Fiend without a Face - Criterion Collection

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Fiend Without a Face contains one of the most indelible images to emerge from sci-fi/horror movies of the atomic age: malevolent human brains, creeping like caterpillars on spinal-cord tails, choking the life out of their helpless victims! If that weren't enough to make any genre enthusiast drool with sick delight, the movie's also got an above-average plot (as B-movies go) and made genre history as an international success, independently produced in England, set in Canada, starring an American (Marshall Thompson), with magnificently grotesque special effects created in Germany!

The mystery begins near an American Air Force base in Manitoba, where unexplainable deaths are somehow connected to the base's atomic reactor, which is being used to power an experiment in advanced long-distance radar. Thompson (who later starred in the TV series Daktari) plays Major Cummings, who discovers that the lethal monsters--slurping, unseen "mental vampires"--are actually the horrific byproduct of thought-control experiments conducted by hapless, retired professor (echoes of Forbidden Planet's "monster from the Id"). Once visible, the fiendish brains are everywhere, attacking our heroes from every angle (in a scene that may have inspired Night of the Living Dead), and sputtering puddles of blood when riddled by bullets. This climactic scene--a triumph of latex rubber fiends, eerie sound effects, and stop-motion animation--was a gory breakthrough in 1958, and it's still a worthy precursor to every gross-out monster movie that followed in its trendsetting wake. Beware the faceless fiends! --Jeff Shannon

Description

A scientist's thoughts materialize as an army of invisible brain-shaped monsters (complete with spinal-cord tails!) who terrorize an American military base in this nightmarish chiller, directed by Arthur Crabtree (Horrors of the Black Museum). This outstanding sci-fi/horror hybrid is a special effects bonanza, and a high-water mark in British genre filmmaking.

Customer Reviews:

Fiend Without a Face.......2007-06-25

"Fiend" succeeds admirably as a campy, diverting skin-crawler that channels the prevailing atomic anxieties of the 1950s. Crabtree's "Fiend" has a neat twist, though--the creatures are actually materializations of their creator's thoughts. Though decidedly gory for the time, this inventive, well-executed nail-biter proves you can indeed have too much brains.

GOOD MOVIE BUT 35 BUCKS YOUR CRAZY.......2006-12-08

THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE FOR SCIFI FANS BUT WHO IS THE GENIOUS WHO PRICES AT 35 BUCKS.GIVE ME A BREAK SHOULD BE 11.99 THANK YOU.

Criterion premium.......2006-11-01

"Fiend" was one of my favorite movies as a kid though I can now see that it is mostly boring, but with a pretty big payoff (for back then) of muck oozing brain monsters at the end.

I am writing this though as a complaint about Criterion securing the rights to films and then jacking up the price to $35. Given that other studios are producing DVD prints just as clean as Criterion is and charging - at most - $19, I can never bring myself to pay Criterion prices. All the more unfortunate for me as they have a # of titles that I would like to own.

To the reviewer that said "no one does it like Criterion", quality-wise, that is flat out wrong, price-wise, entirely true.

And a price tag of $35 on a movie like "Fiend" is truly absurd.

"Colonel, I've lived in these backwoods all my life, and I can assure you there's no animal in these parts that could do that.".......2006-07-27

I gotta figure doing PR for the gooberment's atomic energy program in the 1950s must have been one hell of an uphill battle as it seemed every other horror or science fiction thriller released in the day involved something either getting embiggened, shrunken, or just plain mutated and messed up in general, as depicted in this classic British made feature Fiend without a Face (1958), due to radiation derived from our relatively new found ability to smash them atoms. Directed by Arthur Crabtree (Horrors of the Black Museum), the film stars Marshall Thompson (It! The Terror from Beyond Space, First Man Into Space, "Daktari"), Kynaston Reeves (RX for Murder), and Kim Parker (Fire Maidens from Outer Space). Also appearing is Terry Kilburn (Swiss Family Robinson), Peter Madden (Dr. Terror's House of Horrors), and Stanley Maxted (Strange Awakening).

