The Brain Eaters
| The Brain Eaters | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
by Albert Kallis |
|
| Directed by | Bruno VeSota |
| Produced by | Ed Nelson |
| Written by | Gordon Urquhart |
| Based on |
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein (uncredited) |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Tom Jonson |
| Cinematography | Lawrence Raimond |
| Edited by | Carlo Lodato |
|
Production
company |
Corinthian Productions
|
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $26,000 |
The Brain Eaters is a 1958 independently made American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, produced by Ed Nelson (and Roger Corman, uncredited), and directed by Bruno VeSota, that stars Nelson, Alan Jay Factor and Joanna Lee. The film includes a brief appearance by Leonard Nimoy (name misspelled in film credits as "Leonard Nemoy").The Brain Eaters was released by AIP on a double bill with Earth vs. the Spider; in other areas, The Brain Eaters appeared on a double bill with Terror from the Year 5000.
A team of local scientists discover an invasion by intelligent parasitic creatures from deep beneath the Earth while investigating a mysterious, five-story-tall, metallic cone-shaped object which has suddenly appeared outside the small town of Riverdale, Illinois. It quickly becomes obvious that the creatures' first victims, whose minds have been taken over, are the town's leading citizens.
In Riverdale, Illinois, a man (Hampton Fancher, uncredited) is shown carrying a lighted, basketball-sized glass container bumps into a pedestrian, and the container is broken. A fight ensues and a hissing sound is heard.
Glenn Cameron (Factor) and his fiancée, Elaine Cameron (Jody Fair), are driving by when they are distracted by a bright light from the nearby woods. They stop to investigate and find three dead animals, and to their surprise, they come upon a large, cone-shaped, spiral metal structure resembling the tip of a screw.
Two days later in Washington, D.C., a flying saucer investigation committee reviews classified army footage of the object. Sen. Walter K. Powers (Cornelius Keefe) and his assistant Dan Walker (Robert Ball) arrive late for the briefing, which notes that the metal object stands 50 feet high with a base diameter of 50 feet. The nature and origin of this spiral metal cone is unknown. Dr. Paul Kettering (Ed Nelson) is the chief investigator. Also noted is the murder of several people in the nearby town. The senator and his assistant fly to Riverdale to investigate. They are met by Glenn Cameron, who explains that his father, the mayor, is missing. The three drive to the metal object's location. Alice Summers (Lee), the mayor's secretary, assists Kettering by recording test results. The senator climbs scaffolding erected around the spiral cone to question Kettering and his assistant, Dr. Wyler (David Hughes). Kettering explains that it appears to be indestructible, then crawls inside to explore. Some time later, Wyler prepares to go inside, just as Kettering crawls out; the interior is made up of a maze of small, winding tunnels. A call to their field phone informs them that the mayor has returned to his office.
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