The Man Without a Body

Brussard behaves oddly, answering telephones that aren't ringing and forgetting that he owns ships. Charot reveals he has an inoperable brain tumor and urges him to seek help in England. Brussard leaves New York with his young companion Odette Vernet, determined to pursue a radical solution.

Brussard and Odette Vernet travel to England to seek medical help after Charot's diagnosis. They hope to reach the brain-transplant researchers who might offer a drastic remedy. The journey marks the beginning of their search for a new mind.

In London, Dr Phil Merrit confirms Charot's diagnosis and introduces his team, including nurse Jean Cramer and Dr Lew Waldenhouse. He explains a controversial experiment involving revitalising a dead brain and transplanting it into a living head. Brussard listens with growing interest in the potential to replace his own brain.

Brussard visits Madame Tussaud's wax museum and learns of Nostradamus as a possible source of a superior brain. The idea of acquiring such an ancient head becomes a driving force for his quest. The museum stop foreshadows the macabre turn of his plans.

Brussard hires the drunken Dr Brandon and they travel to France to locate Nostradamus' head. They break into Nostradamus' crypt, extract the head, and bring it back to Merritt's lab. The theft sets in motion a transformation that will blur the line between science and madness.

Back at Merritt's lab, the staff revitalise the head without Brussard's initial knowledge. Brussard eventually goes to the lab alone and finds the head alive, exclaiming, 'It's alive! My brain! It's alive!' His shock deepens when Merritt tries to eject him from the facility.

When the head speaks, it identifies itself as Michel de Notre Dame and Nostradamus. Merritt, Jean, and Lew proclaim that Nostradamus' predictions have come true. Brussard declares the mind now belongs to him, creating a clash of egos and science.

Nostradamus, sensing the stock market, deliberately instructs Brussard to sell. Brussard follows the guidance and is financially ruined as stock prices plummet. The manipulation of fate through a living head highlights the arrogance of Brussard's ambition.

Odette has secretly been dating Lew. Brussard discovers the affair, follows Odette to Lew's flat, and strangles her in a fits of jealous fury. The crime anchors the spiraling madness around Brussard and the living head.

Lew arrives during the confrontation, and Brussard shoots him in the back in the lab corridor as Merritt and Jean work to control the situation. Lew's injuries are severe, and Merritt notes that the cranial nerves have been severed. The pursuit for a remedy escalates as the body of Lew becomes a focal point for Nostradamus' head.

Merritt decides to attempt a radical save by attaching Nostradamus' head to Lew's body. The grotesque hybrid lurches into existence, a stark fusion of ancient prophecy and modern science. The experiment underscores the danger of playing god with living tissue.

Police close in as Nostradamus' head remains a focal point of the chaos. Brussard chases Nostradamus up a stairway into a bell tower; he becomes dizzy and falls to his death. The bell tolls as Lew's body crashes down, leaving Nostradamus' head hanging in the bell ropes—an eerie end to the nightmare.