Villain(s)  Brain scientist, head of Nostradamus

Actor(s):  Robert Hutton, George Coulouris, Julia Arnall, Nadja Regin

Brief Description  The Man Without a Body (1957)—also known as Curse of Nostradamus—is a low-budget British science fiction horror film directed by W. Lee Wilder and Charles Saunders. Produced by Guido Coen for Filmplays Ltd., the movie stars George Coulouris, Robert Hutton, Julia Arnall, and Nadja Regin. Running approximately 80 minutes, it blends 1950s mad science with classic gothic tomb-robbing.

Plot:
The story follows Karl Brussard (George Coulouris), a ruthless, incredibly wealthy American businessman based in London. Brussard is a deeply impatient man who prides himself on the "brain that built an empire". However, he discovers he is dying of an inoperable brain tumor. Desperate to stay alive, Brussard discovers the work of Dr. Merritt (Robert Hutton), a young American brain surgeon experimenting with advanced transplantation techniques. Visiting Merritt's lab, Brussard sees bizarre sights—including a living monkey head attached to an artificial pumping machine.

Dr. Merritt explains that his work could keep a human head alive, but it requires a exceptionally brilliant, highly intellectual brain to adapt to the trauma. Brussard decides that ordinary human brains are not grand enough for his legacy. He hatches a megalomaniacal scheme: he travels to France, robs a prophet's crypt, and steals the remarkably well-preserved head of the 16th-century seer, Nostradamus. Brussard brings the head back to London and forces Dr. Merritt to revive it using his laboratory equipment. Nostradamus’s head comes back to life and is capable of speech.

Rather than being a submissive tool for Brussard's immortality, the ancient prophet is deeply offended by modern technology and his disembodied imprisonment. Brussard demands that Nostradamus use his prophetic powers to help him bypass his terminal diagnosis and achieve a new form of existence. Instead, Nostradamus curses Brussard and swears revenge. The resurrected head begins using its supernatural powers and eerie foresight to manipulate events, ultimately leading to a chaotic showdown where Brussard is destroyed by the very forces he sought to enslave.