Villain(s)  Brain controlling parasite

Actor(s):  Ed Nelson, Alan Jay Factor, Cornelius Keefe, Joanna Lee

Brief Description  Released in September 1958, The Brain Eaters is a low-budget black-and-white science fiction-horror film directed by Bruno VeSota and starring Ed Nelson, Alan Jay Factor, and a young Leonard Nimoy. Loosely based on Robert Heinlein’s novel The Puppet Masters, the 60-minute B-movie follows a small Illinois town terrorized by parasitic, antennaed creatures from beneath the earth that control human minds.

Plot:
The story takes place in the small fictional town of Riverdale, Illinois. The plot begins when Glenn Cameron (Alan Frost) discovers a mysterious, 50-foot-tall metallic cone jutting out of the ground in the nearby woods. A local scientist, Dr. Paul Kettering (Ed Nelson), steps in to investigate the seemingly indestructible structure, while Senator Walter K. Powers (Cornelius Keefe) is sent by a government UFO committee to investigate the anomaly and debunk any extraterrestrial panic. They quickly realize the situation is dire. The cone is a vessel that has disgorged furry, parasitic alien creatures. These parasites attach themselves to the base of the human skull, piercing the central nervous system with two needle-like stingers. Once attached, the parasites completely control the host’s brain, turning them into compliant, mind-controlled puppets while allowing them to outwardly act perfectly normal.

The invasion spreads covertly from the top down. The parasites successfully infiltrate Riverdale's leading citizens—including the mayor and local police—cutting off all communication to the outside world. A small group of uninfected individuals, led by Dr. Kettering and Senator Powers, must find a way to destroy the parasites before they spread past the town lines. During an investigation inside a tunnel leading to the ship, the team encounters a dying old man who reveals he left the spaceship years ago, indicating that these creatures may have originated from deep within the Earth rather than outer space.

The group is ultimately confronted by the mastermind behind the invasion, Professor Cole, who is completely under the control of the alien collective. He reveals that the parasites plan to conquer humanity to establish an orderly, collective existence. Dr. Kettering figures out that the parasites are highly vulnerable to electricity. In a desperate final move, he rigs a plan to wire the alien cone and electrocute the remaining parasites, sacrificing himself in the process to save the town and the world. : The film is highly memorable for featuring a very early, brief appearance by Leonard Nimoy (years before playing Spock in Star Trek), who plays the mind-controlled villain Professor Cole. His name was accidentally misspelled as "Leonard Nemoy" in the film's credits.