Donovan’s Brain

Rescuers request Cory's help after a private plane crashes near his mountain retreat. Donovan is seriously injured and brought to Cory's cabin, where the grim situation unfolds. This event sets the stage for Cory's later experiments on the brain.

Donovan's heart stops soon after arrival, and Cory removes Donovan's brain from the skull for his experiments. He transports the brain back to his cabin lab to begin preserving it. The act marks the start of a dangerous living experiment.

Cory sets up an electrified saline solution to keep the brain alive, effectively turning the skull into a rudimentary laboratory. This unorthodox method sustains brain activity outside a body. The experiment starts to take on a life of its own.

Over successive nights, Cory writes messages in Donovan's handwriting, hoping the brain's consciousness survives. He attempts to communicate with the brain, treating it as a living presence inside the lab. The boundary between science and eerie belief begins to blur.

Gradually, Cory begins to exhibit Donovan's personality traits—smoking cigars, ruthless manipulation, and a distinctive limp. The brain appears to exert a disturbing influence on Cory's behavior. The line between host and brain-interaction grows increasingly unstable.

Janice, Cory's wife, and Frank Schratt, his friend and assistant, grow suspicious that Donovan's consciousness is using telepathic mind control to override Cory's will. They discuss the uncanny changes and fear a dangerous manipulation at work. Their concern marks the first real opposition to the experiment.

News photographer Yocum uncovers that Cory has illegally stolen Donovan's brain and demands money to keep the secret. The fear of exposure adds external pressure to the internal crisis. The moral and legal stakes escalate quickly.

Donovan's brain becomes increasingly powerful, using Cory to amass a fortune and even taking control of Yocum's mind to force a fatal car crash. The brain's influence expands beyond Cory to manipulate others. This marks the peak of the horror before any counteraction.

Janice and Frank realize Donovan's consciousness can only control one person at a time, prompting them to plot how to destroy the brain. The limitation creates a strategic opening for confrontation. The pair prepares a plan to end the danger once and for all.

Frank's plan to destroy the brain goes wrong when Donovan, via Cory, compels him to shoot himself. The attempted intervention turns deadly and complicates any straightforward resolution. The danger now tightens around everyone close to Cory.

A lightning strike hits the Cory home and a fire breaks out, burning Donovan's brain and bringing the horror to a dramatic close. The blaze serves as a final, external turn of fate against the experiment. The immediate threat to all involved is dramatically resolved.

Frank survives, and Cory accepts responsibility for his actions. Janice tells authorities that it was Patrick's idea to connect the lightning rod to the power supply, which triggered the fire. The truth sheds light on how human curiosity and arrogance led to catastrophe.