As the film begins we're at a U.S. Air Force base in Canada and we see a lone guard at night on the perimeter. After hearing some strange noises from the nearby woods followed by a blood curdling scream, the guard investigates and finds a corpse of a local man with a terror-stricken expression on his face. Major Jeff Cummings (Thompson) wants an autopsy performed on the deceased, but the man's sister, Barbara Griselle (Parker), is unwilling which causes problems as the local population isn't too keen on having an atomic powered military instillation in the area (there's quite a bit of fear about radiation). If that wasn't enough, there's also an issue with the experiments being performed at the base, those involving boosting radar capacity (to spy on those evil Reds) through the use of atomic energy in that every time they juice things up, there's a mysterious power drain...hmmm...anyway, after a couple more deaths, the rubes get even more antsy, and an autopsy reveals the victims perished as a result of being de-brained, i.e. having their brains sucked out of their heads. Eventually Jeff's investigation leads him to a reclusive, eccentric scientist in the area, one Barbara works for named Professor Walgate (Reeves), who's an authority on psychic phenomena with his current research involving thought materialization. Turns out the professor is involved with not only the bizarre deaths but also the mysterious power fades at the base's reactor, eventually spilling the beans and warning those in charge they must shut down the atomic plant immediately, as he's accidentally unleashed an invisible menace straight from a nightmare, one that feeds on atomic energy and apparently gray matter, and also has the ability to multiply and become more intelligent...crikey! Soon the town and the base are under siege, threatening not only the lives of everyone in the area, but also Jeff's chances to pitch woo at Barbara...

I enjoyed this film a lot as it has a tight story and wastes little time on extraneous material (the film runs about 74 minutes). One aspect of the story I really liked was how the creatures weren't actually a direct result of radiation, but more so a nasty by product of someone using atomic energy within his own fantastic experiments...it might sound like I'm splitting hairs here, but to better understand what I mean you really need to see the movie. We don't actually get to see the creatures until about an hour in, but when we do, it's worth the wait. I won't go too much into what they actually were or look like, but they're pretty hideous along with being very agile. The characters are fairly cut and dry, as are the performances. I thought most all the actors did well, and Marshall Thompson, who's got about the biggest forehead I've ever seen, seemed a suitable choice for the lead along with the beautiful Kim Parker, who left the biz not too long after the release of this film. I was kind of annoyed with the character of Professor Walgate, the guy ultimately responsible for the `ghastly business'...first off he steals power from the atomic reactor and subsequently screws up their experiments, then he creates something which escapes his control, ends up killing a whole mess of people and allows the blame to be directed elsewhere, and finally he himself nearly kills someone (inadvertently, so he later claims) who gets too close to his secret...once the beans are spilt, through an extensive expository sequence, he does seem to show remorse for his actions, but it seems like the remorse of someone who's only remorseful after being caught. Nice guy, huh? I suppose one could argue he eventually paid the price for his folly into the unknown, but for me his penalty was hardly equal to that which he wrought...my favorite scene in the film comes near the end, as a small group fortify themselves in the professor's home against an onslaught of creatures, one of those among the group the deputy mayor, who has a most excellent freak out one the creatures manage to get in...there was one aspect of the story that felt really screwy...near the end it's decided the only way to stop the horror is to shut down the atomic reactor. The problem I had was the method in which they decided to do so, which involved using high explosives. Now I'm no expert in atomic sciences, but it seemed to me they were taking a mighty big chance in doing what they did...if something like that was tried in real life I'd expect catastrophic results (does anyone remember a little thing called Chernobyl?). Ah well, the 1950s were a much simpler time in that things were generally more cut and dry, or so I'm assuming since I wasn't even alive back then. All in all this is a fun, better than average 1950s sci-fi horror flick, one that I'm glad I own and watch on a fairly regular basis.

This fully restored and remastered Criterion Collection DVD release of Fiend Without a Face features a very clean and sharp widescreen (1.66:1) transfer, one that exhibits the occasional minor flaw. The Dolby Digital mono audio comes through very well, with no complaints. There's a slew of extras including an audio commentary track with an informative interview between executive producer Richard Gordon and writer Tom Weaver, along with an illustrated essay on British science fiction and horror by film historian Bruce Eder, still photographs w/commentary, vintage advertisements and lobby cards, liner notes by Bruce Kerwin, and English subtitles. Also included are theatrical trailers for this film, along with others for The Haunted Strangler (1958), Corridors of Blood (1958), First Man into Space (1959), and The Atomic Submarine (1959).

Cookieman108

I feel I should mention things do get pretty gooey once the action really kicks in, so if you're squeamish, you've been warned...

FIRST THERE WAS THE BLOB - - - THEN CRITERION BROUGHT US "FIEND WITHOUT A FACE".......2006-03-12

FIRST THOUGHTS: FRIEND WITHOUT A FACE -- NO MISPRINT!

