The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)

An evil alien brain from the planet Arous hijacks the body of an Earth scientist in order to control the Earth.

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	...	Col. Frogley
E. Leslie Thomas	...	Gen. 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 | psychotronic film | white dog | cave | criminal mind | 

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Taglines:

The incredible space-brain invades a human body with its destructive evil power!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

First credited role for Robert Fuller.

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Goofs

When Steve and Dan are in the cave, Steve's shirt is wet from perspiration (under the arms) on the front, but not the back. When he turns to talk to Dan, the shirt is suddenly dry. In the next shot, the stains are back.

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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 Film Breaks: Shirley Temple (1999)

User Reviews

No brains were strained during the making or this motion picture.

The concept, though not brilliant, could have worked -- but the amateurish treatment spoils the effort. While conducting field work in the desert, scientist John Agar encounters a huge floating brain which turns out to be a sadistic, power-hungry alien name Gor, a fugitive from it's home planet. The alien can become translucent and fade into Agar's body, controlling him while it uses its telekinetic powers and delights in the pleasures of human flesh. But it has to come out every twenty hours to `re-oxygenate' (?). Admittedly the alien is not badly designed (the brain has strange glowing eyes with no pupils).

Whenever Gor/Agar is using his telekinetic powers, Agar's eyes become shiny black orbs (an nice bit of makeup). Gor/Agar demonstrates his mental powers of destruction for a group of generals and diplomats by `willing' an atomic explosion to occur in the nearby desert (great stock footage of buildings being destroyed by shock waves and heat flashes). Then Gor/Agar orders them to put Earth's population to work creating a space fleet so he can return to his own planet and conquer it.

Meanwhile, a second alien name Vol comes to Earth to save it from Gor. To spy on Gor, Vol takes control of Agar's dog. Vol/dog elicits the aid of Agar's fiancé (lovely Joyce Meadows). She's glad to help, because she already knew SOMETHING was wrong with Agar after he turned kinky and tried to rape her on a lawn chair.

Beware: the finale is a short and unexciting struggle between Agar (armed with an ax) and the floating Gor brain. And Agar's closing line to his fiancé' is painfully stupid. When she tries to tell him that a good-guy alien has been in control of the dog, John doesn't believe her. He just laughs and says, `Oh, honey -- that imagination of yours!'

If you're absolutely desperate for a 1950s sci-fi flick you haven't already watched to death, this one might be worth watching -- but only to laugh at.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Brain from Planet Arous

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