The Atomic Brain

A tasteful poster for a tasteful film.

The Atomic Brain (aka Monstrosity) is a low-budget 1964 sci-fi/horror film.

Hetty March is a rich old lady with plenty of money. With the help of rogue scientist Dr. Otto Frank kept on retainer, she intends to have her brain (through the miracle of modern 1964 atomics) transferred into a young body. The body is to be selected from three candidates. Which one will it be? Anita from Spain, Nina from Austria, or Bea from England? What does her aged companion think of this? Will the scientist be able to gain something from this? And do the three donors suspect what awaits them?

For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode see here.

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Tropes used in The Atomic Brain include:

• As Himself: Xerxes the Cat.
• Diabolus Ex Machina: When Bea (inexplicably) goes back to grab something (presumably her severed eye), a power surge from the atomic chamber fries her.
• Cats Are Mean: When Mrs. March's brain is put in the body of Xerxes the Cat.
• Death by Disfigurement: Bea loses an eye midway through the movie and is pointlessly killed off at the absolute last second before the end.
• Eye Scream: Anita, her brain replaced by a cat, gouges out Bea's eye.
• Grand Theft Me: Mrs. March's ultimate goal.
• Kill'Em All: Of the six (human) characters, only one is still alive (and still human) by the end.
• Laser-Guided Karma: After he double-crosses Mrs. March and is busy gloating about how he's going to control her fortune through Nina, March (in the cat's body) locks Dr. Frank in the atomic chamber and cranks the power, frying him.
• Leitmotif: As Bea and Nina attempt to flee with Mrs. March in pursuit, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew lampshades the back-and-forth shift in music by adding their own words to it.
  • Happens again when Nina hunts down the cat-brained Anita.
• Mad Scientist: Dr. Frank.
• Sequel Hook: Crow seems to catch on to this at the end.
• Xanatos Gambit: Mrs. March's big plan - kidnap the prettiest girl who'd answer an ad, transfer her brain to said body, then fake her death and reappear as a long-lost relative to collect her fortune.
  • Spanner in the Works: However, too many things happen to ruin this - her original choice, Bea, has her eye gouged out. Mrs. March's companion falls for Nina and plots to murder March so she could take the money (fails), then Dr. Frank traps March in the cat's body and plans to use her money through Nina (also fails)