whip for doing so. Wow, tough justice system. Well he is burned, but not before stating that he will come back and kill each one of their ancestors. 300 years later he is back and lucky him, he finds all the people he needs to kill all residing in the same city and each person apparently only has one heir. Guess that makes this easy for Brainiac. He throws a party then proceeds to kill them all, he could have just killed them all as this would have made the police not immediately know who it was, but the Baron is a gentleman!
The story does not work, not in the least and I am surprised the film has such a high score here. The main problem is why does the Baron even want revenge? He did not really need it as he displayed his powers, looks to me as if he could have escaped at any time, but just decided to let the people burn him at the stake. Also, was he a strange brain eating monster before his ascension into the heavens, or was that strictly something that came about due to his resurrection? There is also a woman that he wants revenge, but before he attempts to kill her he professes his love for her which seemingly came out of nowhere.
So the film did not work, too many lingering questions and to many scenes that amounted to the Baron looking upon people in very awkward silence while a male victim would be looking all crazy with their eyes bulging. I do not understand the goblet of brains, because he was sucking people's brains out, the coroner said so and yet he has a giant goblet full of fully formed brains. Not sure why they titled this Brainiac in the U.S. as that does usually denote intelligence and the Baron displayed little of this during his quest for revenge.
The story has a man accused of witchery and stuff of that nature. He is not really getting the fairest of trials, but apparently he has not exactly been denying what they are accusing him of. A man testifies on his behalf only to receive 200 lashes from a whip for doing so. Wow, tough justice system. Well he is burned, but not before stating that he will come back and kill each one of their ancestors. 300 years later he is back and lucky him, he finds all the people he needs to kill all residing in the same city and each person apparently only has one heir. Guess that makes this easy for Brainiac. He throws a party then proceeds to kill them all, he could have just killed them all as this would have made the police not immediately know who it was, but the Baron is a gentleman!
The story does not work, not in the least and I am surprised the film has such a high score here. The main problem is why does the Baron even want revenge? He did not really need it as he displayed his powers, looks to me as if he could have escaped at any time, but just decided to let the people burn him at the stake. Also, was he a strange brain eating monster before his ascension into the heavens, or was that strictly something that came about due to his resurrection? There is also a woman that he wants revenge, but before he attempts to kill her he professes his love for her which seemingly came out of nowhere.
So the film did not work, too many lingering questions and to many scenes that amounted to the Baron looking upon people in very awkward silence while a male victim would be looking all crazy with their eyes bulging. I do not understand the goblet of brains, because he was sucking people's brains out, the coroner said so and yet he has a giant goblet full of fully formed brains. Not sure why they titled this Brainiac in the U.S. as that does usually denote intelligence and the Baron displayed little of this during his quest for revenge.
Decent but only slightly demonic
Polaris_DiB12 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The movie begins and a voice-over narration explains the role of the Inquisition in the creation of the monster we're about to see--but wait a minute, it's not actually a voice-over! The dialog is coming from a hooded figure! And it keeps going... and going... and going... my God, when will it stop?
Then, the real fun starts. Seems ol' creepy sets a curse on his killers to destroy all their progenitors 300 years in the future (i.e., 1961, or present day at time of film-making). That is fine, and the gruesome throbbing mask is some awesome effects, but of course this also means a rather ludicrous amount of hypnotizing and brain-sucking which would honestly have made a pretty good movie, except that it's completely contradictory. The hypnotizing (and can I make a quick aside and point out that it seems like a lot of b horror from the 30s to the 70s seems obsessed with hypnotizing?) seems only to affect men into permanent paralysis; women, on the other hand, seem much more interested in running into the closest available entrapped corner possible (which is funny when said entrapped corner is actually just a light-pole); and the monster apparently sucks out the brains only to... store them... and eat them a tiny dosage at a time...? Yep, a real brain glutton, this monster is.
But it's all fun and games, and there's some pretty nice effects. I could do without the monster's claws looking so phallic. I could also do with less attempts at trying to make the monster, when in human form, seem attractive to people (because he isn't). Otherwise, the movie serves its purpose as a popcorn thriller with a rubber monster mask nicely.
