Fiend Without a Face

Infobox Film | name = Fiend Without a Face


caption =
director = Arthur Crabtree
producer = John Croydon
writer = Herbert J. Leder
starring =Marshall Thompson Kynaston Reeves Michael Balfour Kim Parker
music = Buxton Orr
cinematography = Lionel Banes
editing = R.Q. McNaughton
distributor = Criterion (Region 1 DVD)
country = UK
released = flagicon|USA 3 July, 1958,
flagicon|UK December 1958
runtime = 77 min.
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:17131
imdb_id = 0050393

"Fiend Without a Face" is a 1958 British black-and-white science fiction film directed by Arthur Crabtree. It tells the story of mysterious deaths at the hands of an invisible monster that steals human brains. The film was based upon an Amelia Reynolds Long short story entitled "The Thought Monster" which was originally published in 1930 in Weird Tales magazine.Richard Gordon and Tom Weaver, commentary on the Criterion Collection DVD.] [ Amelia Reynolds Long http://amelialong.tripod.com/]

ynopsis

The film is set on an American airbase in rural Manitoba, Canada. Mysterious deaths begin to occur in the small town near the base, and postmortems reveal that the victims' brains have disappeared. The locals become convinced that fallout from radiation at the base is causing the deaths. But Jeff Cummings, an air force major, becomes suspicious of Professor Walgate, a British scientist who is experimenting with telekinetics. It is eventually revealed that Walgate has succeeded in developing telekinesis, but that the nuclear experiments at the nearby base have enhanced it beyond his intentions, creating a new, invisible form of life which has grown in intelligence and escaped his laboratory. The creatures later become visible and are revealed to be brain-shaped monsters that suck out the brains of their victims, thereby acquiring their knowledge and intelligence. The film climaxes with an attack on an isolated house by the new life forms. Cummings saves the day by blowing up the airbase's nuclear power plant, thereby destroying the monsters.

Production

The film was shot in England. The Canadian setting was chosen because it enhanced the film's appeal to American audiences, while still being easy to replicate in English locations. The producers used primarily expatriate American and Canadian actors working in the UK, plus a few British actors dubbed by Americans.Richard Gordon and Tom Weaver, commentary on the Criterion Collection DVD.]

Screenwriter Herbert J. Leder was originally intended to direct the film, but as an American was unable to obtain a British work permit. Arthur Crabtree was hired instead.

Cast

*Marshall Thompson as Major Jeff Cummings
*Kynaston Reeves as Professor R. E. Walgate
*Michael Balfour as Sergeant Kasper
*Kim Parker as Barbara Griselle
*Terry Kilburn as Captain Al Chester
*Gil Winfield as Captain Warren, M. D.
*Shane Cordell as a nurse
*Stanley Maxted as Colonel G. Butler
*James Dyrenforth as Mayor Hawkins
*Kerrigan Prescott as aa atomic engineer

References in other media

The Fiend Without a Face appeared as one of the aliens in Area 52 in "".

Futurama's Brainspawn also seem to be inspired by them to a certain extent

The surfabilly side-project band of Brent Hinds (guitarist of Atlantan metal band Mastodon) is named after this film.

This film is also referenced in one strip of Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes. Hobbes asks the subject of Calvin's report. Calvin replies "the brain". Hobbes asks what Calvin knows about brains. Calvin tells him he saw a movie where a guy's brain was kept alive in a tank of water. A power surge mutated the brain, and it crawled out and terrorized the populace. Hobbes says that's informative.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0050393|title=Fiend Without a Face