The Brute Man (1946)

Director:

Jean Yarbrough

Writers:

Dwight V. Babcock (story)
George Bricker (writer)

Release Date:

1 October 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

His brain cried "Kill, kill, kill!"

Plot:

A facially deformed and mentally unhinged man wreaks his revenge on those who deformed him with a series of brutal murders.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Disfigurement | Football | Manhunt | Pawnshop

Cast

Tom Neal	...	Clifford Scott
Jan Wiley	...	Virginia Rogers Scott
Jane Adams	...	Helen Paige
Donald MacBride	...	Police Captain M. J. Donelly
Peter Whitney	...	Police Lieutenant Gates
Fred Coby	...	Young Hal Moffet
Janelle Johnson Dolenz	...	Joan Bemis
Rondo Hatton	...	Hal Moffet AKA 'The Creeper'

Also Known As:

The Brute

Runtime:

58 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In England, the rating of H (Horrific) was created specifically for this film, and no one under 16 was allowed to see it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Police Dispatcher: Attention all cars, attention all cars: general alarm. Car 22, go to 733 Spring Avenue, it's a 341, that is all.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Brute Man (#8.2)" (1996)

Decent B picture with good work by Rondo Hatton.

The distinctively featured character star Rondo Hatton - his face disfigured by the disease acromegaly - gets a starring role as a revenge-crazed murderer dubbed "The Creeper" by the press. Once a handsome if hot-tempered football star by the name of Hal Moffat, a lab accident happened to mar his appearance. Now he's out to strike back at those he blames for his situation, while forming a tender friendship with a blind girl, Helen Paige (the wonderfully beautiful Jane Adams), who is therefore not bound by any fear of his appearance.

Were it not for Hattons' presence (sadly, this was his last picture), this would still be watchable but pretty forgettable. The plot is pretty standard. Supporting performances are acceptable, and the music has a familiar ring to it. There are also points, such as the gin rummy sequence, where the picture ought not to be taken too seriously. It's well paced (running just under an hour long) and reasonably entertaining, but Hattons' poignant presence makes it something different. This is no one-dimensionally evil boogeyman, but a man blinded by the same temper that afflicted him in better days. One can get the sense of the kind and sensitive person that Hatton was.

While it may have been unfortunate that the movie business was too quick to exploit Hattons' appearance, there's no doubt that he made his mark in cinema. People continue to remember him today, right down to the naming of an award - marking achievement in horror research - after him.

Rest in peace, Rondo Hatton.

7/10