--PolarisDiB
Then, the real fun starts. Seems ol' creepy sets a curse on his killers to destroy all their progenitors 300 years in the future (i.e., 1961, or present day at time of film-making). That is fine, and the gruesome throbbing mask is some awesome effects, but of course this also means a rather ludicrous amount of hypnotizing and brain-sucking which would honestly have made a pretty good movie, except that it's completely contradictory. The hypnotizing (and can I make a quick aside and point out that it seems like a lot of b horror from the 30s to the 70s seems obsessed with hypnotizing?) seems only to affect men into permanent paralysis; women, on the other hand, seem much more interested in running into the closest available entrapped corner possible (which is funny when said entrapped corner is actually just a light-pole); and the monster apparently sucks out the brains only to... store them... and eat them a tiny dosage at a time...? Yep, a real brain glutton, this monster is.
But it's all fun and games, and there's some pretty nice effects. I could do without the monster's claws looking so phallic. I could also do with less attempts at trying to make the monster, when in human form, seem attractive to people (because he isn't). Otherwise, the movie serves its purpose as a popcorn thriller with a rubber monster mask nicely.
--PolarisDiB
Vitelius' Delicatessen
EdgarST10 September 2017
Following «Santo vs. the Vampire Women», another cult oddity came to Mexican cinemas in November 1962, surpassing the tale of wrestlers and female vampires in weirdness and kitsch value. Director Chano Urueta had previously released the classic «El espejo de la bruja» and then came «El barón del terror», probably the title for which he is most remembered among the horror genre fans for its bizarre concept. The story has a similar beginning as Mario Bava's «La maschera del demonio», in which Baron Vitelius d'Estera is sentenced to be burned alive by the Inquisition, accused of being a warlock and seducer. He curses his judges and 300 years later he returns to take revenge, as a hideous monster who eats people's brains. He kills the inquisitors' descendants, has enough cerebrum delicatessen at home to eat, but for no discernible reason Baron Vitelius also viciously kills innocent persons, among them pretty Ariadne Welter. Produced with a very low budget by Abel Salazar, who also took the title role, the money must have been spent in the top cast. The curious thing about «El barón del terror» is that everybody agrees that it is a trashy movie but none can deny the strange fascination it exerts.
A Cult Gem From Mexico.
meddlecore1 November 2021
In The Braniac, we watch as a man is accused of witchcraft, and condemned to burn at the stake.
On his deathbed, he curses the magistrates of the inquisition.
Promising that he will return in 300 years, to wipe out the future members of their bloodline.
Which is a timeline that also coincides with the passing of a mysterious comet.
Flash forward from 1661 to 1961...
When the comet is spotted again, for the first time in Mexico, since that fated day.
Only...it's not seen by anyone else in the world.
For it seems to be the spirit of this murdered man, returning to enact his curse upon the ancestors of those who unjustly condemned him.
Now he's back at the scene of the crime, to systematically hunt them down.
Which he does by turning into a demon...and sucking their brains out.
The police are trying to hunt down the killer responsible for committing these twisted these crimes.
But they can't quite seem to pin him down.
It's not until the hatred in this demonic beast's heart is confronted- when he falls in love with the magistrates' last living relative- that he shows any weakness.
And it's his hesitation to act that is his demise.
When all is said and done, this Mexican tale of supernatural revenge, in the inquisition era, is quite entertaining, with a modern twist.
Though the effects are rather primitive, the monster itself is cheesily alluring.
And- while ending does feel a bit rushed- how they get there makes it all worthwhile.
It's the cinematography that really shines here, to be honest.
It's what gives the whole thing that cult vibe, that sucks you right into the world of the film...and keeps you immersed in the story, from start to finish.
Not a bad little picture, all around.
5.5 out of 10.
On his deathbed, he curses the magistrates of the inquisition.
Promising that he will return in 300 years, to wipe out the future members of their bloodline.
Which is a timeline that also coincides with the passing of a mysterious comet.
Flash forward from 1661 to 1961...
When the comet is spotted again, for the first time in Mexico, since that fated day.
Only...it's not seen by anyone else in the world.
For it seems to be the spirit of this murdered man, returning to enact his curse upon the ancestors of those who unjustly condemned him.
Now he's back at the scene of the crime, to systematically hunt them down.
Which he does by turning into a demon...and sucking their brains out.
The police are trying to hunt down the killer responsible for committing these twisted these crimes.
But they can't quite seem to pin him down.
It's not until the hatred in this demonic beast's heart is confronted- when he falls in love with the magistrates' last living relative- that he shows any weakness.
