THE HEAD

The Body is Gone... But The Head Lives On!

1959 · 1h 37m · NR · Horror · IMDB TMDB

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.

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Vault Note

Proof that in 1959 Germany, you could lose your head and still anchor a movie.

Programmer's Pick

If you ever wondered how far a mad scientist would go for love—and for science—The Head has answers you may wish you never asked for. Victor Trivas lays out a grim parade of medical horror, complete with a disembodied professor, a serum with questionable applications, and a nurse who becomes the object of the ultimate body swap. The 1959 German setting gives it an extra, chilly edge.

— SassyFlix Programmer

Quick Answer

What is The Head about?

The Head is a 1959 German horror film directed by Victor Trivas about a scientist whose miraculous serum keeps severed heads alive, leading to macabre experiments after his death.

Synopsis

A horror film of dubious taste, a least for the early '60s when it was released, this Gothic tale about transplanted heads comes from Germany and is directed by Victor Trivas. Prof. Abel (Michel Simon) has invented the miraculous "Serum X," and with it he successfully keeps a dog's head alive after the rest of the canine is quite dead. When the able Prof. Abel dies, his assistant, the odd Dr. Ood (Horst Frank), keeps Abel's head around -- but not for old times' sake. Dr. Ood is in love with a hunchbacked nurse (Karin Kernke) and he wants Abel's head to help him out with a novel transplant operation. Dr. Ood wants to take the body of a stripper (Christiane Maybach), snip off her head, and put the nurse's head in its place. Unfortunately, nothing goes exactly as he plans.

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 Cult

Mad Scientist Experiments

Witness the bizarre results of 'Serum X,' including a dog's head kept alive and a doctor's head forced into posthumous collaboration.

Gothic German Horror

This film channels classic Gothic vibes through a distinctly German lens, with shadowy labs and unsettling moral questions.

Body Transplant Plot

A twisted plot unfolds as Dr. Ood plots to transplant a hunchbacked nurse's head onto a stripper's body, raising the stakes for everyone involved.

Bizarre Cast of Characters

From the obsessed Dr. Ood to the unfortunate Prof. Abel and a hunchbacked nurse, the lineup is as strange as the science.

Themes & Keywords

mad science body horror obsession laboratory mad scientist hunchbacked nurse disembodied head stripper serum severed head

Questions from the Vault

What is The Head about? +

The Head follows a scientist who invents a serum to keep severed heads alive, and after his death, his assistant uses the process for a macabre body transplant scheme.

Who directed The Head? +

Victor Trivas directed The Head.

When was The Head released? +

The Head was released in 1959.

How long is The Head? +

The Head has a runtime of 97 minutes.

What genre is The Head? +

The Head is a horror film.