The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)

Gor, a powerful criminal brain from the planet Arous, assumes the body of scientist Steve March. Through March, he begins to control the world by threatening destruction to any country ... See full summary »

Director:

Nathan Juran (as Nathan Hertz)

Writer:

Ray Buffum (screenplay)

Stars:

John Agar, Joyce Meadows, Robert Fuller

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Agar	...	Steve March
Joyce Meadows	...	Sally Fallon
Robert Fuller	...	Dan Murphy
Thomas Browne Henry	...	John Fallon (as Thomas B. Henry)
Ken Terrell	...	Colonel in Conference Room (as Kenneth Terrell)
Henry Travis	...	Colonel Frogley
E. Leslie Thomas	...	General Brown
Tim Graham	...	Sheriff Wiley Pane
Bill Giorgio	...	Russian

Storyline

Gor, a powerful criminal brain from the planet Arous, assumes the body of scientist Steve March. Through March, he begins to control the world by threatening destruction to any country challenging his domination. Another brain, Val, works with March's future wife Sally to defeat Gor. Val explains that Gor will be vulnerable when he is forced to leave March at intervals to re-energize. Gor's vulnerable spot, the Fissure of Orlando, is described in a note left by Sally in Steve's lab.

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Plot Keywords:

brain | mind control | airplane shot down | radioactive eyes | brainwashing | 

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Taglines:

It Will Steal Your Body And Damn Your Soul!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Augen des Satans

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$58,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marquette Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Nathan Juran insisted on being billed as "Nathan Hertz" (Hertz was Juran's middle name), apparently because he was embarrassed by this film's low budget and poor quality.

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Goofs

When Sally and her father find Dan in the cave, they lift his decayed left arm into frame to show he's dead. In a wider shot, Dan lies face down with his left arm out in front of him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Steve March: Checks out alright. I don't understand it. Hey, Dan, it doesn't make any sense.
Dan Murphy: Mmhmm.
Steve March: I said it doesn't make any sense. The Geiger counter's been going on and off all morning. And the nucleometer checks right along with it.
Dan Murphy: Oh, you talk like a man with rocks in your head. Radioactivity's a constant thing. Either it's there...
[the Geiger counter goes off]
Steve March: Oh, yeah?

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Connections

Featured in Svengoolie: The Brain from Planet Arous (1996)

User Reviews

John Agar's Best Sci-Fi Movie?

That's right--"The Brain From Planet Arous" is _indeed_ John Agar's best science-fiction movie...but that's not saying very much. While it is undoubtedly _cheap_ (the giant alien brains in their natural form look a lot like balloons!), and while the storyline is sheer goofiness bordering on surrealism (one of the brains inhabits the body of a dog!), it _is_ somehow fun to watch, in spite of (or more likely because of) its low-budget limitations. And John Agar IS fun to watch; you can tell that he's doing his best here--in the scenes where he's possessed by the evil brain, he had to wear some very uncomfortable silver contact lenses--but the odd, yet by-the-numbers script doesn't give him much to work with. Still, if you're willing to put your own brain on hold for a little while, you might get a kick out this movie.