Baron Vitelius is found guilty of practicing sorcery, and by demand of a council is sentenced to death. Burning the heretic at the stake is their proposed method of punishment, and so they do. The Baron vows to return in 300 years and vindicate his execution upon his condemners’ descendants. Three centuries later, riding on a comet, the avenger returns to Earth.
Vitelius moves into a gothic castle and throws parties for his quarry. When the earmarks are away from the other guests, the Baron transforms into the Brainiac. His head inflates, then pulsates, and a slender forked tongue protrudes from his mouth, which is inserted into the victim’s skull. From here their brains are drained, and what grey matter the ghoul cannot consume in one sitting is stored in a handy silver bowl. In between playing host to the party and orchestrating further murders, the Baron grabs a spoon, and from time to time sneaks a snack from his brain stash.
“Brainiac” hardly makes any sense at all, nor is it ever explained how, or why Vitelius transforms into a cerebellum connoisseur. Seeking revenge is one thing, but mutating into a bubble-headed creature from the past (AND from outer space) is something altogether different.
During the 1960’s, Mexico was churning out some incredibly bizarre, yet atmospheric product and “Brainiac” is no exception. Of course the dialogue is pitifully dubbed (thanks to K. Gordon Murray et al.), and much of the film’s original narrative is most probably lost. The print on this DVD is not perfect, but for this type of cinema it will suffice.
Vintage Movie Classics married this with two other fantastic exploiters; “Fury Of The Wolfman” and “Doctor Blood’s Coffin”. The triple feature is entitled, “Serial Chillers”.
