Between this blog and my previous one, Professor Damian’s Public Domain Treasure Chest, I’ve been writing about movies for quite a while now. Because of that, there are a lot of posts that have simply gotten lost to the mists of time. So, I figured I’d use the idea of “Throwback Thursday” to spotlight some of those older posts, re-presenting them pretty much exactly as they first appeared except for updating links where necessary or possible, and doing just a bit of re-formatting to help them fit better into the style of this blog. Hope you enjoy these looks back.
This post first ran on the Treasure Chest back on April 6, 2010.
Tuesday Terrors – The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant (1971)
Y’know, in baseball, a double is a good thing. Depending on which side you’re on, a double play can also be a very good thing. Best of all, though, especially for the fans, is a double-header. Unfotunately, I don’t think anyone in today’s flick is going to be trying out for the majors anytime soon. Which means in this case a double header is simply double trouble.
In The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant, Bruce Dern (yes, really, that Bruce Dern) plays a doctor who is obsessed with the concept of transplanting heads. Why? Well, from what yer Ol’ Professor can tell it’s because Dern’s Dr. Girard just swallowed a whole bottle of why-the-hell-not pills. He’s already been kicked out of the hospital he worked at, and has set up a lab in the basement of his house where he’s continuing his experiments with his assistant Igor… umm, I mean Max. This, of course, thrills the doctor’s wife Linda (Pat Priest, who really shouldn’t be so freaked out by all of this after all those years living with the Munsters) to no end, since it explains the stench wafting upstairs that has not only killed all the roaches in the house but also made the bacon smell funny. (Ok, there’s really nothing about cockroaches or bacon in the movie, but really it makes as much sense as anything you will find there.)
Meanwhile, we also meet Dr. Girard’s caretaker, Andrew Norton and his son Danny. Now Danny is not a small boy, but unfortunately he does have a very small brain. According to his father he was trapped by a mine cave-in when he was a child and his brain was starved for oxygen long enough to leave him in a very retarded state. From the looks of him, nowadays Danny could probably have just pushed the boulders aside, but then…
Anyway, also meanwhile, we meet serial rapist-murderer Manuel “Mama” Cass, who escapes from the mental institution to which he had been confined. Stealing a car, Cass winds up ending his freedom joyride at Dr. Girard’s house. Unfortunately, the doctor is out (well, actually he’s physically down in his lab, but trust me, he’s pretty far out) as is Max, which leaves Linda to confront the madman alone. Finally both the doctor and the caretaker hear her screams and rush to her aid, but Cass kills Andrew and leaves the doctor tied up, making his escape with Linda. When Danny finally comes in, he freaks out at the sight of his dead father, neglecting to release the doctor. Finally Max returns and frees Dr. Girard and they go hunting for the killer and his hostage. Catching up with them, Girard shoots Cass in the back, but doesn’t quite kill him.
Hmm… ok, so now we’ve got a nearly dead serial killer, a practically brain dead hulk of a man-boy, and a doctor who is working on building creatures with two heads. Anyone want to guess where we’re gonna go next?
How about to the trailer?
And now, the Skinny:
Title: The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant
Release Date: 1971
Running Time: 87min
Color
Starring: Bruce Dern, Pat Priest
Directed by: Anthony M. Lanza
Produced by: John Lawrence, Volodymyr Kowal, Nicholas Wowchuk, Alvin L. Fast, Arthur N. Gilbert
Distributed by: American International Pictures
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