The Brain Eaters (1958)

The Brain Eaters (1958) is probably now best remembered as being a uncredited adaptation of Robert Heinlein's 1951 novel 'The Puppet Masters', (which was finally officially filmed in the nineties).  Indeed, Heinlein took legal action against the film's producers, including an uncredited Roger Corman, for plagiarism.  Interestingly, Corman claimed never to have read the book prior to producing the film (and working on its script), but conceded, after reading Heinlein's novel, that there were similarities and settled out of court.  (Heinlein, however, was happy to keep his name off of the film, which he considered to be extremely poor).  The fact is that the film is remarkably similar to the book, not just in plot details, but also in tone and characterisations.  In plot terms, the whole arrival of the alien parasites that can take control of human hosts, their transportation device discovered in woodland, their attempts to use animals as hosts and their stealthy takeover of the nearest town, infesting first local politicians, then communications professionals, like telephone and telegraph operators, all follow the pattern set by the novel, (In which the city in question is Des Moines).  The characters could also have been lifted from the novel - while the man directing the anti-alien investigation is now a no-nonsense US Senator, he is pretty much indistinguishable from the intelligence chief known as the 'Old Man', his literary analog.  The rest of the male characters are, likewise, the sort of efficient and highly competent professionals, who are just at home with a slide rule as they are toting a Colt .45, favoured by Heinlein.  The main female characters, too, are the sort of feisty women favoured by the author - always supportive of their man, but still happy to get two-fisted with the bad guys when necessary.  The whole thing is, like the book, steeped in an atmosphere of Cold War paranoia, creating a world in which no one is to be completely trusted, as they could be one of 'them'.

Book and film diverge with regard to the origin of the parasites and the scale of the invasion.  Instead of originating on Titan, the creatures in The Brain Eaters turn out to come from deep within the earth, having been buried since the Carboniferous and discovered by human explorers.  While 'The Puppet Masters' shows their initial beach head in Des Moines becoming a full scale global invasion, The Brain Eaters confines it action to their attempts to establish themselves on the surface.  Consequently, the film has a claustrophobic feel, its action confined to a small number of provincial locations, with its protagonists gradually realising that they are effectively being cut off from the outside world.  Despite Heinlein's feelings on the subject, The Brain Eaters isn't without its merits.  To be sure, it is clearly shot on a tiny budget by director Bruno VeSoto (better known as a character actor in low budget films), but this lack of resources simply adds to the air of claustrophobia, with characters having to tightly group together on its small and cheap sets and camera shots kept tight, often from odd angles.  This sense of everything being off-kilter is added to by the fact that one gets the distinct impression that there are entire scenes missing, or more likely never filmed for budgetary reasons, creating a disjointed and often frenzied feel to proceedings.  It frequently seems to jump abruptly from scene to scene, denying any smooth narrative flow - it constantly feels as if, in these jumps, the audience has been denied important plot information.  The abrupt cutting continues right until the end - with the parasites destroyed at their surface entry point, the Senator and his sidekicks stride off back to the town, ominously promising to 'deal' with the remaining possessed citizens, at which point it simply ends.  We never know just how he proposes to 'deal' with them, (unlike the book, in the film removing a parasite kills the host),but having seen the ruthless and unsentimental way in which the film has already treated its main characters, (another Heinlein trait), it isn't hard to guess.

Being a cheap B-movie, The Brain Eaters, naturally, doesn't boast an A-list cast, but they nonetheless deliver the sort of performances required for this kind of film.  The cast is headed by Ed Nelson (who also produced the film), later to find lasting fame on TV, in particular as one of the leads in the Peyton Place TV series.  It also boasts an early appearance from Leonard Nimoy (whose name is misspelled 'Nemoy' in the credits), hidden under 'old man' make-up, but his distinctive voice immediately identifying him.   All-in-all, The Brain Eaters makes for a surprisingly satisfying piece of schlock, delivering the authentic late night 'fever dream' feel of the genre over the course of its sixty minute running time.  Whether by design, or simply as a result of he shoestring budget, VeSoto's direction succeeds in creating a strangely atmospheric and frankly utterly deranged viewing experience.  .