FIEND WITHOUT A FACE (1958)
We're operating in one of my wheelhouses again. Brains! I recently reviewed 1988's The Brain, so it's by mere serendipity that I find myself exploring Fiend Without a Face, a film whose brainy creatures are a result of "thought materialization." What does that mean? It's a little hazy, but basically, a scientist straps nodes to his noggin and concentrates the beings into existence. They feed on nuclear power, which happens to be radiating from a nearby military base. Oddly enough, the scientist himself - an affable fellow by the name of Professor Walgate - is not evil. The encephalic monstrosities simply become evil. Again, it's a bit hazy. The titular fiends are invisible until the third act. I'm getting ahead of myself. This is normally where I break down the rest of the plot, but aside from technical twaddle, there isn't much to deconstruct. The characters are as boring as chicken broth. No, bone broth!
The first 45 minutes or so are inconceivably dry. The fact that our wrinkly assailants are invisible for most of the running time doesn't help matters. And yet, the finale is worth the price of admission alone. You haven't lived until you've seen stop-motion brains rappel themselves through the air, their spinal stems whipping frenetically like so many broadswords. We get a fair amount of gore when they are pierced by bullets. It's a hell of a sight, and apparently, there are stories of audience members fainting because of it. Fiend Without a Face is an obvious recommendation, even if it ambles out of the dugout somewhat sleepily. Man, Somewhat Sleepily would make for a great/terrible post-rock band name. I'm not into post-rock, but I am into brain-themed horror hullabaloo. Be sure to check out neighboring titles such as Donovan's Brain and The Brain from Planet Arous.
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