In 1661, a man stands accused of being a committing numerous evil deeds and practicing witchcraft. He sits chained and bound, surrounded by hooded figures, as the charges against him are read. He sits and listens to the charges in silence and then laughs maniacally as the makes his chains disappear with his magic.

While being burned at the stake, Vitelius delivers a threatening and longwinded speech, swearing to return and kill the ancestors of the ones who are responsible for his death. This is to happen when the comet, which just happened to be passing overhead, returns in the future..

We now leap forward in time to 1961. Astronomer Ronald and his astronomer fiancee, Victoria, discuss the soon to be appearing comet with the professor. They see the comet briefly and then a light falls off of it and crashes to the ground. The couple take off to investigate.

A man, who just happened to be parked near the vicinity of the crash, leaves his car to investigate what he has just witnessed. Imagine his sheer terror as "The Braniac" inhales the contents of his skull. After feeding, the horrible creature becomes our old friend Vitelius.