After reading many of the other reviews for this film , I just thought I would try to say a couple of positive things about it. For one if you,re a Universal Horror film completist like myself , it's a "must have" I realize the production values are somewhat low for Universal standards , thats why they released it as a "PRC" film , but hey! they were glad to get it. Secondly , It's actually a "prequal" to the film House Of Horrors , which is really a lot better film overall , and moves at the brisker pace you'd expect a Universal Horror flick to travel at. Third , It's got Rondo. Truly an unusual character to build a film around. He is now now a minor cult icon , and the inspiration of the Rondo Awards , that honor many different aspects of Horror & Sci-fi , by allowing us to vote online..All & All , I gave this one a 5 out of 10 mainly based on my great love of the classic Universal Horror films. Take a second look some evening , watch it with House Of Horrors. It's not all that bad.
44 Reviews
Acromegaly
boblipton19 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Acromegaly: abnormal growth of the hands, feet, and face, caused by overproduction of growth hormone by the pituitary gland.
Everyone in town is looking for a psychopathic killer called "The Creeper." He's been murdering, apparently at random. It's Rondo Hatton, a man with a hideously disfigured face. Looking for a hiding spot, he takes refuge in the apartment of Jane Adams, a piano teacher. Because she is blind, she does not realize he looks like a monster, and treats him kindly. She tells him that an expensive operation may allow her to see.
It's a well-produced if somewhat abbreviated horror movie produced by Universal. After shooting and editing wrapped, it was sold to PRC, all the Universal credits removed, and released. At the time it was claimed that Universal would no longer be producing B pictures. In reality, it was because Hatton wore no make-up.
Hatton suffered from acromegaly, a pituitary condition that caused his disfigurement and resulted in his death at age 51 before the movie was released. It is believed that exposure to gas warfare in the First World War had triggered the condition.
The movie has its moments of humor, principally in the scenes with Donald MacBride. At the end, Miss Adams expresses her regret. The police blithely assure her that he deserved it. He was a psychopathic killer and she's going to get her operation. It's a happy ending for everyone, except for Rondo Hatton.
Everyone in town is looking for a psychopathic killer called "The Creeper." He's been murdering, apparently at random. It's Rondo Hatton, a man with a hideously disfigured face. Looking for a hiding spot, he takes refuge in the apartment of Jane Adams, a piano teacher. Because she is blind, she does not realize he looks like a monster, and treats him kindly. She tells him that an expensive operation may allow her to see.
It's a well-produced if somewhat abbreviated horror movie produced by Universal. After shooting and editing wrapped, it was sold to PRC, all the Universal credits removed, and released. At the time it was claimed that Universal would no longer be producing B pictures. In reality, it was because Hatton wore no make-up.
Hatton suffered from acromegaly, a pituitary condition that caused his disfigurement and resulted in his death at age 51 before the movie was released. It is believed that exposure to gas warfare in the First World War had triggered the condition.
The movie has its moments of humor, principally in the scenes with Donald MacBride. At the end, Miss Adams expresses her regret. The police blithely assure her that he deserved it. He was a psychopathic killer and she's going to get her operation. It's a happy ending for everyone, except for Rondo Hatton.
Ja Nelle Johnson was the mother of Micky Dolenz
kevinolzak3 May 2011
1946's "The Brute Man" was a follow up to "House of Horrors," from the same producer (Ben Pivar) and director (Jean Yarbrough), plus the same star, Rondo Hatton, who filmed "The Spider Woman Strikes Back" in between (none were released until after his death in February 1946). Hatton's own back story inspired much of the plot of this low grade thriller (his last film), actually a prequel to the far superior "House of Horrors," taking place before the events of the earlier film. The Creeper stalks his victims slowly, snapping their spines in two, before befriending a blind girl (Jane Adams), who naively finds sympathetic qualities in the fiendish killer. Hatton's performance consists of wandering the dark streets from one incident to the next, while the police investigation adds up to a game of 'pass the buck.' Jane Adams had just finished playing the hunchbacked nurse in "House of Dracula," and would end her brief career with 1949's Bowery Boys horror-comedy, "Master Minds." Jan Wiley, from "The Strange Case of Doctor Rx" and "She-Wolf of London," was about to end her own brief career. Another actress of note, billed last in the credits, is Ja Nelle Johnson, a radio performer who apparently made just one other screen appearance, wife of actor George Dolenz (television's COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO), mother of singer-actor Micky Dolenz (THE MONKEES), and grandmother of actress Ami Dolenz. She gets one opening scene, and another in a later flashback, filmed when Micky was about 8 months old (November 1945). In the ultimate tribute to his mother, who kept the family stable through George's untimely death in 1963, Micky ended up recording a bedtime lullaby she used to sing, titled "Pillow Time," from the October 1969 Monkees lp, THE MONKEES PRESENT. Her credited co-author was fellow actor Matt Willis, best remembered as Bela Lugosi's werewolf servant in Columbia's "The Return of the Vampire" in 1943 (both had definitely worked at Universal).
The final film of a man who proved that being different is not for sissies.
jimandradka8 February 2001
This is the final film for Rondo Hatton, who suffered from acromegaly, and was employed in Hollywood increasingly as his disease progressed, just as Hedy Lamarr was used as her beauty increased. The plot is simple: a bright handsome young man is turned into a monster by an accident causing malfunction of his pituitary gland. His disease exacerbates his natural inclination to impulse and temper. As in the Frankenstein myth, his ugliness causes rejection by almost every one he meets. At any clear sign of revulsion, he kills. As in the Frankenstein movie, he receives unconditional acceptance only from a blind musician. At this hint of what life could have been, he softens. But the Hollywood ending cannot be. Rondo, who started in movies in 1930, was routinely used as a homely/ugly bit. The revival of horror films brought him a natural chance for stardom. Movies released in '44, '45, and '46 (the year of his death), had him appearing as The Creeper, in lead or featured parts. In the The Brute Man, he plays that part as it parallels his own life, and he is remarkably good, fully showing the good and the bad of the character. It is the faint spark of human needs that touches us, and it makes it possible to see the real ugliness of the beautiful actors cast to support him. But it is not a welcome message. The production is of course on the cheap, but with a lot of attention to detail, especially the waterfront hovel, his hideout, and the downscale apartment of the blind girl, his only other haven. Brando, in The Men, at the beginning of his career, and Rondo, in The Brute, at the end of his career, show us that being different is not for sissies, only with Brando you get the Hollywood ending.