And it's his hesitation to act that is his demise.
When all is said and done, this Mexican tale of supernatural revenge, in the inquisition era, is quite entertaining, with a modern twist.
Though the effects are rather primitive, the monster itself is cheesily alluring.
And- while ending does feel a bit rushed- how they get there makes it all worthwhile.
It's the cinematography that really shines here, to be honest.
It's what gives the whole thing that cult vibe, that sucks you right into the world of the film...and keeps you immersed in the story, from start to finish.
Not a bad little picture, all around.
5.5 out of 10.
Purely great
BandSAboutMovies24 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Known as Brainiac in the U.S., this was directed by Chano Urueta, who helped Blue Demon get on the silver screen and was written by Federico Curiel, who would make The Champions of Justice, several Santo movies and Neutron.
All the way back in 1661, Baron Vitelius was burned at the stake during the Inquisition and claimed that the next time a certain comet passed by the Earth, all of the children of those that did him wrong would pay. I mean, you would think a bunch of religious folks would treat a necromantic sorcerer better, but such is life in ancient Mexico.
Three hundred years later, Baron Vitelius rides back in on that comet and is now able to change at will into a monster able to suck out the brains of his victims via a gigante forked tongue, which is incredibly easy to do thanks to his ability to hypnotize his victims.
How bonkers is this movie? No less than Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart paid tribute to it in their song "Debra Kadabra," saying "Turn it to Channel 13 / And make me watch the rubber tongue / When it comes out! From the puffed and flabulent Mexican rubber-goods mask / Next time they show the Binaca / Make me buy The Flosser / Make me grow Brainiac Fingers / But with more hair!"
In America, we'd be satisfied with an evil alien. In Mexico, they added the fact that he was a wizard who brought people back from the dead before he was burned alive and took a ride on a heavenly body for three hundred years. Viva la peliculas de terror!
All the way back in 1661, Baron Vitelius was burned at the stake during the Inquisition and claimed that the next time a certain comet passed by the Earth, all of the children of those that did him wrong would pay. I mean, you would think a bunch of religious folks would treat a necromantic sorcerer better, but such is life in ancient Mexico.
Three hundred years later, Baron Vitelius rides back in on that comet and is now able to change at will into a monster able to suck out the brains of his victims via a gigante forked tongue, which is incredibly easy to do thanks to his ability to hypnotize his victims.
How bonkers is this movie? No less than Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart paid tribute to it in their song "Debra Kadabra," saying "Turn it to Channel 13 / And make me watch the rubber tongue / When it comes out! From the puffed and flabulent Mexican rubber-goods mask / Next time they show the Binaca / Make me buy The Flosser / Make me grow Brainiac Fingers / But with more hair!"
In America, we'd be satisfied with an evil alien. In Mexico, they added the fact that he was a wizard who brought people back from the dead before he was burned alive and took a ride on a heavenly body for three hundred years. Viva la peliculas de terror!
"A maniac with a lot of knowledge is a threat."
classicsoncall27 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I always knew Brainiac to be a Superman villain, making his first appearance in Action Comics back in 1958. This movie's Brainiac came out four years later; I wonder if there were any repercussions over copyright infractions.
Oh well, this is about as cheesy as you can get as far as Sixties sci-fi/horror goes. Burned at the stake for heresy, witchcraft and necromancy among other things in 1661, the Baron Vitelius d'Estera (Abel Salazar) vows to return in three hundred years to seek his revenge on the descendants of the Grand Inquisitors who sentenced him to death. He arrives on a comet and is dropped to Earth in a meteor, immediately seeking out the offspring of those who did him wrong. Fortunately, all of the intended victims happen to live and work in pretty much the same general locale, a long shot after three centuries but that's what the writers went with.
Be prepared for the Baron's first transformation into the avenging creature, he's got a Wolfman-like face with a foot long forked tongue and furry lobster claws for hands. His victims all appear to have vampire inspired holes on the back of their necks that investigators compare to being made by a drill. Somehow, the avenging Baron extracted the entire brain from his victims through these small incisions, occasionally sampling them like a salad for some purpose unexplained in the story line, other than to state that they were his 'medicine'. You have to wonder how the autopsy experts missed that little detail.
