A movie doesn’t get more “camp” than “The Thing With Two Heads.” This American International Pictures (AIP) production features Ray Milland playing a wealthy racist doctor running a clinic specializing in head transplants. When his health rapidly deteriorates, his doctors are forced to transplant his head onto the body of the only person available: A black man on death row, played by Roosevelt Grier.
The productions values in this blaxploitation science fiction comedy are surprisingly higher quality than one would expect. Rich Baker was in charge of special effects; he would be a future Oscar winner for Best Makeup for his work in “An American Werewolf in London” (1981). He also worked in makeup for “Star Wars” (1977) and “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980).
The passable screenplay was written by Wes Bishop (the film’s producer), Lee Frost (the film’s director), and James Gordon White. All were known for work in the exploitation and blaxploitation genres of filmmaking. Along with Ray Milland and Rosey Grier, the cast of “The Thing With Two Heads” also includes Don Marshall, Roger Perry, Kathy Baumann, Jerry Dullaghan, Jerry Butler, and Chelsea Brown, most famous as a regular on the first season of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” (1968-1969).
The Thing With Two Heads (1972)
cinema
My Review
A movie doesn’t get more “camp” than “The Thing With Two Heads.” This American International Pictures (AIP) production features Ray Milland playing a wealthy racist doctor running a clinic specializing in head transplants. When his health rapidly deteriorates, his doctors are forced to transplant his head onto the body of the only person available: A black man on death row, played by Roosevelt Grier.
The productions values in this blaxploitation science fiction comedy are surprisingly higher quality than one would expect. Rich Baker was in charge of special effects; he would be a future Oscar winner for Best Makeup for his work in “An American Werewolf in London” (1981). He also worked in makeup for “Star Wars” (1977) and “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980).
The passable screenplay was written by Wes Bishop (the film’s producer), Lee Frost (the film’s director), and James Gordon White. All were known for work in the exploitation and blaxploitation genres of filmmaking. Along with Ray Milland and Rosey Grier, the cast of “The Thing With Two Heads” also includes Don Marshall, Roger Perry, Kathy Baumann, Jerry Dullaghan, Jerry Butler, and Chelsea Brown, most famous as a regular on the first season of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” (1968-1969).