Not a bad film though I had a hard time really enjoying it
planktonrules2 August 2008
Before I begin talking about BRUTE MAN, there's some important information you should know about the star of the film, Rondo Hatton. Earlier in life, he's led a rather normal existence, though he later developed acromegaly--which caused his features to become disproportional and deformed. He was truly an ugly man in need of work and Universal Studios thought he'd be a natural to play monsters, as he needed no makeup. Considering how exploitational this seems, I couldn't help but feeling sorry for the guy and thinking about this throughout BRUTE MAN. As a result, though it wasn't a bad little B-film, I couldn't really enjoy it very much. I felt like a customer at a freak show, gawking at this poor guy.
As for the film, it's a very short and not especially memorable suspense film. A guy was disfigured in a laboratory accident and since then, he has been rather indiscriminately killing people. The police dub him "The Creeper" and despite being exceptionally noticeable, the police have a heck of a time catching him.
The acting is fine and the production is fine--not distinguished but acceptable for a B. However, as I said above, I had a hard time enjoying it knowing that around the time the film was completed, Hatton died from his illness.
As for the film, it's a very short and not especially memorable suspense film. A guy was disfigured in a laboratory accident and since then, he has been rather indiscriminately killing people. The police dub him "The Creeper" and despite being exceptionally noticeable, the police have a heck of a time catching him.
The acting is fine and the production is fine--not distinguished but acceptable for a B. However, as I said above, I had a hard time enjoying it knowing that around the time the film was completed, Hatton died from his illness.
"Attention all cars, attention all cars"
bensonmum224 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Horribly disfigured in a lab accident, Hal Moffat (Rondo Hatton) seeks revenge against all those he blames for his condition. The police seem to be unable to put a stop to the killer they've dubbed the "Creeper". During one of his escapes from the police, the Creeper hides out in an apartment occupied by a blind woman. The pair strike up an unlikely relationship that lasts until the woman discovers her new friend's true identity. Now her life is in danger!
It's difficult to discuss The Brute Man without discussing Rondo Hatton, but that's exactly what I want to do for a moment. The biggest problem with the movie is that it's pretty much a bore. Scene after scene of watching the Creeper . . . uhh . . . creep (for the lack of a better word) does not make for the most exciting of movie experiences. He's too slow too slow to hold my interest. And it doesn't help matters that the Creeper's relationship with the blind woman is so predictable. From the moment the pair met, I was waiting for the woman to say that there was a surgery that might cure her, but it cost too much. And I just knew the Creeper was going to try to help her out by killing someone to get the money she needed. No surprises here.
As for Rondo, I wish I knew more about him. He seems to have been a tragic, yet interesting fellow. In the few movies I've seen him in, he was never asked to do much. His acromegaly seems to be all that the studios were interested in. I doubt it, but I sincerely hope that he was able to exploit the movie studios just as they were exploiting him. And even though Rondo wasn't the world's greatest actor, there's something oddly compelling about his performance and The Brute Man in general. The Creeper is such a tragic character that it's difficult to fear him when you have such compassion for him and his predicament. While I cannot condone his actions, I certainly understand what drove him to commit his crimes. I've just got to give the movie an extra point based on Rondo.
The Brute Man was featured in Episode #702 of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Overall, it's not particularly good. Too often, the guys resort to making fun of Rondo's medical condition not a very humorous topic. There are a few moments that do work, but overall, I'm disappointed. This episode of MST3K gets a 2/5 on my rating scale.
It's difficult to discuss The Brute Man without discussing Rondo Hatton, but that's exactly what I want to do for a moment. The biggest problem with the movie is that it's pretty much a bore. Scene after scene of watching the Creeper . . . uhh . . . creep (for the lack of a better word) does not make for the most exciting of movie experiences. He's too slow too slow to hold my interest. And it doesn't help matters that the Creeper's relationship with the blind woman is so predictable. From the moment the pair met, I was waiting for the woman to say that there was a surgery that might cure her, but it cost too much. And I just knew the Creeper was going to try to help her out by killing someone to get the money she needed. No surprises here.
As for Rondo, I wish I knew more about him. He seems to have been a tragic, yet interesting fellow. In the few movies I've seen him in, he was never asked to do much. His acromegaly seems to be all that the studios were interested in. I doubt it, but I sincerely hope that he was able to exploit the movie studios just as they were exploiting him. And even though Rondo wasn't the world's greatest actor, there's something oddly compelling about his performance and The Brute Man in general. The Creeper is such a tragic character that it's difficult to fear him when you have such compassion for him and his predicament. While I cannot condone his actions, I certainly understand what drove him to commit his crimes. I've just got to give the movie an extra point based on Rondo.
The Brute Man was featured in Episode #702 of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Overall, it's not particularly good. Too often, the guys resort to making fun of Rondo's medical condition not a very humorous topic. There are a few moments that do work, but overall, I'm disappointed. This episode of MST3K gets a 2/5 on my rating scale.
I've changed a bit since you last saw me
kapelusznik1816 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
****SPOILERS**** Introduced as the notorious "Creeper" in the movie "House of Horrors" Rondo Hatton, due to popular demand, is back for an encore appearance in "The Brute Man". It's there where we get to see what caused this man to turn into the monster that he became due to a chemical accident while in collage. The "Creeper" was in fact handsome collage football star Hal Moffat, Fred Coby, who's friend Cliff Scott, Tom Neal, played a prank on him causing him to fail his chemistry class. That ended up leading to his tragic, in mixing the wrong chemicals after classes, accident that changed his handsome looks for the worst.
