The Brain Eaters (1958)

Strange things are happening in Riverdale, Illinois. A huge, seemingly alien structure has been found jutting out of the earth. Sent to investigate the origin of the mysterious object, ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruno VeSota

Writer:

Gordon Urquhart (screenplay)

Stars:

Ed Nelson, Alan Jay Factor, Cornelius Keefe

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ed Nelson	...	Dr. Paul Kettering (as Edwin Nelson)
Alan Jay Factor	...	Glenn Cameron (as Alan Frost)
Cornelius Keefe	...	Senator Walter K. Powers (as Jack Hill)
Joanna Lee	...	Alice Summers
Jody Fair	...	Elaine Cameron
David Hughes	...	Dr. Wyler
Robert Ball	...	Dan Walker
Greigh Phillips	...	Sheriff
Orville Sherman	...	Mayor Cameron
Leonard Nimoy	...	Professor Cole (as Leonard Nemoy)
Doug Banks	...	Doctor
Henry Randolph	...	Telegrapher
Saul Bronson	...	Prof. Helsingman

Storyline

Strange things are happening in Riverdale, Illinois. A huge, seemingly alien structure has been found jutting out of the earth. Sent to investigate the origin of the mysterious object, Senator Walter Powers discovers that parasites from the center of the earth have infiltrated the town, taking control of the authorities and workers, making communication with the outside world impossible, and leaving the responsibility of stopping the invasion up to Powers and a small group of free individuals.

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Plot Keywords:

mysterious object | parasite | alien | electrocution | sheriff | 

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Taglines:

Crawling, Slimy Things Terror-Bent on Destroying the World!

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Horror

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Keepers of the Earth

Filming Locations:

Pomona, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Corinthian Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

A favorite of late night TV in the 60's and 70's, this film was usually referred to by LA Horror Host "Seymour" (Larry Vincent), as "The Attack of the Bunny Slippers", because of the cheesy monsters.

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Goofs

Leonard Nimoy's name is misspelled in the opening credits as "Leonard Nemoy"

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Quotes

Senator Walter K. Powers: I'm here, and I want action!

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Connections

Referenced in Bikini Drive-In (1995)

User Reviews

It's no classic, but I can think of worse ways of wasting away an hour.

One of B-movie legend Bruno VeSota's three directorial efforts, 'The Brain Eaters' shows enough promise to make one wish he had split his time more evenly between acting and directing.

We are once again in the realms of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' and 'I Married a Monster from Outer Space', with aliens trying to take over the population of an isolated American town. The spaceship turns out to have burrowed up from beneath the earth's surface, letting loose vindictive slug-like creatures which attach themselves to peoples necks, taking over their minds. Lots of Communist paranoia/infiltration undertones as usual.

The plot manages to lose itself despite a running time of only 60 minutes, but at least 'The Brain Eaters' recognises its limitations. The film prevents the normal ridicule caused by feeble special-effects by not having any and within the boundaries it sets itself, there is nothing to offend.

Like most releases from American International Pictures the film is primed for entertainment value, if not artistic merit, and it is none the worse for that.

I remember a particularly good scene where the camera follows one of the malevolent slugs point-of-view as it stalks its victim ready to latch onto the neck - an early influence on Spielberg for 'Jaws' maybe ??