When I first saw the ad posters in the lobby of our neighborhood theatre in 1958 [or 59] at first glance I thought the posters read, "Friend Without A Face"! I was, in fact, just learning to read, but the grotesque images on the poster needed no words. Naturally, I returned to the theatre, and to my shock, surprise, and delight, found a little gem, very similar to "The Crawling Eye", that I had seen and enjoyed the year before.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Some invisible force is sucking the brains out of the local citizens who live near a secret air-force base. What they are doing is a secret, but it is no secret that a nuclear reactor is located on the base. The locals think that nuclear energy is somehow to blame.

THEN THE PLOT THICKENS: [warning- plot spoilers below]

First it's just one man, and no autopsy is permitted due to the family's wishes. Then it's a married farm couple, and the mayor too. Now the townspeople want the air force out of their town and pronto.

The second popular theory, that it's some "crazed soldier" from the base, yields nothing but still another casualty: this time it's the rugged loudmouth constable who returns to the town hall during an emergency meeting as a wailing zombie with a crazed-psycho look to him. His brains had been sucked out.

Finally, we get to closer to the truth as we discover what the retired professor Wingate has been up to. This is where the story starts to distinguish itself, and the special-effects are used to excellent effect when the creatures began to become visible!

Very similar in motives and appearances to "The Crawling Eye", these monsters are, but their source is not outer space. They are some kind of brain-sucking vampires that have been created by a combination of Dr. Wingate's experiments in materializing human thoughts, and the availablility of vast quantities of nuclear energy for them to tap, and thus become physically tangible, and fiendishly menacing to the human race.

AND LIKE ALL GREAT CULT CREATURE FEATURES:

We have a climax, where the creatures become visible, and attack the few remaining living people so that they [the creatures] can multiply. The ammunition for the few handguns is limited, and the options are few and risky. In the last 12 minutes of this film, an epic stop-action animation attack that is truly incredible, pushes this film to the top of the 1950s creature feature heap, right alongside "The Blob" and "The Crawling Eye".

-----*- THE CAST:

Kynaston Reeves - Prof. Walgate
Marshall Thompson - Maj. Jeff Cummings
Terry Kilburn - Capt. Chester
Michael Balfour - Sgt. Kasper
Gil Winfield - Dr. Warren
Shane Cordell - Nurse
James Dyrenforth - Mayor Hawkins
Kim Parker - Barbara Grizell
Peter Madden - Dr. Bradley
R. Meadows White - Ben Adams
Robert MacKenzie - Const. Gibbons

ABOUT THE DVD:

This Criterion Collection DVD is a huge improvement on the VHS that we all have had to endure prior to this release. Digitally remastered, and put into a semi-Widescreen format, this film looks about as good as it did when I first saw it 48 years ago and includes all the scenes in their entirety.

SPECIAL FEATURES: LESS THAN USUAL FOR CRITERION COLLECTION DVDs

--*- The commentary was OK, but not specific to the film, however, though somewhat relevant to the genre.

--*- The slide show was the "reel" treat among the features, and included alot of interesting, and educational [for interested parties] material about the "Fiend without a Face", and also many other British sci-fi/horror genre films of the 1950s. I believe it is referred to as, the "Illustrated essay on British sci-fi/horror filmmaking by film historian Bruce Eder".

--*- There was also a short interview/conversion about the film.

--*- Neat trailers of this film as well as some other popular cult films of the genre and era, such as, "The Atomic Submarine"!

--*- English subtitles are available and may be selected from the menu.

BOTTOM LINE: THIS IS A FUN FILM!

The early creature feature genre that melded sci-fi with horror reached its zenith with "Fiend Without A Face". Unlike most of Criterion's other DVD releases, this is not a great film. However, it is a classic representation of an artistically, and thematically superior creature feature genre film whose sole purpose was light entertainment. In this respect, there is greatness in this old B-film for many of us to again enjoy.

ALSO CONSIDER SEEING:

-----*- THE BLOB, 1958, Irvin Shortess Yeaworth, Jr. - Director
-----*- THE CRAWLING EYE, 1958, Quentin Lawrence - Director
-----*- THE TINGLER, 1959, William Castle - Director
-----*- THE KILLER SHREWS, 1959, Ray Kellogg
-----*- THE GIANT BEHEMOTH, 1959, Eugene Lourie - Director
-----*- THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, 1953, Eugène Lourié - Director

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