Despite the "Creepers" brutal string of murders during the movie, where Scott was one of them, he's given a sympathetic side in falling for the blind piano player Hellen Paige, Jane Adams. It was Hellen who save him from being arrested by the police by hiding him in her apartment. The fact that Hellen wasn't able to see him and how hideous he looked was the only reason she wasn't afraid of the guy. This has the movie take on a "City Lights" like story with the "Creeper" going on a new murder spree just for him to get the money that Hellen needs for an eye operation to restore her sight. In the end the "Creeper" turns on Hellen herself in feeling that she betrayed by ratting him out to the police which she, in finding out that he's a serial murderer, reluctantly did.
This turned out to be the last movie that Rando Hatton made released some seven months after he passed away. In fact the two films that established Hatton as the horror star that he was to become, "House of Horrors" & "The Brute Man", came out after his death making him a movie icon for generations of movies fans to come like the late rebellious and teen anti-hero actor James Dean. Who also became famous, some ten years later, after his signature film "Rebel without a Cause" as well as "Giant" were released after his death that catapulted him to movie super stardom.
Despite the "Creepers" brutal string of murders during the movie, where Scott was one of them, he's given a sympathetic side in falling for the blind piano player Hellen Paige, Jane Adams. It was Hellen who save him from being arrested by the police by hiding him in her apartment. The fact that Hellen wasn't able to see him and how hideous he looked was the only reason she wasn't afraid of the guy. This has the movie take on a "City Lights" like story with the "Creeper" going on a new murder spree just for him to get the money that Hellen needs for an eye operation to restore her sight. In the end the "Creeper" turns on Hellen herself in feeling that she betrayed by ratting him out to the police which she, in finding out that he's a serial murderer, reluctantly did.
This turned out to be the last movie that Rando Hatton made released some seven months after he passed away. In fact the two films that established Hatton as the horror star that he was to become, "House of Horrors" & "The Brute Man", came out after his death making him a movie icon for generations of movies fans to come like the late rebellious and teen anti-hero actor James Dean. Who also became famous, some ten years later, after his signature film "Rebel without a Cause" as well as "Giant" were released after his death that catapulted him to movie super stardom.
The Brute Man (1946) **
JoeKarlosi17 October 2009
Rondo Hatton (who suffered from the disease Acromegaly) allowed himself to be exploited by Universal Pictures near the end of his life for some horror-themed movies. Here in his final film he plays the deformed murderer named "The Creeper" for the last time, who is on the prowl and hunted down by the police. He seeks refuge in the home of a pretty blind pianist (Jane Adams from HOUSE OF Dracula). If there is one film from this period that I'd call "only pretty standard stuff", it would be this one. But at least there is a flashback sequence which offers a semi-interesting slant on how the Creeper came by his unfortunate appearance. ** out of ****
Rondo Hatton is the Brute Man...aka the Creeper!
Aaron137516 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, the character in this film is played by Rondo Hatton and his name is Hal Moffat who is known as The Creeper and the title of the film is The Brute Man! If I had to guess, I would say there is perhaps another film named The Creeper released about this time; otherwise, why name the film The Brute Man? He is never referred to as the brute man at any point during the duration of the film. I saw this film on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and I would think that it is probably one of the older films that they have riffed over the years. It was not as bad as a lot of other films they did, just a very uneven tone in it and I think it would have played out better had they not made the creeper, the brute man such a killer in the film. Or if they had simply not tried to illicit sympathy for him it would have helped.
The story has a man going through the city killing people. He is dubbed The Creeper and there is a huge manhunt going on for this person as he kills a woman and an intrepid delivery boy who would have probably been better off minding his own business or simply tipping off the police rather than overly long staring through a window. This disfigured killer though has a sweet spot for a blind woman as she does not fear him because of his looks. Still, the creeper will not stop his plans for revenge even for love! Heck, he even kills a shopkeeper for the blind girl.
This made for a rather good episode of MST3K it also featured a short preceding the film about the chicken of tomorrow that is also rather funny. I preferred the shorts like it to the serials that they did in earlier episodes, mainly because you never got any resolution! The police in this film are rather goofy, the brute man actually being dubbed the creeper in the film and other things make this film full of good riffs and it does not hurt that this film was not horrible or boring too.
This film does have its moments as it is interesting watching the creeper getting revenge and at the same time trying to woo the lady, but as I said it makes the film uneven. Like they were trying to go for horror and then added drama and then threw in a dash of light comedy and then tried to mix it all up! There are also a lot of scenes of the creeper simply trying to climb a fire escape, I can think of three times easy! So if you like revenge, if you like brute men who are known by creeper and you like watching people climb fire escapes this is the film for you! Also, how did the creeper get over being shot twice at point blank range?
The story has a man going through the city killing people. He is dubbed The Creeper and there is a huge manhunt going on for this person as he kills a woman and an intrepid delivery boy who would have probably been better off minding his own business or simply tipping off the police rather than overly long staring through a window. This disfigured killer though has a sweet spot for a blind woman as she does not fear him because of his looks. Still, the creeper will not stop his plans for revenge even for love! Heck, he even kills a shopkeeper for the blind girl.
This made for a rather good episode of MST3K it also featured a short preceding the film about the chicken of tomorrow that is also rather funny. I preferred the shorts like it to the serials that they did in earlier episodes, mainly because you never got any resolution! The police in this film are rather goofy, the brute man actually being dubbed the creeper in the film and other things make this film full of good riffs and it does not hurt that this film was not horrible or boring too.
This film does have its moments as it is interesting watching the creeper getting revenge and at the same time trying to woo the lady, but as I said it makes the film uneven. Like they were trying to go for horror and then added drama and then threw in a dash of light comedy and then tried to mix it all up! There are also a lot of scenes of the creeper simply trying to climb a fire escape, I can think of three times easy! So if you like revenge, if you like brute men who are known by creeper and you like watching people climb fire escapes this is the film for you! Also, how did the creeper get over being shot twice at point blank range?
