Directed by: Derek Carl
Notable Cast: Rachael Perrell Fosket, Patrick D. Green,
David Withers, Robert Blanche
Remakes are a tricky business at the best of times. You have
to respect the original material, and try to put a spin on it to justify retreading
the territory. That second part is more vital than it may appear on the
surface, and luckily we have Gus Van Sant’s Psycho as shorthand that
spares further explanation. The genre of the fifties and sixties sci-fi horror
has been a fertile ground for remakes with its combination of earnest (if over
the top) acting, high concept (if silly) stories, and low budget cheesy special
effects. The Brain That Wouldn’t Die was certainly ripe for a new take,
and freshman director Derek Carl puts his passion for the original on display in
a satire on the era that maintains the existential dread Inherent to the
concept.