The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 3, 2015

Mad scientist cinema takes a sleeping pill with 1971’s “The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant.” The Anthony M. Lanza-directed feature has all the sleazy, sadistic intentions in the world to deliver a ripe B-movie extravaganza, but miscasting and a general sluggishness keeps the effort in stasis, never truly embracing its considerable oddity.

A take on “Frankenstein,” with Bruce Dern in the demented scientist role, “The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant” does successfully capture the strangeness of the titular experiment, which bonds brain-damaged farm hulk Danny (John Bloom) with rodent-like serial killer Manuel (Albert Cole) for an adventure in murder, attempted sexual assault, and emotional duality. Liveliness never enters the mix, with the production weirdly avoiding a celebration of absurdity to play the premise seriously, adding Casey Kasem to the cast as a concerned friend joining police to crack the case.

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides a basic viewing experience, leading with a level of flatness that hints at age and inherent cinematographic limitation. Colors are generally muted, with pinkish emphasis. Costumes tend to deliver the most direct hues, while greenery for outdoor escapades is agreeable. Detail isn't pronounced, but some textures are found on make-up effects and close-ups. Delineation isn't challenged during the brightly lit feature, though darker, denser elements are available for study. Source shows some wear and tear, with minor scratches and debris detected. Interestingly, the grand finale displays some intentional print damage to accentuate a crumbling mine disaster. An odd creative choice.

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is a muddy event that has trouble maintaining consistency. There's really no crispness here to enjoy, with intelligibility threatened throughout the track, leaving softer, mumbled dialogue exchanges difficult to grasp. High end visits to violence register with a piercing shrillness. Scoring is adequate, setting the strange mood without encouraging definition, and atmospherics are thick and obvious. Special Note: Synch on the English Subtitles is off.

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• RiffTrax Audio Commentary presents 87 minutes of fantastic silly business from gifted performers Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy. The "Mystery Science Theater 3000" vets take their riff-fu to Blu-ray with this rare foray into supplementary additions, delivering a consistently hilarious viewing experience that not only cracks wise about a bad movie, but makes "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" somewhat watchable.

• Interview (9:08, HD) with James Gordon White doesn't have much to share about "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" beyond the screenwriter's disappointment that Vincent Price wasn't available for the mad scientist role. The rest is a basic career overview in B-movies, and White shares his rather misinformed opinion about the nature of film critics.

• Radio Spot (1:02) is offered.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:14, HD) is included.

The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" has the visual of two men strapped to one body, and stalking scenes register with possibly unintentional comedy. Rhythm is missing from the picture, which is guided by frustratingly muted performances and a jazzy score by John Barber that sounds like it's being played backwards. Arriving with such an outrageous premise, "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" is mostly interested in becoming a tragedy, and while such dramatic aspiration is commendable, the feature just doesn't have the creative gas or thespian reach to achieve its intended drama.