"The Brain that Wouldn't Die" was the first movie watched by Michael J. Nelson after Joel Hodgson had left in the previous episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Filmed in 1959 but, due to various legal and censorship problems, not released until 1962.
Giving a lecture Boston University in November 2010, renowned title credit designer Kyle Cooper said that The Brain That Wouldn't Die was one of the inspirations for his opening credits' sequence for Se7en. Cooper told director David Fincher that he had watched The Brain That Wouldn't Die as a young boy and had waited and waited and waited and waited for the monster to appear. He felt that since in Fincher's film, John Doe did not appear until so late in the film, it was important to give a glimpse of him in the opening credits. So, although you never see Doe's face in the credits, his presence is felt.
One of the men snapping photos of Doris in her studio is Jerry Lewis imitator Sammy Petrillo, who co-starred in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.
Original plans were for last reel to be in color, with the doctor's head being cut off. Scenes were filmed with rats menacing the head.
The film was rejected for UK cinema in 1961 when submitted as "Head That Wouldn't Die" and finally received a DVD certificate in 2006.
The film was shot in 13 days.
The last title shot reads "The Head That Wouldn't Die".
The sets for the production were all housed in the basement of a New York hotel.
Two of the film's cast members made quiz show appearances with Johnny Carson. Lola Mason was a contestant on a 1958 episode of Who Do You Trust?, hosted by Johnny Carson. And Paula Maurice appeared as one of the impostors on a 1961 episode of To Tell the Truth, on which Carson was a guest panelist.