The Man Without a Body – 1957 | 80 mins | Sci-Fi, Horror | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Ludicrously laughable b-movie sci-fi horror about a dying tycoon who, seeking a new brain, steals the head of Nostradamus. The film was produced by Guido Coen, a prolific low-budget filmmaker during the 1950s and co-directed by second-feature helmer Charles Saunders and American W. Lee Wilder, brother of Billy. Suave American Robert Hutton was the typical imported lead, briefly visiting England to make two films, and as his star continued to fade he returned to star in film and television from the 60s to early 70s.

Arrogant American financier Karl Brussard (George Coulouris) is informed by his doctor that his recent headaches are the result of a brain tumour and that he doesn’t have long to live. Brussard flies from New York to London to meet eminent surgeon Dr. Phil R. Merritt (Robert Hutton), who is experimenting in restoring dead tissues and transplanting the brain. The financier approaches a struck-off doctor, Dr. Brandon, to accompany him to France and secure the embalmed head of sixteenth-century French oracle Nostradamus from a mausoleum. Brussard believes Nostradamus’ power of prediction to help run his business, but the regenerated head of the French seer is wise to the businessman’s chicanery.