Fiend Without A Face (1958)

 

Oh how the 1950s gave us some science fiction and horror for the ages! Sure, a lot of the output was questionable (to say the least), but there are bonafide classics and cult items galore.

This one falls into the latter category. It might also be the goriest film of that era. That means it is rather tame for today's standards, but it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see that certain scenes were pretty intense for the usually reserved and demure age.

As with most films of this genre and era, it doesn't take long for the plot to get up and running. Close to an American airbase in Canada, people get murdered in mysterious and gruesome ways. Their brains and spinal chords get sucked out through the back of their skulls and both the local police, doctors and military personnel are at a complete loss as to how this could happen. At first, the locals blame it on the nuclear testing the military is performing in testing a new radar system, but that apparently isn't it. 

But when a scientist comes into the picture known for his research on psychic phenomena, the plot thickens. It transpires that he has been performing illicit experiments (of course!) in order to make thoughts physically appear. Which they do, even though they're invisible. 

That is, up until the end, where an increase in nuclear power shows the horrified people what they are actually dealing with...

This one is a hoot. Like more films of that era, the pace is maddeningly fast and the names of the characters don't matter that much. There's our military hero, a beautiful and feisty damsel and an elderly scientist. Most others are fodder for the creatures. This is where the filmmakers made an excellent choice in keeping them invisible for the most part. The suggestive nature of the images and the quite disturbing sounds the creatures make, make this film pretty unsettling, even today. And when you finally see the monsters, they are something else. 

Imagine brains and spinal chords creeping about in stop motion, with antenna like a sort of slug. It is memorable for all the right reasons. 

Not only that, but when they dispatch the creatures, it is with blood and guts and gooey effects which definitely were gory back then. Heck, the dissolving brains look all the right kinds of ick.

Good times.

This is a cult classic in all the best ways: hammy dialogue, stilted acting (at times), an inventive monster, nuclear power and the right dose of suspense. Science fiction fans take note!