Like a lot of these Sixties flicks, the finale is almost anti-climactic, as the chief police investigator (David Silva) and his sidekick Benny (Federico Curiel) inexplicably arrive with flame throwers to confront the Baron's monster form and reduce him to burnt skeletal remains. Fortunately, an hour and fifteen minutes or so isn't too much to endure for this excursion into monster revenge, and if you go for this stuff like I do, you'll put up with just about anything.
Oh well, this is about as cheesy as you can get as far as Sixties sci-fi/horror goes. Burned at the stake for heresy, witchcraft and necromancy among other things in 1661, the Baron Vitelius d'Estera (Abel Salazar) vows to return in three hundred years to seek his revenge on the descendants of the Grand Inquisitors who sentenced him to death. He arrives on a comet and is dropped to Earth in a meteor, immediately seeking out the offspring of those who did him wrong. Fortunately, all of the intended victims happen to live and work in pretty much the same general locale, a long shot after three centuries but that's what the writers went with.
Be prepared for the Baron's first transformation into the avenging creature, he's got a Wolfman-like face with a foot long forked tongue and furry lobster claws for hands. His victims all appear to have vampire inspired holes on the back of their necks that investigators compare to being made by a drill. Somehow, the avenging Baron extracted the entire brain from his victims through these small incisions, occasionally sampling them like a salad for some purpose unexplained in the story line, other than to state that they were his 'medicine'. You have to wonder how the autopsy experts missed that little detail.
Like a lot of these Sixties flicks, the finale is almost anti-climactic, as the chief police investigator (David Silva) and his sidekick Benny (Federico Curiel) inexplicably arrive with flame throwers to confront the Baron's monster form and reduce him to burnt skeletal remains. Fortunately, an hour and fifteen minutes or so isn't too much to endure for this excursion into monster revenge, and if you go for this stuff like I do, you'll put up with just about anything.
Possibly The Best Film Ever Made?
Steevh28 April 1999
TV comedy has made a lot of mileage out of the movies of 50s and 60s over the last few years. I've lost count of the number of supposedly generic 'B Movie' sketches I've seen on one comedy show or another- usually accompanied by the studio audience laughing so hard that you'd expect a 'Scanners'/'Meaning of Life style' bodily explosion any second.
I wonder what those TV hacks and their zombie audiences would do if confronted with this, a movie that is so magically, unashamedly bad that it covers you in puppy-dog kisses and dares you not to love it.
Quick Synopsis: A couple of hundred years ago an evil baron bloke was executed for being... well, evil. In contemporary Mexicamerica a meteor is lowered gracefully from the studio ceiling and in a puff of smoke turns into the reincarnated Baron: a brain-eating monster from space, who kills people by kissing them with his long forked tongue. In his disguise as the camply menacing Baron Del Terror he then throws dinner parties for his enemies' descendants, occasionally sneaking away to munch on a piece of cerebellum secreted in his cupboard. Involved in all this are a brave hero, his girlfriend, and a mad scientist. Oh, and some comedy cops for light relief- as if this needed any. I won't tell you how it ends, but I guarantee your jaw will be agape. Promise.
Nearly every scene is jam packed with absurdities- from the picture of Neptune on the wall of an office (to denote that astronomers work there) to the hilariously stilted dialogue- translated by someone to whom the English Language is, well, just something that other people speak. I kid you not, if any modern comedian could jam this many fantastic, mad, and stunningly dumb elements into a parody, he'd be a genius. Best of all is the fact that it's all played straight.
Run, do not walk, to your local cinema and demand a late night showing of 'Brainiac'. Invite all your friends, and then slip into delirium.
And then take all your copies of 'Saturday Night Live', and 'Amazon Women On The Moon', and burn them. They serve no purpose: This is the true face of the 'B', and it is far better than you'd ever imagine.
I wonder what those TV hacks and their zombie audiences would do if confronted with this, a movie that is so magically, unashamedly bad that it covers you in puppy-dog kisses and dares you not to love it.
Quick Synopsis: A couple of hundred years ago an evil baron bloke was executed for being... well, evil. In contemporary Mexicamerica a meteor is lowered gracefully from the studio ceiling and in a puff of smoke turns into the reincarnated Baron: a brain-eating monster from space, who kills people by kissing them with his long forked tongue. In his disguise as the camply menacing Baron Del Terror he then throws dinner parties for his enemies' descendants, occasionally sneaking away to munch on a piece of cerebellum secreted in his cupboard. Involved in all this are a brave hero, his girlfriend, and a mad scientist. Oh, and some comedy cops for light relief- as if this needed any. I won't tell you how it ends, but I guarantee your jaw will be agape. Promise.
