Las ratas no duermen de noche (Rats Don’t Sleep at Night) was released in the U.S. as Crimson, the Color of Blood and The Man With the Severed Head.
After a jewel heist, Jack Surnett (Paul Naschy) is shot in the head. His gang is smart enough to know that there’s a scientist named Professor Teets (Ricardo Palmerola) who can do some pretty wild surgeries, like a brain transplant. However, they use the brain of a serial killer named The Sadist (Roberto Mauri), who goes out in the middle of the evening to just chop off his head. And by this amazing procedure, Jack becomes even more violent than he was before.
Directed by Juan Fortuny, who co-wrote the script with Marius Lesoeur and H.L. Rostaine, this film features Naschy in what must have been a dream role, as every time he sees a woman, he has to make love to her. Well, not love. Violent killing maniac love. It has plenty of Eurocult goddesses, like Evelyne Scott (AKA Evelyne Deher; she’s also in Shining Sex), Silvia Solar (Devil’s Kiss), and Gilda Arancio (Kiss Me Killer).
More of a crime movie than a horror film, this doesn’t have much Nashy, but it does feature random dance scenes, and when he finally does show up, he’s all wrapped up. But I kind of like that it’s a gangster movie. Head transplants were a big thing in the 70s!
You can watch this on Tubi.
