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'{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}} {{Infobox film | name = Fiend Without a Face | image = Fiendwithoutaface.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[Arthur Crabtree]] | producer = John Croydon and [[Richard Gordon (film producer)|Richard Gordon]] | writer = [[Herbert J. Leder]] | starring = [[Marshall Thompson]]<br/>[[Kynaston Reeves]]<br/>[[Michael Balfour (actor)|Michael Balfour]]<br/>Kim Parker | music = [[Buxton Orr]] | cinematography = [[Lionel Banes]] | editing = R. Q. McNaughton | studio = Amalgamated Productions | distributor = [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] (U.S.)<br>[[Eros Films]] (UK) | released = {{Film date|1958|05|29|U.S.|ref1=<ref name="Warren, Bill 1986">Warren, Bill (1986). ''Keep Watching The Skies Volume 2''. McFarland & Co., Inc. {{ISBN|0-89950-170-2}}. Page 740</ref>|1958|10|17|UK|df=y}} | runtime = 77 minutes | country = United Kingdom | language = English | budget = £50,000 (estimated) | gross = $650,000 (on double bill) }} '''''Fiend Without a Face''''' is a 1958 [[Independent film|independently made]] British [[black-and-white]] [[Science fiction film|science fiction]]-[[horror film]] drama from Amalgamated Productions. It was produced by John Croydon and [[Richard Gordon (film producer)|Richard Gordon]], directed by [[Arthur Crabtree]], and stars [[Marshall Thompson]], [[Kynaston Reeves]], [[Michael Balfour (actor)|Michael Balfour]], and Kim Parker. The film was released in the U.K. by [[Eros Films]]; in the U.S. it was released in June 1958 by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] as a [[double feature]] with ''[[The Haunted Strangler]]''.<ref name="Warren, Bill 1986">Warren, Bill (1986). ''Keep Watching The Skies Volume 2''. McFarland & Co., Inc. {{ISBN|0-89950-170-2}}. Page 740</ref> ''Fiend Without a Face'' tells the story of mysterious deaths at the hands of a mentally created invisible [[life form]] that feeds on atomic power and then steals [[human brain]]s and [[spinal column]]s to use as bodies in order to multiply its numbers. The [[screenplay]] by [[Herbert J. Leder]] was based upon [[Amelia Reynolds Long]]'s 1930 short story "The Thought Monster", originally published in the March 1930 issue of ''[[Weird Tales]]'' magazine.<ref name="dvd">Gordon, Richard and Tom Weaver. "Commentary: Fiend Without a Face". Criterion Collection DVD.</ref><ref>Simms, Richard. [http://amelialong.tripod.com/ "A Tribute to Amelia Reynolds Long."] ''amelialong.tripod.com'', 2012. Retrieved: 4 November 2014.</ref> {{TOC limit|limit=2}} ==Plot== [[U. S. Air Force]] Interceptor Command Experimental Station No. 6 is a long-range radar installation located in rural Winthrop, [[Manitoba]], Canada.{{#tag:ref|Winthrop, Manitoba is a fictional location.|group=Note}} Unexplained deaths begin to occur in the general area of a farming village near the American base. Postmortems reveal the victims were murdered and the brains and spinal cords are missing from the corpses; the only clue left behind are two puncture marks at the base of each skull. The locals, however, become convinced that radiation leaks from the radar installation's nuclear-power experiments are the cause of the mysterious deaths. Air Force Major Jeff Cummings (Thompson) begins an investigation as the local deaths continue, interviewing various townsfolk, while looking for anything unusual. Cummings becomes suspicious of Professor R. E. Walgate (Reeves), a retired British scientist living near the airbase; Walgate is in the process of writing another book about his ongoing experiments with [[telekinesis]], this time as it applies to thought projection. Major Cummings' suspicion of Walgate is later proved to be correct. The scientist finally admits he has not only succeeded in developing his mental ability, but in the process created a living thought projection. Unknown to Professor Walgate, the nuclear power radar experiments underway at the nearby U. S. airbase have greatly enhanced his mental abilities to the point that, through him, his living thought projection has become a malevolent and invisible new life form. It escaped from Walgate's laboratory and is now attacking humans as a means of replicating physical, though still invisible, new versions of itself, all of which are now feeding on the base's nuclear-generated power. The invisible creatures eventually attack and kill the military personnel at the airbase in order to take over control of the radar station's nuclear reactor; two of them dial-up the power to very dangerous levels. As they do so all the creatures suddenly become visible. Their now visible bodies are revealed to be the missing brains with spinal cords stolen from their victims; their spinal cords have become very flexible and have now sprouted [[tendril]]s. These [[mutation]]s also allow the brain-spine creatures to move quickly and even leap distances; each brain-spine has also developed a pair of small eyes at the ends of extended [[eye stalks]]. The slithering creations then attack Walgate's home, where most of the film's principal characters have gathered to discuss the crisis. Some of the brains get inside by breaking through a boarded-up window using their tendrils, while others leap to the roof and slither down through the fireplace's open flue. Some of the defenders are attacked and killed, but well-aimed [[M1911 pistol|.45 semi-automatic pistol]] shots to the brains soon make short work of most of the attacking creatures; they gorily bleed out as they expire. Walgate exits his home as a diversion, but is quickly attacked and killed by his creation. Meanwhile, Major Cummings escapes out the back way and quickly heads to the airbase, where he saves the day by blowing up the radar installation's power machinery. This immediately robs the surviving brains of their high-energy food source, and the creatures quickly die, dissolving into puddles of goo. ==Cast== * [[Marshall Thompson]] as Major Jeff Cummings * [[Kynaston Reeves]] as Professor R. E. Walgate * [[Michael Balfour (actor)|Michael Balfour]] as Sergeant Kasper * Kim Parker as Barbara Griselle * [[Terry Kilburn]] as Captain Al Chester * Gil Winfield as Dr. Warren, M.D. * Shane Cordell as Nurse * [[Stanley Maxted]] as Colonel G. Butler * James Dyrenforth as Mayor Hawkins * Kerrigan Prescott as Peterson * Meadows White & Lala Lloyd as Ben & Amelia Adams * Robert MacKenzie as Const. Gibbons ==Production and release== [[File:Screen shot Fiend.png|thumb|Period stock footage of [[United States Air Force|USAF]] aircraft was featured in ''Fiend Without a Face''.]] Noted science fiction personality, collector, and literary agent [[Forrest J Ackerman]] represented mystery and science fiction pulp writer Long and brokered the sale of her story "The Thought Monster" to the film's producers.