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:

Mayor | Nuclear Power Plant | Secretary | Flashback Sequence | Fireplace

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

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:

The Criterion Collection DVD has a hidden gag on it added by the authors. If you check the disc name/ID on a PC through various means, the ID reads AFIENDINNEEDISAFIENDINDEED, i.e. "A fiend in need is a fiend, indeed".

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 Dead End (1985)

Quite Underrated!

One of my favorite of the low budget films, this one is an exercise in doing a monster film RIGHT. The stalwart hero, Marshall Thompson, is posted at a joint US/Canadian base where a nuclear reactor is being used to make radar able to pick up enemies further away. Unfortunatly, a scientist nearby is also tapping into the power and he's created beings from his own subconscience (like the ID from Forbidden Planet) who have the nasty habit of sucking out peoples brains and spines! The end of this film is stellar with effects that had to take up a third of the films budget! No one whose seen this film can forget those little brain monsters! It deserves a higher rating than other voters gave it!