A team of local scientists discover alien parasites when they investigate a mysterious, three-story-tall, cone-like object that has appeared outside of town. It becomes obvious that the parasites' first victims, who's minds have been taken over, are the town's leading citizens. "The Brain Eaters" released in 1958 is a classic science fiction story than blends both the other worldly with the creature feature concept that explodes later in Hollywood b-movies. The film stars Edwin Nelson, Alan Frost, and Jack Hill. Written by Gordon Urquhart and directed by Bruno Vestor the film is a cookie cutter format that spawned in the 1950's bringing much of the science fiction short stories to life on the drive in and theater screens across America."The Brain Eaters" story has been reinterpreted many times over the years. Most notably "Puppet Masters" and "The Faculty". The story is as eerie and classic as "Body Snatchers" and one of the best sci-fi premises to break through the 1950's craze for everything extraterrestrial. I am pretty sure that in this film the parasite invasion which is soon found to be from our own prehistoric beginnings is actually a metaphor for communism fears that ravaged the middle of the 20th century. I don't normally get that deep into a films meaning because for me it takes a lot from the shear enjoyment of the story."The Brain Eaters" is cut and dry in its concept, showing a clear path to the end by exposing the enemy right from the beginning, leaving no real room for suspense or drama. The story moves more like propaganda than fiction thriller. The dialogue is your basic 50's arrogance of American triumphant over any and all threats. However simply from a nostalgic approach to appreciating all that came before "The Brain Eaters" is one of the best examples of Man's fears of the unknown and the growing threat of the new fields of scientific studies. "If we explore to much into our world would we somehow destroy ourselves?" This is still the burning question today, and "The Brain Eaters" is one of the first time we see those questions explored in science fiction writings spawn a b-movie craze that has spanned the decades since.

What is there to say about this movie? Not an awful lot really. It's a standard (almost cliché) black-and-white movie about parasites latching onto the necks of people, controlling them and eventually making them die.The acting is mediocre, the story develops slowly and the effects are ... well, 'okay' for it's time. If you are a fan of movies from this age, then go ahead and watch it. It's only an hour long though.One thing I should mention is Leonard Nimoy (you know, Mr. Spock?). Barely recognizable, but he is indeed in this movie.I give this movie 6 out of 10 stars, since it has all the charms of a movie of it's age. Enjoyable for the fans, but not really outstanding.

Were it not for the presence of two men who scored great success later on television, Ed Nelson on Peyton Place and Leonard Nimoy on Star Trek, The Brain Eaters would have no reason to be remembered. Then again with your half eaten cerebrum it would be impossible to remember this film anyway.It's not monsters from Outer Space, but a collective of Borg like parasites, speaking of Star Trek, from the Earth's core who've come to the surface in rural Illinois and start invading the populace of Riverdale. When they take over the police authority and cut communications from the outside, our intrepid heroes led by a US Senator of all things have to deal with them on their own.Ed Nelson and Leonard Nimoy play two of the scientists. But the saving grace of the film if it has any is the performance of Cornelius Keefe as the blustering United States Senator who is most aware of the prerogatives of his office and ain't gonna let no aliens, parasites, whatever stand in his way.Leonard Nimoy's name is misspelled in the credits and for reasons of posterity he probably considers it a blessing.

I have seen The Brain Eaters a couple of times and is quite enjoyable, despite the low budget and reading some bad reviews about it. This movie was first released on video in the UK as part of the Drive-In Classics series, of which I own a copy. It has since been re-released on video and now DVD.A strange alien cone shaped craft of unexplained origin appears in the small town of Riverdale. Some scientists and government officials are sent to investigate the craft and at the same time, some of the local residents start acting strange and then die. All of the people who have died have bite marks on the back of their necks and it turns out these are the work of parasites from the cone. These turn out to be millions of year old aliens who want to rule the world and have been living underground all this time. Some of the people enter the cone and are attack by more parasites and are defeated in the end.The movie's cast is mostly made up of unknowns, although Ed Nelson has appeared in several drive-in movies of this kind including Attack Of the Crab Monsters and A Bucket Of Blood. Also look out for a then unknown Lenard Nimoy, some years before he played Mr Spock in Star Trek.This is a worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of 1950's science fiction like me.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.