History Film / TheBrainThatWouldntDie

* CameBackWrong: Jan was apparently driven mad by her near-death experience and her condition; she begs for Cortner to let her die, and when he won't give it to her she plots the demise of him and Kurt.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Bill. Just watch his easy charm around Doris, knowing he's going to drug her, chop her head off and affix his girlfriend onto the body.
* ForScience: Bill's justification for everything is that if it advances medical science then it isn't immoral.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are hints that Cortner is a VillainProtagonist when his father mentions he should stop stealing corpses for experiments. One might initially get the impression he's just a misunderstood WellIntentionedExtremist MadScientist.

* AGodAmI: While not stated, Cortner's father tells him that he shouldn't be trying to play God.

* PsychicPowers: Jan takes "differently-abled" to a new level -- being just a head gives her ''psychic powers''.

* ScienceIsBad: Cortner's experiments for transplanting human limbs, organs etc. Long before JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, Cortner saves a man's life during emergency surgery using his "radical" techniques... and is promptly chewed out by another doctor (his own father, at that).

* TooDumbToLive: Sure, Cortner, walk up to the closet when you hear the odd knocking. The closet your assistant's blood trail starts at.

* VillainProtagonist: Cortner. It doesn't start out that way, as the only thing we know is that he's a grave robber (or at least steals parts from a morgue), and the viewer sympathizes with him trying to save his girlfriend -- until he starts looking for women to murder to transplant her head onto. And ''then'' he starts trolling for "the perfect body" for her.
* VoiceChangeling: A meta-example, and definitely ''not'' intentional, but Jan has a completely different voice during her and Cortner's fatal ride to the country house, because Virginia Leith hated the film so much she refused to go back for pick-up lines.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/t_Die_9189.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: Virginia Leith as Jan "[[FanNickname in the Pan]]" Compton and Jason "Herb" Evers as Dr. Bill Cortner.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: Virginia Leith as "[[FanNickname Jan in the Pan]]" Compton and Jason "Herb" Evers as Dr. Bill Cortner.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Virginia Leith as "[[FanNickname Jan in the Pan]]" and Jason "Herb" Evers as Dr. Cortner.]]

* TruthInTelevision: Kurt's death throes. While it ''is'' goofy at first glance, in reality many of the things he does during those few minutes (stumbling around, repeating movements and actions he did earlier, convulsing even while he's able to walk upright) have been known to be things people [[http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Peter-Porco-s-death-detailed-580264.php may actually do]] when they are in a deep state of hemorrhagic shock due to a catastrophic injury, especially if they don't die instantly.

Dr. Bill Cortner (Evers) is a rule-flouting maverick who has been experimenting with the transplanting of human limbs and organs, and even repairing and reconnecting of nervous system tissue -- much to the displeasure of his traditionalist surgeon father. But Cortner gets a chance to prove he's not been wasting his time when his fiancée Jan (Leith) is decapitated in a car accident. Cortner quickly uses '[[AppliedPhlebotinum neck-pan juice]]' to keep her head alive while he searches for an attractive body to reattach it to. Jan, however, has her own agenda...

* AndStarring: A weird example - there's a special credit, not for a person, but for a ''song''. One of the opening credits is for the recurring riff [[{{Sexophone}} "The Web"]].

* CatFight: The two strippers argue over who gets Cortner, at which point he walks out (he can't use either of their bodies, because either one would be a witness to the other's disappearance). When the first one complains about the second chasing him off, her retort leads to a wrestling match. Bonus points for the film actually showing a picture of two cats during the fight and for a 'meow' during the shot!

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Cortner drives like a maniac because "I've got to hurry." Which gets Jan killed, no less.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Doris mentions her girlfriend. Back in that day, it was common for "girlfriend" to be synonymous with "girl friend." Whether or not they're in an actual romantic relationship is never stated.

* MagicFromTechnology: Cortner's 'neck juice' somehow gives Jan PsychicPowers.

* PsychicPowers: Jan takes "differently-abled" to a new level - being just a head gives her ''psychic powers''.

* VoiceChangeling: A meta-example, and definitely ''not'' intentional, but Jan has a completely different voice during her and Cortner's fatal ride to the country house, most likely due to the director being unable to bring the original actress back to record additional dialogue.

Evil Doctor Bill Cortner is a rule-flouting maverick who has been experimenting with the transplanting of human limbs and organs, and even repairing and reconnecting of nervous system tissue -- much to the displeasure of his traditionalist surgeon father. But Cortner gets a chance to prove he's not been wasting his time when his fiancee Jan is decapitated in a car accident. Cortner quickly uses '[[AppliedPhlebotinum neck-pan juice]]' to keep her head alive while he searches for an attractive body to reattach it to. Jan, however, has her own agenda...

* NotSoDifferent: Jan uses this on the Monster so it will do her bidding. However, she's just as horrified as anyone else when she finally sees it.

* FanDisservice: Doris is possibly the least appealing model ever. Could be intentional, given her view on men (presumably including those photographing her).

* VillainProtagonist: Cortner.

** "Neck juice" may replace the need to breathe, but one still needs lungs to force air through the larynx to be able to speak.

* TheNeedless: Jan's neck juice seems to replace her need to breathe and consume sustenance, at the very least.

* BrainTransplant

* AndIMustScream[=/=]ICannotSelfTerminate: Jan begs Cortner to let her die. She finally gets her wish as the film ends.

* CameBackWrong: Jan.

* {{Gorn}}: The violence is very graphic for the era.

* TheIgor: Kurt.

* LaughingMad: Jan laughs insanely after the FadeToBlack.

* MixAndMatchMan: The... uh... ''thing'' in the closet.

* TitleConfusion[=/=]WorkingTitle: The film's closing title card presents the title as "The Head That Wouldn't Die", the original title. They changed the main title (and the poster) because sci-fi films with the word "brain" in the title were all the rage.

-->''[cut to Cortner and Jan driving]''[[note]]'''Crow:''' And the answer is, "Yes, she has the keys to her car."[[/note]]

* CatFight: The two strippers argue over who gets Cortner, at which point he walks out (he can't use either of their bodies, because either one would be a witness to the other's disappearance). When the first one complains about the second chasing him off, her retort leads to a wrestling match.
** Bonus points for the film actually showing a picture of two cats during the fight!
*** And there's a 'meow' during the shot.

* MixAndMatchMan: The...uh...''thing'' in the closet.