Nearly every scene is jam packed with absurdities- from the picture of Neptune on the wall of an office (to denote that astronomers work there) to the hilariously stilted dialogue- translated by someone to whom the English Language is, well, just something that other people speak. I kid you not, if any modern comedian could jam this many fantastic, mad, and stunningly dumb elements into a parody, he'd be a genius. Best of all is the fact that it's all played straight.
Run, do not walk, to your local cinema and demand a late night showing of 'Brainiac'. Invite all your friends, and then slip into delirium.
And then take all your copies of 'Saturday Night Live', and 'Amazon Women On The Moon', and burn them. They serve no purpose: This is the true face of the 'B', and it is far better than you'd ever imagine.
Suck Our Brains, Bizarre Baron!
Witchfinder-General-6669 May 2009
"El Barón del terror" aka. "The Brainiac" is a bizarre and moody and wonderfully cheesy Mexican Horror film that no true cult cinema lover should miss. While Chano Urueta's 1962 film is not en par with the true highlights of contemporary Mexican Horror, such as "Misterios De Ultratumba" ("The Black Pit of Dr M", 1959) or "La Maldición De La Llorona" ("The Curse of The Crying Woman", 1963), it is certainly a highly entertaining, and, at times, quite original little film that is unique in several aspects.
In 1661, Baron Vitelius D'Estera (Abel Salazar) is condemned to burn at the stake for witchcraft, necromancy and other crimes. Before being burned, the baron, who was not intimidated by the Inquisition's instruments of torture, sees a comet passing, and vows to come back take revenge on the descendants of his judges. 300 years later, the same comet passes Earth again... Even though the film obviously took a lot of inspiration from one of the greatest Horror films ever made, Mario Bava's masterpiece "La Maschera Del Demonio" ("Black Sunday", 1960), it does deliver many genuinely unique moments. The 17th century opening scenes are very well-done in a great Gothic atmosphere. Afterwards, it gets a lot cheesier, but in a wonderful manner. The film's strongest point is its uniquely bizarre villain, who is definitely unlike any other horror creature, at least as far as looks go. As opposed to the common blood-sucking we're used to, the film also introduces an utterly new kind of 'vampirism'... I don't want to give away too much, but I really think that most of my fellow Horror/cult-cinema fans should like this. The film is sometimes plain hilarious, and will make the viewer laugh out loud at some points, and then again it also has a nice, uncanny atmosphere. "The Brainiac" is a bizarre piece of Gothic Horror with Mad Sci-Fi elements that greatly entertains and furthermore has one thing that is always appreciated - originality. Highly recommended to cult-cinema enthusiasts.
In 1661, Baron Vitelius D'Estera (Abel Salazar) is condemned to burn at the stake for witchcraft, necromancy and other crimes. Before being burned, the baron, who was not intimidated by the Inquisition's instruments of torture, sees a comet passing, and vows to come back take revenge on the descendants of his judges. 300 years later, the same comet passes Earth again... Even though the film obviously took a lot of inspiration from one of the greatest Horror films ever made, Mario Bava's masterpiece "La Maschera Del Demonio" ("Black Sunday", 1960), it does deliver many genuinely unique moments. The 17th century opening scenes are very well-done in a great Gothic atmosphere. Afterwards, it gets a lot cheesier, but in a wonderful manner. The film's strongest point is its uniquely bizarre villain, who is definitely unlike any other horror creature, at least as far as looks go. As opposed to the common blood-sucking we're used to, the film also introduces an utterly new kind of 'vampirism'... I don't want to give away too much, but I really think that most of my fellow Horror/cult-cinema fans should like this. The film is sometimes plain hilarious, and will make the viewer laugh out loud at some points, and then again it also has a nice, uncanny atmosphere. "The Brainiac" is a bizarre piece of Gothic Horror with Mad Sci-Fi elements that greatly entertains and furthermore has one thing that is always appreciated - originality. Highly recommended to cult-cinema enthusiasts.
