Review of The Thing with Two Heads (1972) by Robin W — 07 Aug 2009

Remember the "Simpsons" Halloween episode that ended with Mr. Burns' head being sewn next to Homer's head on top of his body? Well, that was clearly inspired by this movie, though it's rare to find a case where the parody is actually a lot less silly than the real thing.

The special effects here aren't exactly stellar, as they clearly have the two actors standing side-by-side in an extra-large bodysuit, giving off the impression that the head transplant has somehow made the host body grow twice as big! And while this starts out as a horror film (complete with a sequence where Rick Baker terrorizes the town in a less-than-convincing two-headed gorilla suit), it inexplicably becomes a chase movie halfway through, complete with a LOT of scenes of bumbling cops crashing their police cars.

However, in the film's defense, it mostly plays this absurd material for laughs, making it a good deal of fun; this may be a LONG way from his Oscar-winning role in "The Lost Weekend", but Ray Milland is clearly having a ball playing the role of a grumpy bigot who's horrified to find his head transplanted onto the body of a colored man.