Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)

An ex-Nazi mad scientist uses radio-controlled atomic-powered zombies in his quest to help an exiled American gangster return to power.

Director:

Edward L. Cahn

Writers:

Curt Siodmak (story), Curt Siodmak (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Denning, Angela Stevens, S. John Launer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Denning	...	Dr. Chet Walker
Angela Stevens	...	Joyce Walker
S. John Launer	...	Capt. Dave Harris
Michael Granger	...	Frank Buchanan
Gregory Gaye	...	Dr. Wilhelm Steigg (as Gregory Gay)
Linda Bennett	...	Penny Walker
Tristram Coffin	...	Dist. Atty. MacGraw
Harry Lauter	...	Reporter #1
Larry J. Blake	...	Reporter #2 (as Larry Blake)
Charles Evans	...	Chief Camden
Pierre Watkin	...	Mayor Bremer

Storyline

Several years earlier gangster Frank Buchanan was deported to his native Italy through the efforts of law enforcement authorities and rival gangsters who inform on him. While in Europe he meets scientist Wilhelm Steigg, who has perfected a method of reanimating dead people and controlling their behavior with oral commands. Buchanan underwrites Steigg's experiments and uses his technology to wreak revenge on his enemies. Unfortunately radioactive poisoning is a by-product of the process, and authorities use radiation detecting devices like Geiger counters to pinpoint the source of the sinister plot.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | scientist | geiger counter | revenge | experiment | 

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Taglines:

He Comes from Beyond the Grave!

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le tueur au cerveau atomique

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Ranch, Verdugo Ave. and Pass Avenue, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clover Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film uses the old Columbia Ranch back lot in Burbank, now named the Warner Brothers Ranch, extensively filming on its residential and city street sets. The shot showing the "Monroe Air Force Base" utilized the ranch's entrance with its two gate houses.

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Goofs

When Dave goes to Chet's home, we see a name tag with 'Chet Walker' just above the doorbell. It's only there as he rings the doorbell. All other shots show a plain doorbell with no tag.

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Quotes

Frank Buchanan: Steigg, you may be a crackpot, but you are also a genius!

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Connections

Featured in Monsterama Sci-Fi Late Night Creature Feature Show Vol. 1 (1996)

User Reviews

Remote-Controlled Zombies Out for Revenge!

One might think with the extremely low budget, the lack of true star power, and a title like Creature with the Atom Brain that this project would be nothing more than many of the same types of science fiction/horror films grinded out in the 1950s, but it is better than you might expect. Sure, it looks pretty cheaply made. Yes, Richard Denning is it when it comes to a name your average 50's movie fan might know. Like other movies of its era and genre, the film is fast-paced and to the point without a lot of expository information given to the audience. What makes this film a bit different is that the story, even though quite ridiculous in and of itself, is rather inventive and the script keeps to that inventiveness quite nicely. Both the story and script are the work of Curt Siodmak, the famed horror/science fiction writer of such films as The Wolfman, I Walked with a Zombie, and so many others. The story is simply that a gangster who had been run out ten years ago comes back with a German scientist that has discovered how to reanimate dead bodies with uranium. The gangster then commands these dead bodies with a microphone and looks at what they see through their eyes on a big screen as they are sent to avenge those men that put Frank Buchanan(said gangster) in exile. The dead bodies have super human strength but otherwise look somewhat normal except for cutting lines around their foreheads. Some of the scenes with the dead are very persuasive, and director Edward L. Cahn knows how to keep the pace tight and the action relevant. The acting including lead Denning as the man able to solve the mystery of the dead rising and taking their revenge is adequate with S. John Launer as Captain Harris, Denning's partner, standing out in an interesting role. Angela Stevens as Denning's wife has little to do, but she looks very nicely doing it nonetheless.Michael Granger and Gregory Gaye play Buchanan and the scientist respectively and are also adequate. But the real stars of this film are the script and Cahn's solid direction with limited resources. The hideout for Buchanan and the way they crawled through these blowing tubes were really inventive uses of limited means. While not a great film, Creature with the Atom Brain is a solid 50's sci-fi addition and quite possibly even a forerunner to movies like The Night of the Living Dead.