Ask Jon Mulvaney why he considered "Fiend Without a Face" interesting and unique enough to make it part of his CRITERION collection.
The first half of the film is generally horrific, as Marshall Thompson tries to learn the secret of the bizarre, brutal murders by the invisible monsters. While the shock effects didn't fully live up to the story's potential, the German animated creatures are serviceable enough, especially for a low-budget 50s scifi.
WARNING: SPOILERS
About the only thing I didn't understand was why the arrogant villager escaped with radiation burns and the mind of an imbecile. No one else suffered radiation burns, even though the scientist had used nuclear power to create the creatures.
Some don't understand WHY the creatures were simply brains with spinal cords and columns. They apparently weren't listening too closely as the scientist explained he had diverted some of the energy from military base's nuclear power plant for his telekinesis experiments. The creatures were created from pure thought, and the scientist had chosen to make them simple as possible. The physical essence of an intelligent vertebrate is its brain and spinal column, and that's what the scientist envisaged.
"Fiend Without a Face" is one the most, pardon the pun, thought provoking scifi-horror films of the 50s, and is worth a "7".
The first half of the film is generally horrific, as Marshall Thompson tries to learn the secret of the bizarre, brutal murders by the invisible monsters. While the shock effects didn't fully live up to the story's potential, the German animated creatures are serviceable enough, especially for a low-budget 50s scifi.
WARNING: SPOILERS
About the only thing I didn't understand was why the arrogant villager escaped with radiation burns and the mind of an imbecile. No one else suffered radiation burns, even though the scientist had used nuclear power to create the creatures.
Some don't understand WHY the creatures were simply brains with spinal cords and columns. They apparently weren't listening too closely as the scientist explained he had diverted some of the energy from military base's nuclear power plant for his telekinesis experiments. The creatures were created from pure thought, and the scientist had chosen to make them simple as possible. The physical essence of an intelligent vertebrate is its brain and spinal column, and that's what the scientist envisaged.
"Fiend Without a Face" is one the most, pardon the pun, thought provoking scifi-horror films of the 50s, and is worth a "7".