Hey Lunk, just had to get this out on your new board! Hope no one minds!
FIEND WITHOUT A FACE
1958 74 min. B& W
Amalgamated Productions (released by MGM)
Dir. Arthur Crabtree (Horrors of the Black Museum)
Marshall Thompson—Maj. Jeff Cummings
Kim Parker—Barbara
Kynaston Reeves—Prof. R. E. Walgate
Invisible Monsters Suck Out Your Brains!
And that’s just for appetizers; they suck out your spinal cord too!! BWA HA HA HA!!!
I found this little jewel in the public library, which just goes to show you never know what treasures can be found in such places. Many of our young people could benefit from a more time spent there with a good old fashioned book; not huddled in front of a computer monitor, and you know who you are. These days the library is also a source of video and even DVD selections, which gladdens the hearts of middle aged tightwads like myself. I spotted a couple of other flicks there worth checking out, including a few volumes of SLAPSTICK MASTERS and IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, but I digress.
FIEND WITHOUT A FACE is a British picture set in Canada released by MGM and based on a story in an American pulp magazine. That’s a pedigree any B monster flick can be proud of. The story was THE THOUGHT MONSTER by Amelia Reynolds Long, published in 1930 in the venerated WEIRD TALES pulp; and that’s all I can tell you about it. With bloodlines like these, you might think the movie would drift toward the formulaic, and you would be wrong. It strips right down buck nekkid, dives in and wallows shamelessly. For example, “They’re my creations, perhaps I can control them….AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!” But the movie gets away with it because it demonstrates a faith in its monster and is filled with a sense of urgency.
Because the real monster is….nuclear power! In the hands of the wrong people, in this case Canadians. Well, one Canadian scientist who is siphoning off the power generated by the nearby US Air Force base nuclear power station. They are in a remote section of Canada working on a top secret nuclear powered radar to keep an eye on those pesky Soviets, who had ideas of sneaking their filthy communist hands up the skirts of Lady Liberty back in those days. Then the dead bodies of locals start showing up sans brains and spinal cords, and the backwards natives of Canuckistan start blaming the “nuclear fallout.” They blame they poor production of their milk cows on the jet noise from the base too, but hey, at least there’s no shortage of brain eating fiends. Don’t they understand that we’re just trying to protect both our countries from missile attack? In an effort to appease and educate the natives, Maj. Jeff Cummings, the head of the project, is ordered to conduct an investigation on behalf of the military.
During his investigation, he meets Barbara, the sister of the first victim. This tasty morsel is working for Professor Wingate, editing his notes for publication. Jeff discovers that Prof. Wingate is an expert in many fields, but is currently working on the materialization of thought. Jeff gathers all of the available publications and information by and about Wingate.
A couple more people, including the mayor, are found with their brains and spinal cords missing. The locals concede that fallout can’t be responsible, so they arm themselves and begin searching for the lunatic soldier they’re sure must be responsible. They begin a search of the woods near the base. The local sheriff goes missing and turns up later all zombified and stark, raving mad. If that happened here in Maricopa County no one would notice, but they did.
Jeff confronts the Professor, who breaks down and admits that he has a secret lab where he has been working for months on the materialization of thought. He has discovered that by siphoning off the nuclear power from the plant, he can create a creature of thought that can operate independently. Like thought, the creature is invisible. But it has escaped, and multiplied. It lives in the brains and spinal cords of its victims, a “mental vampire.” The creatures feed off the power from the nuclear power plant. They resolve to shut the plant down completely, in theory destroying the creatures.
Jeff calls the nuclear plant control room. Someone or something, the technician reports, has destroyed all of the control rods. The reactor is out of control. Then, AAARRRRGGGHHH, he dies! The creatures have invaded the base and killed everyone. The increased power from the plant enables the creatures to be visible! They are brains with spinal cords and eyestalks. They launch themselves at their victims. They move with a sucking noise, and die spurting goo with sickening sounds. And there are hundreds of them converging on the Professor’s house, where Wingate, Jeff, the tasty morsel Barbara, the General and the Good Buddy are all trapped! The power levels at the plant are critical. The creatures are growing stronger…they’re breaking into the house…
What happens? I don’t want to spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that love wins out in the end, the creatures die in putrefying pools of sizzling ooze, and the milk production goes back to normal. I enjoyed this movie; even though it seems campy today, it takes itself seriously and has some nifty effects and good Fifties gore. I thought the camera work and lighting were extremely well done, and the acting was good. I especially enjoyed Reeves as Wingate, he also starred in a remake of THE LODGER in 1932 I think, don’t quote me on that. A slightly edited version was released in the US in 1958, the version I viewed was from the Criterion Collection, and was complete. The print quality was fantastic; if there were any flaws I didn't spot them.
On the Official Afa Dollah B Movie Rating Scale, FIEND WITHOUT A FACE gets: A BIG THUMBS UP, BABY! Check this one out!