The Brain From Planet Arous (1957)

Around 1957, the filmgoing public was treated to a plethora of science fiction films. It had been four years since the Area 51 incident made headlines, then was completely wiped out of the media by the Air Force (Hmmm...conspiracy, anyone?). World War 2 was over, and the Cold War was rearing its ugly head.

People were paranoid. Joseph McCarthy and President Eisenhower had Americans believing your neighbor could be a Communist. This paranoia that slipped into our collective consiousness drifted over into movie themes. Science Fiction films have always been a medium where movie makers could give us serious social issues disguised as entertainment without being preachy. Communism was scary because for the first time, Americans couldn't tell who the bad guys were. It was an idea, something anyone could be consumed by, so your friends, neighbors, and anyone else could be a potential threat.

What if your best friend or fiance was taken over by some hostile presence. How would you react? In The Brain From Planet Arous, that is basically the plot. In a nutshell, an alien call Gor comes to Earth and chooses a host, in this case a nuclear scientist Steve March, played by the sci-fi everyman John Agar. Agar was known for Tarantula, The Mole People, and Daughter of Dr. Jeckyll. It was Brain that made him the leading man, and he gets to showcase two totally different personalities, which he does well. As the kind scientist, Dr. March, he is compasssionate, humorous, and very tender with his soon-to-be bride Sally Fallon (Joyce Meadows). When he is under the control of giant brain thingy Gor, he is vicious, callous and crude. He dances between the two personalities in a believable way.

His girlfriend's father John Fallon is played by Thomas Brown Henry, also no stranger to 50's sci-fi, being seen in such movies as Beginning of the End, 20 Million Miles to Earth, and this movie in 1957 alone. His characters are always affable, no-nonsense guys. In this movie, he is skeptical when Sally tells him about Steve's sudden change. He goes along with it, however, and leads her to the spot where Steve had his alien encounter.

Gor himself is an interesting take on alien design. As the title suggests, he is in fact a large brain. He has the ability to take over someone's body and control them, and is invincible when he is in what they call his 'transitory' state, basically a ghost-like image without physical form. Only when he has to rest and recharge his oxygen does he have his physical, and therefore vulnerable, state.

Later, we meet Vol, Gor's enemy and a good-guy from planet Arous. Vol explains the rules to Sally and her father, as well as how to kill Gor. Vol also has the ability to take over other living things to monitor what's going on. After some discussion, he decides to take over the family dog, since the dog can hang around Steve without arousing suspicion. I should note here that there may by two versions of this movie. I have seen at least one review that states Vol takes over Sally, not the dog. The print that I watched does not have this.

Under the influence of Gor, Steve uses his position in to gain access to atomic testing experiments. There he demonstrates his telekenetic powers, blowing up planes and buildings with his mind. He basically blackmails military leaders into his plan, which includes enslaving humans and building interstellar ships and weapons so he can take over his home planet.

The effect when he does his destruction is convincing. John Algar had to wear thick black contact lenses to achieve the alien looking stare when he uses his powers. The effect is rather chilling, even today. For me, practical effects like that will always be superior to the CGI renderings currently in use.

At any rate, the movie moves along rapidly enough to keep people with a short attention span like myself happy. There is plenty of mayhem without gore, and solid performances all around. Fans of Paranoid Sci-fi Schlock of ther 50's will be very happy with The Brain From Planet Arous.

Brain was scored by the great Walter Green. The music was heavy at just the right time, and etherial and mysterious when it needed to be. Special effects were not very extensive, with only a couple of model shots involving planes and some compositing to show the brain alien going into his host person. The final sequence involving the brain in his physical form is pretty cool, although you can easily see the wires holding him up. But for me, that is part of the overall draw to these movies. It is a sincere effort to entertain, and this one does not disappoint. It is highly recommended. 3 1/2 out of 4.

Didja Know?

The director Nathan Juran did not share my enthusiasm for this film, insisting that he be billed as Nathan Hertz in the credits, to avoid emberrasment.

Here is a quick look at the original trailer: