original production:

LA CABEZA VIVIENTE

Cast: Mauricio Garces (as "Maurice Garces") (Roberto/Acatl, la cabeza viviente), Ana Luisa Peluffo (as "Anna Luisa Peluffo") (Martha Mueller/Princess Xochiquetzal), German Robles (Professor Herman Meuller), Guillermo Cramer (Xihu, the high priest), Abel Salazar (Inspector Holliday), Antonio Raxel (Tony)

SYNOPSIS:
(From IMDb): A group of archaeologists break into the tomb of an ancient Aztec general, arousing the warrior's head and sending his undead servant out to take revenge on the careless scientists.

(From AFI): Acatl, chief of the Aztecs, is murdered and his head is cut off. At the same time, Xochiquetzal, his betrothed, is buried alive, along with the Grand Priest. Centuries later, archeologist Herman Mueller and his assistants Tony and Charley unearth the tomb. The mummy of Xochiquetzal disintegrates, but the heads of Acatl and the priest remain preserved. Herman takes his discoveries home to his daughter Martha, to whom he gives an Aztec ring known by legend as a ring of death. Soon afterwards, Charley becomes the victim of a human sacrifice, and the heads of Acatl and the priest return to life to place Martha under a spell. Although Martha is able to resist Acatl's orders to murder her father, her fiance, Robert, falls under a similar spell. Eventually, however, the curse of the living head is broken.

SYNOPSIS:
In the year 1525, the Aztecs hold a solemn ceremony in the great temple.

Their great warrior Acatl has been beheaded, due to the actions of a traitor, who is now sentenced to die. Acatl's high priest Xiho, cuts the Judas open, and rips out his heart. Xiho prays to the gods that his master's head be kept alive indefinitely, until his death can be avenged.

Acatl's betrothed, Princess Xochiquetzal, is commanded to join her lover in death. She resists her fate, but finally accepts, because the Aztec Ring of Death blinks, picking her as the chosen one!

Slaves close the door to the great tomb, sealing Acatl, Xochiquetzal and Xiho inside forever.

Time passes. The year is now 1963.

An archeological expedition, led by Professor Herman Meuller, enters the sacred tomb of Acatl.

The scientists discover the mummified remains of Xochiquetzal, as well as Acatl's perfectly preserved head!

The scientists walk towards the remains of Xochiquetzal, but she vaporizes before their eyes, due to the change in air pressure.

Next, the reckless scientists pry the lid off a great marble tomb, and find the high priest Xiho laying inside, his body also perfectly preserved.

One of the scientists tries to wrestle a knife from Xiho's mummified hand, but it won't budge.

Meuller finds an ancient scroll, and reads the curse of Acatl. His cohorts are spooked by the grim proclamation, but Meuller laughs it off.

Meuller then removes the protective mask off Acatl, and the scientists stare at the mummified face of the notorious Aztec warrior, Acatl!

Unbeknownst to them, as they then examine the hideous Aztec Ring of Death, Acatl's eyes open!

Later, we find that Meuller has transported Acatl, Xiho and Xochiquetzal to his laboratory.

Meuller's assistant, Robert, is curious about footprints which appeared in front of the motionless Xiho. Meuller and Robert argue over their significance.

Meuller's daughter, Martha, arrives at home. She seems to be in a daze.

Martha walks out onto the balcony for some fresh air, and soon sees dripping blood coming from above. Martha looks up and screams; she sees a dead body lying on the roof above her!

Meuller and Robert run to Martha. They look up and see the body. They realize it is one of their colleagues from the expedition, Charlie Stauffer.

As Martha lays comatose, the Ring of Death, which she now wears, begins to blink!

Later, Martha tells her story to Police Inspector Holliday. Holliday then asks to see Stauffer's apartment.

Martha starts to hallucinate. She has a vision of herself as Princess Xochiquetzal. Robert tries to calm her.

In Stauffer's apartment, Holliday questions Meuller and another colleague, Tony Ingershaw.

The medical examiner inspecting Stauffer's body makes a gruesome discovery: the man's heart has been cut out, in the manner of an ancient Aztec ritual!

The medical examiner informs Holliday of this, just as Meuller discovers Stauffer's blood-oozing heart sitting on the pedestal next to the Living Head!

Meuller calls for Holliday to come and see. Holliday investigates the ancient relics, and is baffled. He sees blood on the knife of Xiho, and asks the medical examiner to compare the blood samples.

As Holliday vows to the others that he will solve this crime, Xiho sneaks a look at these mortal fools who do not believe in ancient curses.

Tony bids the others a good night. Robert agrees to drive Tony home.

Before he leaves, Tony asks Meuller to recite the ancient curse again, for reference. Meuller recites it by heart, and then scoffs at the men, who seem upset by the admonitions.

Holliday also leaves.

Meuller, curious, inspects the ancient relics once more. He checks Xiho's still-bloody knife, and removes the face mask off Acatl. A horrible spider crawls over Acatl's face, and did he just see Acatl's eyes move?

Meuller is now spooked. Maybe there is something to this curse after all. He replaces Acatl's head piece, and backs out of the room, shaking.

Meuller goes to his library, and begins to read a book,"The Origin of Ancient Superstitions".

Meanwhile, Robert drops Tony off at his place. They agree that Meuller should donate the creepy relics to a museum, and be done with all this horror.

Back at Meuller's, Acatl comes to life, summoning Xiho to rise also. Xiho repeats the terms of the curse out loud, and vows to follow his orders to the letter.

Meanwhile, Martha is trying to sleep. The Ring of Death starts to blink. Martha is summoned by Xiho, and she arises in a trance to do his ancient bidding.

Xiho tells Acatl of these events; he is pleased.

Meuller continues to read as Martha sleepwalks quietly behind him.

Martha enters the laboratory. Xiho tells Martha to watch her ring, for it will tell who is to be the next victim.

Martha removes Acatl's mask, and picks up the tray upon which sits her lover's head.

Martha and Acatl walk, with Xiho, out of the house, and all the way to Tony's place. Tony is still up, reading a book.

Tony hears a noise, and looks: to his horror, Xiho is breaking the bars on his window, and enters his living room!

Tony runs from Xiho, and tries to escape through a door, but Martha and Acatl walk in, blocking his way.

Tony looks in horror as the monstrous head comes to life. Tony takes out a gun, but shooting Xiho has no effect.

Xiho corners Tony, and stabs him to death, cutting out his heart as a sacrifice to his master.

Martha stands aside, still in a trance.

Later that night, Martha wakes up screaming, from what she thinks was a horrible dream. Meuller runs to see what happened. Martha tell her father about the realistic nightmare she had. Meuller calms her fears.

After Meuller leaves, Martha looks at the terrible Ring of Death, which her father gave her as a gift from the expedition, and shivers. The ring gives her the creeps. She walks to the window, and throws it away.

On the lawn, the Ring of Death starts to blink, searching for its next victim!

Robert drives back home. On his way into the house, he sees the blinking Ring of Death, and takes it.

Meuller receives a call from Inspector Holliday: Tony Ingershaw has been killed! Meuller tries to tell Martha, but she already knows, somehow.

Robert comes inside, and hears the bad news.

Meuller goes to Tony's house to assist Holliday. He asks to see Tony's body, and is horrified to find that Tony's heart has been ripped out too! He leaves, and Robert asks Martha what's going on. Martha relates that she knew of the murder beforehand.

She describes her "nightmare", which she thinks really happened. Robert thinks she is imagining things.

Yet Robert is frightened by Martha's vision, and runs into the lab, only to find Ingershaw's heart resting on Acatl's table, and also sees fresh blood on the knife held by Xiho! Robert is now not sure what to believe.

Robert and Martha now agree that something fishy is going on. Meuller joins them, flanked by two detectives, who will watch the house overnight.

Robert tries to posit the superstitious theory of events, but Meuller will have none of it.

Robert promises Martha that he will stay in the house as long as there's any danger, and they retire.

Meuller asks the detectives if they want anything. Everyone sits and waits. Martha tries to sleep, but she is too nervous.

Meuller goes into the kitchen with the detectives, to make coffee. The clock strikes midnight. Xiho and Acatl come to life. Xiho chants the edict of the gods.

Xiho calls for the one who wears the ring.

Martha hears the summons, and although she no longer wears the ring, she arises and walks towards the voice.

The detectives drink coffee, and don't notice when Martha walks by them in a trance, and enters the lab.

The detectives return to the living room. Meuller sleeps in the next room.

Xiho jumps into Meuller's room through the window. One of the detectives thinks he hears something, but decides not to investigate.

Xiho approaches Meuller with the sacrificial knife, while Martha and Acatl stand in the shadows, watching.

Xiho hands the sacrificial knife to Martha, who is summoned to approach and kill her father.

The detectives are now sure they heard something, and one of them goes to investigate.

The detective enters Meuller's room, and sees Martha holding a knife. Suddenly, Xiho jumps out from behind a curtain. The two men struggle.

Xiho strangles the detective, and kidnaps Professor Meuller. Robert and the other detective enter the room, and see the grizzly scene.

Robert, panicked, calls for Martha. Not finding her, he gets nervous and tells the detective to call Inspector Holliday immediately.

Elsewhere in the house, Martha and Xiho walk with their respective burdens, Acatl and Professor Meuller.

Xiho commands Martha to kill their enemy, her own father!

The entranced Martha approaches Meuller with the sacrificial knife, but hesitates, and finally faints.

Xiho, enraged, grabs the knife and prepares to kill Meuller, but Acatl starts to speak, and tells Xiho he is not the one "to kill this lowly dog!"

Robert goes to his room to think, and removes the Ring of Death from his pocket. Robert hears the voice calling him to Acatl. Eventually, he succumbs, and walks to the lab in a trance.

Martha comes to, and sees Meuller, still alive. Xiho tells Martha she is to die for failing to do her duty.

Robert enters the room. Martha goes to hug him, but Robert looks at his death ring and it blinks; Martha is Robert's sacrifice!

Martha runs to her father's arms. Xiho gives Robert the sacrificial knife, and tells him to kill Martha.

Inspector Holliday arrives.

Robert hovers over Martha, preparing to kill her. Holliday walks into the bedroom, and sees his dead detective.

Robert prepares to stab Martha, but hesitates. Xiho is angered by Robert's disobedience, and grabs the knife, preparing to kill the traitor, but Martha jumps in front of him.

Xiho decides to kill both of them, but Acatl orders him to look at their faces beforehand. He does, and is shocked to discover that Martha is actually Princess Xochiquetzal, and Robert is the reincarnation of Acatl himself!

Xiho now realizes that Xochiquetzal was merely carrying out her sworn duty to protect Acatl, her loved one. Xiho swoons.

Martha removes the Ring of Death from Robert's hand, thus removing the spell she was under.

Holliday finally reaches the room, and fires at Xiho, who falls to the ground.

Holliday approaches Meuller, Martha and Tony, and is told to quickly destroy the Ring of Death. Holliday fires at the blinking ring, destroying it.

Acatl and Xiho disintegrate into dust, as Meuller laments his actions, and Robert and Martha embrace.

THE END

REVIEW:
THE LIVING HEAD is terrific. It is both creepy and goofy, in a winning combination of those elements. It boasts high production values, especially in the opening prologue, in which hundreds of extras, dressed in authentic period garb, adorn the magnificent ruins of an Aztec temple.

It also has lots of fun horror movie icons, like blinking eyeball rings and some groovy cheap gore. When the high priest rips the heart out of his sacrifice, the effect is startling, to say the least.

Following a flash-forward to the present time, (using the same time-passage montage as used in THE BRAINIAC!), we follow Professor Mueller and his cohorts, some of the most reckless archeologists ever unleashed from university, as they basically wreck the sacred temple of Acatl, and of course incure the wrath of the title noggin.

Back in Mexico City, Martha (the always-lovely Ana Luisa Peluffo) learns to her horror that she is the descendent of the beautiful Aztec Princess Xochiquetzal, and scientists start dropping like flies.

Enter Police Inspector Holliday (Abel Salazar, looking like Danny Thomas playing Inspector Clouseau) to solve the case.

The sight of Martha walking around in her negligee, hypnotized, carrying Acatl's head around on a dinner tray, is simply precious.

Also fun are the instances where victims' hearts are cut out, and the missing organs are later found, oozing blood, resting next to a smirking Headzo.

Another fun scene: chicken-shit Professor Meuller lifts off Acatl's protective mask, and is shocked, not at the gruesome visage of the undead warrior, but at a cheap plastic spider which shimmies its way across the floor, yanked by a string!

The finale is absurdly protracted, with Holliday taking forever to reach the room where Robert, knife hovering for what seems like hours, is about to stab the Professor.

Presumably filmed in 1963, THE LIVING HEAD could conceivably have been influenced by Joseph Green's incredible 1962 decapitation opus, THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE, as there are more than several passing references here to Green's snarling, articulate death-poem. Just imagine; two horror-head classics in as many years! Ah, the glory days!

German Robles is spiffy as Meuller, skeptical to the point of idiocy, in quite a departure from his sinister turns as the ego-fueled gentleman vampire, Nostradamus.

The title noggin is a bizarre creation, with its sneaky half-open eyes, lounge lizard mustache and bald eagle protective helmet, looking vaguely sinister, yet predominately ornamental, like something a streetsweeper might find discarded in the gutter the day after Carnival!

Though the plot is simplistic to a fault, adhering to a common period suspense formula (ruminating at length on the patently obvious), THE LIVING HEAD is just dripping with atmosphere, and due to the odd premise, evocative production design by Robert Silva, and a mournful, majestic score by Gustav Cesar Carrion, the film comes across as balancing a perfect combination of creepy and goofy that simply identifies the era. And Murray/Guberman's dubbing here is top-notch, full of obscure witticism, cryptic insights and marvelously obtuse sentence fragments.

You could see the film's protracted finale as the victory of Modern Agnosticism/Science (Holliday's coldly logical gun) over the impetus of Ancient Justice/Religion (Xiho's sacred, bloodletting knife), or perhaps the ascendancy of conformity-breeding Mass Communication as it overthrows the Oral Tradition of the storyteller in antiquity.

Regardless, THE LIVING HEAD takes gothic horror, scientific nonsense, and some fantastic touches straight out of old pulp fiction, and creates a virtually avant-garde genre mutant thats a true cult film legend and a great "head" film (Sorry).

This marvelous cult film treasure must have been a hoot, on a double-bill with the creepy THE WITCH'S MIRROR, at the local flea pit.

COMMENTS:
* (updated 02-14-06) Thanks to a terrific new book we just received, "Ghouls, Gimmicks and Gold" by Kevin Heffernan, (2004, Duke University Press), we have been able to update the U.S. television release date for this Murray horror title to 1965. The appendices to this study of the horror film in America, circa 1955-1968, include complete listings of syndication feature film packages from many distributors, including American International Television, who subleased the K. Gordon Murray film catalog under the title THRILLERS FROM ANOTHER WORLD. It seems that 1965 was the watershed year for genre film sold to television, with a veritable flood of titles released by both domestic and foreign distribs.

* (effective 05-01-03) After a very brief window of availability, this long-sought K. Gordon Murray title is once again out of print, due to international copyright issues. Used video tapes of this title may be found on online video dealers and auction sites. Stay tuned for further developments!

* Murray would often use a marketing gimmick with his releases, involving the "guest appearance" of a character from one of his movies. For the fairy tales, it would be Stinky the Skunk. In this case: "See and Talk to the Living Head in Person!"

* THE LIVING HEAD/THE WITCH'S MIRROR was one of several horror double-bills which Murray released to befuddled Southern Drive-ins during the late 1960s, in some cases years after the films had already been shown on TV!

* According to AFI, THE LIVING HEAD premiered in Maryland on May 29, 1968.

NOTABLE DIALOGUE: