A mad scientist keeps a severed head alive to aid in a twisted body swap experiment.
THE HEAD
The Body is Gone... But The Head Lives On!
A scientist invents a serum that keeps a dog's head alive after its body dies. When the scientist dies of a heart attack, his crazed assistant cuts off his head and, using the serum, keeps the doctor's head alive and forces it to help him on an experiment to give his hunchbacked nurse assistant a new body.
Quick Answer
The Head is a 1959 German horror film directed by Victor Trivas about a scientist's severed head kept alive by his assistant, who forces it to help in a bizarre transplant experiment.
Programmer's Pick
Few films wear their mad scientist credentials as brazenly as The Head. German horror goes full-tilt with decapitated doctors, unhinged experiments, and a love story that could only be described as grotesque. Not for the squeamish—or anyone hoping their tiki bar Martini stays down.
— SassyFlix Programmer
Overview
Details & Specs
- Director
- Victor Trivas
- Writer
- Victor Trivas
- Release
- 1959
- Runtime
- 1h 37m
- Country
- Germany
- Language
- Italian, German
- Genres
- Horror
- Also Known As
- Des Satans nackte Sklavin, La femme nue et Satan
Why This Matters
As one of the first postwar German horror films and among the few from Germany released in the American market during the 1960s, this low-budget production also drew controversy and censorship in Europe, reflecting shifting attitudes toward horror cinema in the era.
Cast & Crew
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Why Cult
Professor Abel's head, kept alive after decapitation, is the film's chilling centerpiece—thanks to 'Serum X.'
Dr. Ood's obsessive use of experimental surgery and his quest for a perfect body swap push medical horror to bizarre new heights.
Set in Munich, the film layers its grotesque premise with moody settings and a distinctly European sense of doom.
From nunsploitation to strippers, the film leans into exploitation cinema's wilder side, blending sleaze with surreal science.
Scene Gallery
Threat File
Questions from the Vault
When was The Head released? +
The Head was released in 1959.
Who directed The Head? +
The Head was directed by Victor Trivas.
How long is The Head? +
The Head has a runtime of 97 minutes.
What genre is The Head? +
The Head is a horror film.
Where can I watch The Head? +
You can watch The Head on SassyFlix.
How does 'Serum X' play into the film's experiments? +
'Serum X' is a serum invented by Professor Abel that keeps severed heads alive, allowing his own head to be preserved after death and coerced into assisting with Dr. Ood's transplant plans.
