Die Nackte und der Satan (1959)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Victor Trivas

Writer:

Victor Trivas (writer)

Release Date:

24 July 1959 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Body is Gone...But The Head Lives On!

Plot:

A scientist invents a serum that keeps a dog's head alive after its body dies. When the scientist dies of a heart attack...

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Dog | Hunchback | Sculptor | Heart Attack

Cast

Horst Frank	...	Dr. Brandt, alias Dr. Ood
Karin Kernke	...	Schwester Irene Sander
Helmut Schmid	...	Bert Jaeger
Paul Dahlke	...	Police Commissioner Sturm
Dieter Eppler	...	Paul Lerner
Kurt Müller-Graf	...	Dr. Walter Burke
Christiane Maybach	...	Stella, alias Lilly
Michel Simon	...	Professor Dr. Abel

Also Known As:

A Head for the Devil
Des Satans nackte Sklavin (West Germany) (new title)
The Head (USA)
The Screaming Head

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1960) | West Germany:18 (nf)

Filming Locations:

ARRI-Atelier, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Rapid Film

Trivia:

Released in the U.S. on a double bill with "Horror Hotel" in June 1963.

Quotes:

Stella, alias Lilly: You mean you're still doing those awful experiments?
Dr. Brandt, alias Dr. Ood: I'm now LEGALLY a doctor.

Dosn't star The Monkees

I just really dig movies about brain transplants, and this West-German entry, incidentally made about the same time as THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE, happens to be my favorite of the genre at the moment. As the main-antagonist we get the mysterious Dr. Ood (Horst Frank), a brilliant but twisted scientist who join the research team of Dr. Abel (Michel Simon) in his futuristic mansion. Abel has developed a method to keep a dog's brain alive, and as he feel the time is about to run out for him anyway, he has intended himself as the first human test subject. But in a dramatic moment of backstabbing and murder, Ood decides to change the plans, and keeps only Abel's head alive while he takes over the continuing experiments. The next step will be to transplant the pretty head of a hunchbacked nun (Karin Kernke), to the body of a sexy go-go dancer with a criminal past (Christiane Maybach). The transplant turn out successfully, as the girl wake up with her head stitched to a far more functional body. But naturally the side effect will be a serious identity disorder, when the usually sober girl find her self smoking, dancing and being dangerously attracted to the Tiki-themed strip club named Tam-Tam! And we must neither ignore the possibility that someone could recognize her new body! The plot turn out to be far more multi-layered, than one would expect at first sight. What really wins me over though, is the stylish and sexy approach. The filmmakers shows a great expressionistic flair, with various shade work, and most is set to the backdrop of the really choice Bauhaus-style mansion, complete with a computer-assistant with robot arms! The experimental score is great too. With the novel concept and occasional naughtiness, it also marks the beginning of much more erotic-fueled horror movies, in fact, a shot of a bare breast was cut out when the movie was shown in the US! Horst Frank is wonderfully diabolic as Dr. Ood, who at times resemble Count Orlok in a labcoat. For other Horst Frank performances, check out THE ETRUSCAN KILL AGAIN, in which he plays a psychotic maestro and murder suspect. Michel Simon's career spanned along while back, he was in THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC and BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING. Look closely for the bit-part of Barbara Valentin (HORROR OF SPIDER ISLAND). Producer Wolf C. Hartwig would shock the world once again, when he later released the series of SCHULMADCHEN REPORT movies.