Don't Open That Door! The Brain From Planet Arous

The first installment of my weekly column Don't Open That Door! has just gone live on PopMatters.com. I'm describing the series as a "weekly field guide to 1950s horror and sci-fi movies and the creatures that inhabit them." This week's appreciation/skewering features the John Agar vehicle, The Brain From Planet Arous.

"Physicists Steve and Dan are baffled by radioactivity readings coming from over there on Mystery Mountain—that’s right, Mystery Mountain, “the most godforsaken spot in the desert.” The boys grab something that looks supiciously like a large hair dryer and hustle out to investigate, despite the reservations of Steve’s fiancee Sally and her eagle-beaked dad, John. Out in the desert, the two intrepid scientists discover a cave, a glowing light, and one heap big radiation. They also find a floating transparent alien brain that takes over Steve’s consciousness. Oops! Should’ve listened to Sally, for once."

There's much more to the column, including an in-depth but mostly spoiler-free synopsis, lists of positives and negatives, video clips, suggestions for party games, and much much more. Oh and there's also some honest-to-God trivia and genuine information, if you like that sort of thing.

Check out the feature here, and do me a favor: Tweet about it, Facebook it, G+ it and all the rest. The more people we can get to click on this thing, the longer they'll let me do it...