An Extremely Well-Made Little B Picture
ferbs5413 November 2007
Guys, the next time you look in the mirror and don't like what you see, try telling yourself that at least you're not Rondo Hatton. Hatton suffered with the congenital disease acromegaly, which, as Webster's puts it, is "chronic hyperpituitarism marked by progressive enlargement of hands, feet and face." He lived to the age of 52, being felled by a heart attack shortly after making his last film, "The Brute Man," in 1946. This is an extremely well-made little B picture, featuring fine acting by all, a compact story and some real suspense. In it, Hatton plays a former college BMOC who became disfigured after a lab accident and who, years later, begins a murder spree against all his former pals and teachers that he blames for his current condition. He also befriends a pretty, blind piano teacher, who naturally doesn't recoil automatically from the big lug's unique physiognomy. These scenes, with big Rondo and the blind woman, will likely cause most viewers to recall Frankenstein and the blind hermit in "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935), just as his later sacrifices on her behalf are reminiscent of Chaplin's for his blind flower girl in "City Lights" (1931). No, "The Brute Man" is not nearly in the same league as those two immortal classics, but still remains a fine entertainment nevertheless. "Frankenstein" makeup man Jack Pierce contributed his great talents to this film, too, making Hatton (I would imagine) even more of a sight than he was ordinarily. It's hard to feel much sympathy for Rondo's "Creeper" character, cold-blooded psycho that he has become, but somehow, we DO still feel some, to the actor's great credit. Oh, by the way, this DVD looks just terrific; an absolutely first-rate transfer from the fine folks at Image Entertainment.
THE BRUTE MAN (Jean Yarbrough, 1946) **
Bunuel197623 January 2010
Earlier on during this Halloween Horror challenge, I had watched HOUSE OF HORRORS (1946) which was basically a precursor to this one – similarly dealing with a hulking criminal with a penchant for back-breaking dubbed "The Creeper" (actually first seen in the Sherlock Holmes mystery THE PEARL OF DEATH [1944]!). In this case, we are given the character's tragic back-story – though it actually does a disservice to actor Rondo Hatton (deformed in real life by acromegaly) by making his condition self-inflicted and rendering him homicidal into the bargain! Anyway, though it shares many a credit with the subsequent film, this one (which proved to be Hatton's last) was actually made by the Poverty Row company PRC. Running a brief 59 minutes, it is simply a succession of incidents showing The Creeper either taking revenge on his former colleagues at college (including an ex-girlfriend and a romantic rival – played by DETOUR [1945]'s Tom Neal) or else killing others who happen to get in his way. To give some measure of sympathy to the titular figure, we also get a subplot in which he is sheltered by a blind pianist (shades of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN [1935] and THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK [1941]): eventually, though, she allows herself to be used as bait in a trap set for him by the Police (with flustered Donald MacBride at their head!). In itself, then, the film is watchable as an example of low-budget horror from this vintage but in no way a classic.
Rondo Hatton's Finest Hour
scott-palmer26 September 2009
Rondo Hatton was a former reporter who began acting in films in 1930 when he was covering a film being made in Florida. During the 30s and 40s he was mainly seen in small roles, often as hulks, due to his large body size and the fact the he had contracted acromegaly after being gassed during the first world war. In 1944 he was cast as The Hoxton Creeper in a Sherlock Holmes film, The Pearl of Death, and achieved brief stardom-or at least cult stardom-until his early death from a heart attack at age 52 in 1946 (he had suffered a milder heart attack the previous year as a direct result of his condition).
In this, one of his last films, not only does Hatton get the starring role, he has a great deal of dialogue and proves that he could be a good actor when given the chance. It is unusual for audiences to feel as much sympathy for a killer-especially one who has killed several times-but we do for Hatton. His scenes with Jane Adams, playing Helen, the blind piano teacher, are especially moving. Helen sees the inner man without being able to see the physical one, and although as I said he's a killer he gives the impression of a very human, tragic figure. Helen wants to touch his face, but he won't let her; this gives one a strong impression of a mirroring of the life of the actor himself. Just like the character he plays, Rondo Hatton was an athlete when younger, and excelled at football.
All of the cast play their parts well. Donald MacBride, frequently cast as the dumb cop, plays a very canny and intelligent one here, and he's ably supported by Peter Whitney-looking handsome and slim!-as Police Lieutenant Gates. The photography is well-done-especially considering the budget (or lack thereof) and there are some nice angles and lighting, especially when Hatton is prowling around the city.
Note: This film was actually made at Universal, who sold the rights to it to PRC shortly after it was completed (and Rondo Hatton died).
In this, one of his last films, not only does Hatton get the starring role, he has a great deal of dialogue and proves that he could be a good actor when given the chance. It is unusual for audiences to feel as much sympathy for a killer-especially one who has killed several times-but we do for Hatton. His scenes with Jane Adams, playing Helen, the blind piano teacher, are especially moving. Helen sees the inner man without being able to see the physical one, and although as I said he's a killer he gives the impression of a very human, tragic figure. Helen wants to touch his face, but he won't let her; this gives one a strong impression of a mirroring of the life of the actor himself. Just like the character he plays, Rondo Hatton was an athlete when younger, and excelled at football.
All of the cast play their parts well. Donald MacBride, frequently cast as the dumb cop, plays a very canny and intelligent one here, and he's ably supported by Peter Whitney-looking handsome and slim!-as Police Lieutenant Gates. The photography is well-done-especially considering the budget (or lack thereof) and there are some nice angles and lighting, especially when Hatton is prowling around the city.
Note: This film was actually made at Universal, who sold the rights to it to PRC shortly after it was completed (and Rondo Hatton died).
Back-breaking work...
poe4267 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
While it's by no means a classic of any kind, THE BRUTE MAN nonetheless rates a look- primarily because of its star, Rondo Hatton. Soft spoken and intelligent, he gives an understated performance that, in its own limited way, rivals that of Charlie Chaplin in CITY LIGHTS. I cite the Chaplin movie only because of the similarity in the storyline: both deal with men who fall for blind women (both of whom need "an operation" to restore their sight) and fear that, once able to see, the women will reject them (Chaplin because he's down and out, Hatton because he's "disfigured"). The direction as well as the supporting performances are something less than stellar (this is the guy who gave us the motionless picture SHE-WOLF OF London, one of the biggest cheats to come down the pike since MARK OF THE VAMPIRE), but Hatton as "The Creeper" comes across as somewhat sympathetic- especially when the blind girl attempts to touch his face: he turns away abruptly, and one can't help but factor his action(s) into his Real World experiences.
Hollywood's most grotesque star.
bkoganbing26 August 2018
The sad life and sad career of Rondo Hatton concluded with this film, The Brute
Man which was produce at Universal and then most likely incompleted was sold to
PRC films. Hollywood's most grotesque player who the movies tried to capitalize
on his features made grotesque by acromeglia.
For once I can say in a PRC film it might not have been sloppy editing, but they got it this way from Universal and did little to improve it.
Hatton plays a man who at one time looked like Fred Coby, a promising All American who was made grotesque looking by an accident in Professor John Hamilton's laboratory. Now he's taking revenge on all those who did him dirt and any others who get in the way.
The characters are rather one dimensional and even less time than usual was given to development of them. It's sad terminus to an even sadder life and career of Rondo Hatton.
For once I can say in a PRC film it might not have been sloppy editing, but they got it this way from Universal and did little to improve it.
Hatton plays a man who at one time looked like Fred Coby, a promising All American who was made grotesque looking by an accident in Professor John Hamilton's laboratory. Now he's taking revenge on all those who did him dirt and any others who get in the way.
The characters are rather one dimensional and even less time than usual was given to development of them. It's sad terminus to an even sadder life and career of Rondo Hatton.
Meet The Creeper!
VicCasey11 October 2005
Rondo Hatton is my hero. Who cares if he wasn't a classically trained actor?! As The Creeper he tugs the heart-strings like a pro! He's got heart! He's got soul! He's got courage! He's also damned likable! Rondo is also one hell of a hero. Rondo took the crummy hand that fate dealt him and played it magnificently. He became one of the most endearing and cool anti-heroes of all B-moviedom! To experience Rondo Hatton as The Creeper is to experience pure magic! I watched horror movies as kid and always loved "the monster". A good "monster" gets my vote every damn time. The Creeper fits that bill perfectly and better than most. The Creeper is one of my all time favorite fright flick anti-heroes. GOD BLESS YOU RONDO HATTON!
Warning: Coma inducing
InzyWimzy4 September 2003
AH, B movies from yesteryear. It's just fun to see the lingo, fashion, mores and values of society's past. The Brute Man lies there along with zirconias like Attack from the Giant Leeches, Giant Gila Monster, Monster A Go-Go, and The Killer Shrews.
Rondo's called the Creeper for a reason...maybe he should've been called the Staller. Slower and slower, the Creeper (YAWN) induces terror. Plus, did the fire escape scene have to be shown EVERY time??? SHEESH! Also learned that blind women are capable of looking beautiful. The scenes with the inept policemen are deplorable and watch the slipup when the Lt. flubs a line at the station. So bad is this movie, they couldn't afford a second take. Hell, let's just include the error, his career's going nowhere! MAN, all this pain because of chemistry class!
By the way, I don't know why I watched this.
Rondo's called the Creeper for a reason...maybe he should've been called the Staller. Slower and slower, the Creeper (YAWN) induces terror. Plus, did the fire escape scene have to be shown EVERY time??? SHEESH! Also learned that blind women are capable of looking beautiful. The scenes with the inept policemen are deplorable and watch the slipup when the Lt. flubs a line at the station. So bad is this movie, they couldn't afford a second take. Hell, let's just include the error, his career's going nowhere! MAN, all this pain because of chemistry class!
By the way, I don't know why I watched this.
Not even funny on MST3K
duce12226 August 1999
Shame on you, Universal
tomgillespie20027 October 2016
Jean Yarbrough's The Brute Man. remembered as the final film to star horror icon and all-round tragic figure Rondo Hatton, has a backstory infinitely more interesting than the movie itself. With Universal Pictures adopting a new policy against releasing any more B-movies, The Brute Man was shipped off to PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation), one of the smaller production companies known as 'Poverty Row', which would release the film without any mention of Universal's involvement. Some say that Universal distanced themselves out of sheer embarrassment of their exploitation of Hatton, an actor suffering from acromegaly who died before the film was even released.
Reprising his most famous role for the third and final time (after the Sherlock Holmes story The Pearl of Death and Yarbrough's House of Horrors), Hatton's The Creeper is back on the loose in an unnamed city (probably New York), and seeking revenge on those who wronged him. Without giving too much away, the Creeper was once a handsome football star, much like Hatton himself, before an accident disfigures him, and the police are on high alert when bodies start turning up with their backs broken. In the film's attempt to inspire some sympathy for the killer, the Creeper falls in love with beautiful blind pianist Helen Paige (Jane Adams), the only person not be instantly repulsed by his appearance.
As a slice of B-movie horror, The Brute Man is forgettable and formulaic, and with a run time of less than an hour, there's a remarkable lack of depth. The performances are blank and stagy, with the exception of the sweet Adams and 'King of the B-movies' Tom Neal, the latter of whom would go on to star in film noir classic Detour (1945) and get away with murdering his wife once his acting career stalled. However, the film's biggest crime is its treatment of Hatton. He is forced to act through incredibly uncomfortable scenes such as an entire restaurant full of patrons fleeing in horror from the sight of him through a window, and play a character who is as morally disfigured as he is physically, despite those half-arsed attempts to show a gentler side. Shame on you, Universal.
Reprising his most famous role for the third and final time (after the Sherlock Holmes story The Pearl of Death and Yarbrough's House of Horrors), Hatton's The Creeper is back on the loose in an unnamed city (probably New York), and seeking revenge on those who wronged him. Without giving too much away, the Creeper was once a handsome football star, much like Hatton himself, before an accident disfigures him, and the police are on high alert when bodies start turning up with their backs broken. In the film's attempt to inspire some sympathy for the killer, the Creeper falls in love with beautiful blind pianist Helen Paige (Jane Adams), the only person not be instantly repulsed by his appearance.
As a slice of B-movie horror, The Brute Man is forgettable and formulaic, and with a run time of less than an hour, there's a remarkable lack of depth. The performances are blank and stagy, with the exception of the sweet Adams and 'King of the B-movies' Tom Neal, the latter of whom would go on to star in film noir classic Detour (1945) and get away with murdering his wife once his acting career stalled. However, the film's biggest crime is its treatment of Hatton. He is forced to act through incredibly uncomfortable scenes such as an entire restaurant full of patrons fleeing in horror from the sight of him through a window, and play a character who is as morally disfigured as he is physically, despite those half-arsed attempts to show a gentler side. Shame on you, Universal.
Hatton As A Truly Iconic Horror Villain.
meddlecore4 October 2022
A man who is treated like a monster because of his large and intimidating appearance, turns into a serial killer, as he begins to kill off those who have wronged him and treat him with disdain.
Rondo Hatton- who was born to be a character actor- plays "The Creeper", a killer whose chosen method of killing is akin to Of Mice & Men.
However, like with many "monster" pictures, he comes off as much a victim, as he does a psychopathic murderer.
In the context of the film, The Creeper- whose actual name is Hal- ends up becoming malformed after an accident he suffered when studying science in school.
Prior to his accident, he was a successful football star, who was loathed and bullied by his teammates....ultimately leading to his untimely accident.
Which, inevitably. Pushed him down the path toward vengeance.
His only taste of normalcy is experienced through his relationship with a beautiful young blind woman, who treats him like an actual person.
But, because of his actions, the police are running a dragnet, trying to track him down.
So we watch as he tries to elude them, while simultaneously trying to maintain his relationship with the young woman.
At just under an hour, the film is quite short, but rather atmospheric.
With the police coming off rather incompetent...as this readily identifiable giant is able to skirt around their protective duties with ease.
Hatton would go on to play The Creeper twice more.
Once in another Yarborough film called House Of Horrors, which is a quasi-associated sequel to this film; and then again in a Sherlock Holmes film by Roy William Neil called The Pearl Of Death (which has no association with either of the two previous films).
The film is probably best known for the MST3K episode, where they tastelessly trash the film, while making fun of Hatton's illness.
It generally received bad reviews because of Hatton's acting abilities, but I don't think it's really that bad of a performance.
Not that it's a masterpiece or anything- it's about middle of the road-.but the character he plays is a truly iconic horror villain.
5 out of 10.
Rondo Hatton- who was born to be a character actor- plays "The Creeper", a killer whose chosen method of killing is akin to Of Mice & Men.
However, like with many "monster" pictures, he comes off as much a victim, as he does a psychopathic murderer.
In the context of the film, The Creeper- whose actual name is Hal- ends up becoming malformed after an accident he suffered when studying science in school.
Prior to his accident, he was a successful football star, who was loathed and bullied by his teammates....ultimately leading to his untimely accident.
Which, inevitably. Pushed him down the path toward vengeance.
His only taste of normalcy is experienced through his relationship with a beautiful young blind woman, who treats him like an actual person.
But, because of his actions, the police are running a dragnet, trying to track him down.
So we watch as he tries to elude them, while simultaneously trying to maintain his relationship with the young woman.
At just under an hour, the film is quite short, but rather atmospheric.
With the police coming off rather incompetent...as this readily identifiable giant is able to skirt around their protective duties with ease.
Hatton would go on to play The Creeper twice more.
Once in another Yarborough film called House Of Horrors, which is a quasi-associated sequel to this film; and then again in a Sherlock Holmes film by Roy William Neil called The Pearl Of Death (which has no association with either of the two previous films).
The film is probably best known for the MST3K episode, where they tastelessly trash the film, while making fun of Hatton's illness.
It generally received bad reviews because of Hatton's acting abilities, but I don't think it's really that bad of a performance.
Not that it's a masterpiece or anything- it's about middle of the road-.but the character he plays is a truly iconic horror villain.
5 out of 10.
Not Horrible
arfdawg-126 October 2023
This movie isn't quite as bad as some of the other reviews might lead one to believe. It's a basic story -- love gone astray, a self-imposed disfiguring accident, and retribution.
Rondo had some kind pf disease that made parts of him grow big. His face is massive. But it also looks like they put him in a giant padded suit to make him appear even bigger.
So, he goes around the movie killing people left and right as the law tries to find him. Seems to me putting his mug shot up on a few poles would get him ID'ed pretty quick.
Instead, the commissioner is sitting playing gin rummy and smoking cigarettes.
Supposedly Universal sold this movie to PRC for release, never releasing it themselves. Their word was they were getting out of B pictures. Others think they didn't want to be attached to Rondo after dying before this was released. Who knows which is true?
Truth is, it's not an overly bad movie. Certainly not great, but not horrible. It kept my attention, which is more than I can say for a lot of movies these days.
I don't know much about Rondo. He doesn't appear to be a great actor. He basically reads his lines which are short in length.
Anyway, not the worst movie ever made.
Rondo had some kind pf disease that made parts of him grow big. His face is massive. But it also looks like they put him in a giant padded suit to make him appear even bigger.
So, he goes around the movie killing people left and right as the law tries to find him. Seems to me putting his mug shot up on a few poles would get him ID'ed pretty quick.
Instead, the commissioner is sitting playing gin rummy and smoking cigarettes.
Supposedly Universal sold this movie to PRC for release, never releasing it themselves. Their word was they were getting out of B pictures. Others think they didn't want to be attached to Rondo after dying before this was released. Who knows which is true?
Truth is, it's not an overly bad movie. Certainly not great, but not horrible. It kept my attention, which is more than I can say for a lot of movies these days.
I don't know much about Rondo. He doesn't appear to be a great actor. He basically reads his lines which are short in length.
Anyway, not the worst movie ever made.
The Brute Man
Scarecrow-8815 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Solid chiller, capitalizing on the popularity of Rondo Hatton's creeper character made popular in the Sherlock Holmes classic, "The Pearl of Death", has The Creeper on the rampage breaking the backs of those he deems responsible for his facial abnormalities, which occurred when a college rival infuriates his temper (both were affectionate for a beauty in their same graduation class) causing a mishap in the chemistry lab. The police have a city-wide manhunt in place, with lots of pressure on Captain MJ Donelly (Donald MacBride) to find The Creeper with the public in a state of panic, the psychopath a media sensation, making all the headlines. The police continue to have a black eye with the city mayor becoming more and more frustrated the longer The Creeper remains at large and not arrested. The possible key to The Creeper's capture is his utter hatred for the former rival, Clifford Scott (Tom Neal) and his wife, Virginia (Jan Wiley), the two he especially holds responsible for his ugly facial scars. Hatton's Hal Moffet was once a rising football star and Clifford was his scholarly tutor, both in love with Virginia. However, Clifford was the man she was in love with and the nerd made sure Hal got placed in the lab thanks to a failing grade. Jane Adams (the lovely hunchback nurse who met a gruesome fate in "House of Dracula") has a crucial role in the potential apprehension of The Creeper as a blind piano instructor he falls in love with (she cannot see his face, therefore does not frighten at his hideous visage). The Creeper wants her to get an eye operation and will try to finagle money from Clifford, with problems ensuing
Like other movies in the same vein, "The Brute Man" sympathizes with a beastly man suffering from the unpleasantness of fate, whether it is a hunched back, ugliness in appearance, or some other bodily malformation that horrifies "normal society". While acknowledging his crimes and not making excuses for them, this film still empathizes with Hatton's grotesque features (not exactly a comment directly from me, but just in the way movies imply how unpleasant he looks), and having him befriending a kindly blind woman who probably would not judge his looks if she had sight just further elaborates a sense of mourning for his predicament, asking us to at least invest emotionally in the way society cringes at his presence, screaming out instead of simply listening to him before doing so. Still, he kills a woman who cries out because she feels threatened and a teenage grocery courier, so Hal isn't a completely sympathetic figure; he's a bonafide killer who needs to be taken off the streets. This movie definitely has the look and feel of a Universal Studios release, with Hatton's involvement a major factor in its appeal to fans of classic horror. Not deserved of such a low rating, I think "The Brute Man" is worthy of discovery.
It is so tragic that Hatton did not live long enough to see how much people enjoyed his brief work in the movies--yes, his condition was exploited in a manner that turned him into almost a sideshow, but I think "The Brute Man" establishes that the actor could in fact earn pathos instead of just walking around as a hulking brute destroying people.
Like other movies in the same vein, "The Brute Man" sympathizes with a beastly man suffering from the unpleasantness of fate, whether it is a hunched back, ugliness in appearance, or some other bodily malformation that horrifies "normal society". While acknowledging his crimes and not making excuses for them, this film still empathizes with Hatton's grotesque features (not exactly a comment directly from me, but just in the way movies imply how unpleasant he looks), and having him befriending a kindly blind woman who probably would not judge his looks if she had sight just further elaborates a sense of mourning for his predicament, asking us to at least invest emotionally in the way society cringes at his presence, screaming out instead of simply listening to him before doing so. Still, he kills a woman who cries out because she feels threatened and a teenage grocery courier, so Hal isn't a completely sympathetic figure; he's a bonafide killer who needs to be taken off the streets. This movie definitely has the look and feel of a Universal Studios release, with Hatton's involvement a major factor in its appeal to fans of classic horror. Not deserved of such a low rating, I think "The Brute Man" is worthy of discovery.
It is so tragic that Hatton did not live long enough to see how much people enjoyed his brief work in the movies--yes, his condition was exploited in a manner that turned him into almost a sideshow, but I think "The Brute Man" establishes that the actor could in fact earn pathos instead of just walking around as a hulking brute destroying people.
Blind Beauty and the Sensitive Beast
Coventry10 January 2017
Sometimes, the background story of a certain film production is more interesting than the actual film itself. This is definitely the case here. "The Brute Man" and the more or less simultaneously produced "House of Horror" both star Rondo Hatton and only got released after his death at the age of 51. Hatton suffered from Acromegaly, a terrible illness which caused for the bones in his body to deform badly. As an effect from his Acromegaly, Hatton looked like an authentic boogeyman without make-up and thus he quickly got typecast as monstrous and merciless killer, like The Creeper in the two aforementioned titles. Allegedly the good people at Universal Studios became so ashamed and remorseful about exploiting Hatton's looks and condition that they decided to sell the rights of "The Brute Man" to an inferior yet more unscrupulous production company. Is it immoral and completely insensitive to cash in on the physical handicaps of actors and deliberately use their disfigurements to frighten viewers? Yes, probably
On the other hand, it was Hatton's looks that put the food on the table during the last years of his life and made him a cult monument. If he was a "regular" actor, Hatton would have been long forgotten, but now – more than sixty years after his death – he's still a genre legend almost as famous as Boris Karloff or Lon Chaney even though he starred in a lot less films. "The Brute Man" on itself, with its running time of barely 1 hour, is actually a very passable and unmemorable film. Hatton stars as Hal Moffat, but the tabloids and news bulletins baptized him as The Creeper. Moffat is out on a vengeance spree to kill all the people that he holds responsible for the chemistry lab accident that mutilated his face. Whilst on the run for the police, he breaks into the apartment of blind but beautiful and gentle piano teacher Helen Paige. Since she can't see his face and refuses to judge him, a tender friendship develops between them. The plot – as far as there is one – makes very little sense. The film somehow wants us to believe that Hal Moffat is basically a good and gracious person who got wronged by various opponents. But, quite frankly, what happened to him at school is ludicrous and he was responsible for his accident himself. Also, even though he's being sensitive and warm to Helen he still continues his murder spree and also kills innocent people like grocery delivery boys. The police hunt for The Creeper is dull and the entire story is pretty much told in a mere ten minutes.
How To Get Away With Murder
mbuchwal4 April 2006
It is rare for any film to present so human a portrait of a villain and still succeed in warning the audience so effectively. See "The Brute Man" and you will beware the murderous psychopath who disarms his victims by preying on feelings of sympathy.
Rondo Hatton, better known for his role as the "Creeper" in the Sherlock Holmes movie, "The Pearl of Death," also plays the Creeper here this time without Sherlock Holmes but with such a depth of feeling that audiences more accustomed to hating and fearing monster-murderers may feel pity for the vengeance minded killer instead.
Only in the movie "Freaks" has any actor exploited his unusual appearance to such telling effect. Without makeup, Hatton plays very true to life as the hot tempered college football star Hal Moffett maimed in a laboratory accident who decides to take deadly revenge upon the friends he irrationally blames for his disfigurement.
Even though the grotesque drifter's bloody scheme is terrifying, antihero Moffett never seems like a purely evil monster. He is like a misguided adolescent driven mad by his misfortune and his own unyielding character, obsessive in the drive to heal his injured vanity by acts of desperation.
As masterfully lensed under the direction of Jean Yarbrough, Hatton's performance is outstanding, even by comparison to other horror movie legends; Hal Moffett/The Creeper may possibly have been his greatest role. Yet "The Brute Man" was conceived as a modest little shocker, was made on a low budget and is today not very well remembered even by nostalgia-minded critics. Perhaps that is because "The Brute Man" seems contrived to exploit the commercial successes of "The Pearl of Death," "City Lights" and "Phantom of the Opera," from which it derives some of its main story elements (including the sentimental scenes with the blind girl and the theme of disfigurement and revenge). There is, however, no cheating in the use of classic ideas; they are combined so craftily as to create a new legend of Gothic significance and intensity, one which is also true to historical accounts of murder and realistic in a frighteningly everyday way.
Rondo Hatton, better known for his role as the "Creeper" in the Sherlock Holmes movie, "The Pearl of Death," also plays the Creeper here this time without Sherlock Holmes but with such a depth of feeling that audiences more accustomed to hating and fearing monster-murderers may feel pity for the vengeance minded killer instead.
Only in the movie "Freaks" has any actor exploited his unusual appearance to such telling effect. Without makeup, Hatton plays very true to life as the hot tempered college football star Hal Moffett maimed in a laboratory accident who decides to take deadly revenge upon the friends he irrationally blames for his disfigurement.
Even though the grotesque drifter's bloody scheme is terrifying, antihero Moffett never seems like a purely evil monster. He is like a misguided adolescent driven mad by his misfortune and his own unyielding character, obsessive in the drive to heal his injured vanity by acts of desperation.
As masterfully lensed under the direction of Jean Yarbrough, Hatton's performance is outstanding, even by comparison to other horror movie legends; Hal Moffett/The Creeper may possibly have been his greatest role. Yet "The Brute Man" was conceived as a modest little shocker, was made on a low budget and is today not very well remembered even by nostalgia-minded critics. Perhaps that is because "The Brute Man" seems contrived to exploit the commercial successes of "The Pearl of Death," "City Lights" and "Phantom of the Opera," from which it derives some of its main story elements (including the sentimental scenes with the blind girl and the theme of disfigurement and revenge). There is, however, no cheating in the use of classic ideas; they are combined so craftily as to create a new legend of Gothic significance and intensity, one which is also true to historical accounts of murder and realistic in a frighteningly everyday way.
Touching study of how presumed ugliness leads to violence.
mark.waltz29 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
One of the more unworthy low budget horror films to be ranked nearly as a bomb, I found this to be quite moving. Rondo Hatton, aka the Creeper, is on a killing spree, and the baffled police can't find him, even though they know who he is. He's actually a very gentle soul but how he got so deformed has lead him to revenge which was the result of a college prank enticed out of jealousy. He falls for the blind but pretty Jane Adams who is the only one kind to him. Hatton, who usually said very little in films, has a surprising amount of dialog here, yet is actually extremely believable and that makes you want to like him even though he is a killer. I presumed that his lack of dialog in other films was because of his lack of talent, but I was glad to be proved wrong. As told in flashback by those who do know him, you can understand why he had to kill. Tom Neal plays the man who reveals all he knows, and that scene is masterful in its story telling. Its also nice to see Donald McBride playing a cop who isn't a buffoon, although his final idiotic line seems to come out of nowhere. Suspenseful and gripping, this is much better than I expected. A Hatton lookalike later showed up in a period adventure, "The Rockateer".
Dull
dbborroughs3 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Rondo Hatton's final film has him once more playing a character called the Creeper. Hatton plays a disfigured man (surprise) who skulks around killing the people he feels disfigured him. He also kills anyone who gets in his way. On the run from the police the creeper meets a blind piano teacher who isn't afraid of him because she can't see him. Needing an operation to restore her sight the Creeper begins to steal things to get the money for the operation.
Filmed at Universal, the story goes that the company balked when Hatton's disfiguring disease killed him before the film could be released and they sold it to PRC. I'd like to think that they sold it because the film wasn't good and the disease story makes them sound more "caring". Lets face it this film is a turkey. Its mostly Hatton stalking through the night for the first half while the police, played with less than all seriousness try to catch him. Its dull and makes you wonder if they removed ten minutes at the start. The second half with the blind girl is so incredibly soapy as to be laughable. Its a really dumb movie that is notable only for it being Hatton's final role.
A side note: contrary to whats been posted on numerous web sites, the British H for horror certificate was not created for this film. The classification was in place for well over a decade before this film was released.
Filmed at Universal, the story goes that the company balked when Hatton's disfiguring disease killed him before the film could be released and they sold it to PRC. I'd like to think that they sold it because the film wasn't good and the disease story makes them sound more "caring". Lets face it this film is a turkey. Its mostly Hatton stalking through the night for the first half while the police, played with less than all seriousness try to catch him. Its dull and makes you wonder if they removed ten minutes at the start. The second half with the blind girl is so incredibly soapy as to be laughable. Its a really dumb movie that is notable only for it being Hatton's final role.
A side note: contrary to whats been posted on numerous web sites, the British H for horror certificate was not created for this film. The classification was in place for well over a decade before this film was released.
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