Some value and good ideas are outweighed by shortcomings
I_Ailurophile24 September 2023
It's not a good start. The nice art direction in the opening scene loses its allure in the face of an astounding, wholly unnecessary amount of dialogue, a verbosity that quickly elicits laughter. Yes, that opening scene sets up the remainder of the plot, yet even setting aside all the dialogue, it further suffers from weak pacing that kills what mood it could have had; ten minutes feel absurdly long. Sadly, neither the script nor the pacing really improve. It's possible that I'm being too harsh, and that these facets aren't truly any worse here than they are in other contemporary fare; on the other hand, perhaps one feeds into the other here. Meanwhile, this was released into the world just barely out of the 50s, which weren't exactly known as a golden age for genre flicks, and one should perhaps grant some allowances for a low budget and modest presentation. Why, look at Roger Corman - he made a lot of titles much like this, and some of them were surprisingly good! Be that as it may, the effects and costume design are, shall we say, highly variable in their quality, and the sound design and use of audio are wildly inconsistent; the phrase "dead air" comes to mind, even though it commonly applies to broadcast radio. So much here leaves a lot to be desired.
'The brainiac,' originally released under the name 'El baron del terror,' isn't particularly great. There are some splendid ideas underlying the story, and the horror facet is distinctly more vibrant here than in many, many other features of the same timeframe. A lot of the craftsmanship contributed from behind the scenes is perfectly solid. These qualities, however, can't compete against weak scene writing, poor dialogue, flagging direction, woefully imbalanced audio, and performances that range from unremarkable to overdone. Quite plainly, it's hard to have fun here, not least as no few scenes seem to be drawn out just to pad the length. Moreover, for as straightforward as the premise is, and easily understood - the antagonist has a clear, defined intent - the violence in the first half is just pointlessly random and wanton. (Unless we are to suppose that all of "present-day" Mexico is descended from the baron's enemies?) Frankly, the writing is just outright thin: in granting Vitelius apparent status in the present-day, seemingly from out of nowhere; in spending a scene in the latter half rehashing what transpired in the opening scene; in the basic (failed) effort to construct a cohesive, compelling narrative.
Yes, there are some splendid ideas underlying the story. There is more value here than can be said for no few pictures of the 40s, 50s, and early 60s. That isn't necessarily saying very much, however, and to be honest the shortcomings in this instance are more numerable and more noticeable than its strengths. For all that there is to appreciate in 'The brainiac,' there is at least as much and surely more to criticize; the enjoyment to be had is minimal, and marked with an asterisk. Watch if you want, I won't stop you, and may others get more out of it than I have. With so many other movies to watch, however, there's no real reason to spend time here, and I rather regret doing so. I see what it could have been, had more care been taken, but "could have been" does not make for a satisfying viewing experience.
'The brainiac,' originally released under the name 'El baron del terror,' isn't particularly great. There are some splendid ideas underlying the story, and the horror facet is distinctly more vibrant here than in many, many other features of the same timeframe. A lot of the craftsmanship contributed from behind the scenes is perfectly solid. These qualities, however, can't compete against weak scene writing, poor dialogue, flagging direction, woefully imbalanced audio, and performances that range from unremarkable to overdone. Quite plainly, it's hard to have fun here, not least as no few scenes seem to be drawn out just to pad the length. Moreover, for as straightforward as the premise is, and easily understood - the antagonist has a clear, defined intent - the violence in the first half is just pointlessly random and wanton. (Unless we are to suppose that all of "present-day" Mexico is descended from the baron's enemies?) Frankly, the writing is just outright thin: in granting Vitelius apparent status in the present-day, seemingly from out of nowhere; in spending a scene in the latter half rehashing what transpired in the opening scene; in the basic (failed) effort to construct a cohesive, compelling narrative.
Yes, there are some splendid ideas underlying the story. There is more value here than can be said for no few pictures of the 40s, 50s, and early 60s. That isn't necessarily saying very much, however, and to be honest the shortcomings in this instance are more numerable and more noticeable than its strengths. For all that there is to appreciate in 'The brainiac,' there is at least as much and surely more to criticize; the enjoyment to be had is minimal, and marked with an asterisk. Watch if you want, I won't stop you, and may others get more out of it than I have. With so many other movies to watch, however, there's no real reason to spend time here, and I rather regret doing so. I see what it could have been, had more care been taken, but "could have been" does not make for a satisfying viewing experience.
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