Fiend Without a Face (1958)

Director:

Arthur Crabtree

Writers:

Amelia Reynolds Long (original story "The Thought-Monster")
Herbert J. Leder (screenplay)

Release Date:

December 1958 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

New Horrors! Mad Science Spawns Evil Fiends! ...Taking form before your horrified eyes!

Plot:

A Scientist, experimenting with telekinetic powers enhanced by a nearby nuclear power plant succeeds in creating a new form of life...

Plot Keywords:

Air Base | Nuclear Power Plant | Shower | Small Town | Doctor

Cast

Marshall Thompson	...	Maj. Jeff Cummings
Terry Kilburn	...	Capt. Al Chester (as Terence Kilburn)
Michael Balfour	...	Sgt. Kasper
Gil Winfield	...	Dr. Warren
Shane Cordell	...	Nurse
Stanley Maxted	...	Col. G. Butler
James Dyrenforth	...	Mayor Hawkins
Kim Parker	...	Barbara Griselle
E. Kerrigan Prescott	...	Atomic Engineer (as Kerrigan Prescott)
Kynaston Reeves	...	Prof. R. E. Walgate
Peter Madden	...	Dr. Bradley
Meadows White	...	Ben Adams (as R. Meadows White)
Lala Lloyd	...	Amelia Adams
Robert MacKenzie	...	Constable Howard Gibbons
Launce Maraschal	...	Melville, Deputy Mayor

Directed by
Arthur Crabtree

Writing credits
Amelia Reynolds Long		(original story "The Thought-Monster")
Herbert J. Leder		(screenplay)

Produced by
John Croydon	....	producer
Ronald Kinnoch	....	co-producer
Richard Gordon	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Buxton Orr

Cinematography by
Lionel Banes		(lighting cameraman)

Film Editing by
R.Q. McNaughton

Set Decoration by
John Elphick

Makeup Department
Barbara Barnard	....	hair stylist
Jim Hydes	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Douglas Hickox	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Peter Davies	....	sound recordist
Terry Poulton	....	dubbing editor

Special Effects by
Peter Neilson	....	special effects
K.L. Ruppel	....	animation effects (as Ruppel)
Florenz Von Nordhoff	....	animation effects (as Nordhoff)

Camera and Electrical Department
Martin Curtis	....	photographer: second unit
Leo Rogers	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Duse	....	dress supervisor

Music Department
Frederick Lewis	....	conductor (as Frederic Lewis)

Other crew
Hazel Swift	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Amalgamated Productions
• MLC Producers Associates Ltd.

Distributors

• Eros Films (1958) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• National Telefilm Associates (NTA) (video)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)

Runtime:

UK:75 min | USA:74 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved | West Germany:18 | Iceland:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | UK:X | Sweden:(Banned) | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:PG (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

UK

Company:

Amalgamated Productions

Trivia:

This 1958 British production was based on "The Thought-Monster" by Amelia Reynolds Long, which was published in the classic American pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1930.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Even though it is made clear that the military characters are US Air Force, when the Sergeant (Michael Balfour, a British actor, as were most of the others in the film) reports to Major Jeff Cummings (Marshall Thompson) early in the film, he incorrectly gives the Major a "British" salute, with the palm facing outward. Thompson returns the salute correctly, with the palm facing inward.

Quotes:

Prof. R. E. Walgate: What have I unleashed?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Chick Flick: The Miracle Mike Story (2003)

A film with brains...

To start off in a horribly clicheed manner, if you can't say anything nice, you're not supposed to say anything at all. Considering that this Fiend Without A Face came about in a decade when sci-fi was generally considered grade-Z clap trap, one would assume that I'd not have anything polite to discuss in regards to this film. Well, then again, maybe you wouldn't think that - Fiend is, after all, on Criterion, a bastion of intelligent film-making. So maybe, just maybe, Fiend Without A Face is an unjustly maligned masterpiece - a brilliant satirical look at human faults and foibles allegorized through a tale of malevolent brain-beasts.

I dare say, Fiend Without A Face falls somewhere in between. It's not schlock, nor is it masterful. It's a decent idea turned into a decent story (which someone had the foresight to save by not including the romantic subplot) acted by all right actors and directed with a steady hand. It's not Ed Wood; it certainly isn't Welles either.

There are some beautiful shots, to be sure (the establishing shots of the air-force base and some of the images of a jet's trail are gorgeous), and solid acting. On the whole, though, Fiend Without a Face is simply a well-done sci-fi/horror amalgamation and does not necessarily deserve the full, Criterion treatment.

Yes, the idea that atomic energy's greatest harm to mankind lies within our own psyches is interesting, but it's not as interesting as the paranoia of conformism that drove Body Snatchers. Yes, the acting is decent, but it's not as solid as the work done by a young Steve McQueen in the Blob. Fiend Without A Face is a movie that should not be forgotten, but it's also a film that should not be elevated to the level of greatness (which in some ways a Criterion edition somehow does).

That said, if you have a passing interest in horror or sci-fi, or the 1950s, you will enjoy this film (it's short, sweet, and very much to the point). Again, it's a well-made film and deserves to be seen; it's not, though, one of the greatest films of the science-fiction genre.