<ref name="Warren">Warren 1982 {{page needed|date=November 2014}}</ref> Screenwriter Leder was originally set to direct the film, but being American, was unable to obtain a British work permit in time, so Crabtree replaced him as director.<ref name="Warren"/><ref name="tom">Weaver 2011, pp. 48-52.</ref> Thompson later said that when the director showed up on the first day of shooting and looked at the script, Crabtree claimed it was not the film he had been hired to direct, as he did not do "monster" films. After a heated argument with the producers, Crabtree left the set and did not show up for several days. In the interim, Thompson himself directed the film.<ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3809/Fiend-Without-a-Face/trivia.html "Trivia: Fiend Without a Face (1958)".] Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: 4 November 2014.</ref> ''Fiend Without a Face'' was made entirely in England. Its Canadian setting was chosen because it would appeal to both American and [[British Commonwealth]] movie audiences, while still being easy to replicate using the English shooting locations. U. S. Air Force stock aviation footage was also used to establish the military base setting and to pad out the film's meager running time. The producers used primarily [[expatriate]] American and Canadian actors working in the United Kingdom, plus a few British actors dubbed by Americans.<ref name="Warren"/> The film's visible brain creatures were created using [[stop-motion animation]], an unusual practice for such a low-budget science fiction [[thriller film|thriller]] of this era. The director of these effects sequences was Florenz Von Nordoff, while the actual stop-motion was done in [[Munich]] by Nordhoff's partner, German special effects artist K. L. Ruppel. Peter Neilson headed up the British practical effects crew.<ref name="Warren"/> During July 1958, ''Fiend Without a Face'' first opened in the United States at the [[Rialto Theatre (New York City)|Rialto Theatre]] in New York City's [[Theater District, New York|Theater District]]. The film's producers placed an outdoor, front-of-the-house exhibit near the sidewalk that showcased a "living and breathing Fiend" in a steel-barred glass display case. It periodically moved its spinal cord tail, startling onlookers, and also made menacing sounds with the help of a concealed electrical device. The crowds that gathered to watch the caged Fiend grew so large that NYC police finally ordered the display case removed because it was creating a public disturbance.<ref name="Warren"/> Five months later, ''Fiend Without a Face'' created a public uproar after its British premiere at the Ritz Theatre in [[Leicester Square]] in [[London's West End]]. The [[British Board of Film Censors]] had demanded a number of cuts before its release and finally granted the film an "X" certificate, but newspaper critics were still aghast at its horrifying special effects. Questions were actually raised in Parliament as to why British censors had allowed ''Fiend Without a Face'' to be released, notably: "What is the British film industry thinking by trying to beat Hollywood at its own game of overdosing on blood and gore".<ref name="Warren"/> ==Reception== A reviewer for ''[[Harrison's Reports]]'' wrote in May 1958, "Up until the last two reels, this British-made science-fiction-horror program horror melodrama is fairly interesting in the usual fantastic sort of way, because it deals with unexplained, invisible monsters who strangle their victims and supposedly suck out their brains and spinal cords. During the final fifteen minutes, however, the picture, instead of being mystifying or horrifying, is just plain revolting, to an extent that even those with strong stomachs may not be able to take it ... Because of its excessive gore, the picture is too unpalatable to be classified as entertainment."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Harrison's Reports|first=Inc|url=https://archive.org/details/harrisonsreports40harr|title=Harrison's Reports (1958)|last2=Harrison's Reports|first2=Inc|date=1958|publisher=New York, Harrison's Reports, Inc.|others=Media History Digital Library}}</ref> In contrast, a reviewer for ''[[Motion Picture Daily]]'' in June 1958 wrote, "This entry in the science fiction, horror division sweepstakes is well and logically constructed, capably acted and directed with an eye toward building suspense. The cast is substantially unknown but exploitation of the horror angle is indicated and should be effective."<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/motionpicturedai83unse_0|title=Motion Picture Daily (Apr-Jun 1958)|date=1958|publisher=Quigley Publishing Company, inc.|others=MBRS Library of Congress}}</ref> Later reviews concentrated on the low production values and lack of a cohesive plot,<ref>Paige, Daran. [http://bmoviefreak67.blogspot.ca/2013/07/fiend-without-face-1958.html "Bad Movies For Good People."] ''bmoviefreak67''. Retrieved: 4 November 2014.</ref> but with a 67% "Fresh" rating at the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Fiend Without a Face'' now is considered one of the best [[B movie]]s of the 1950s. [[James Rolfe]] called the film the "best killer brain movie ever" and stated that "it may be the goriest film of its time".<ref>Rolfe, James. [https://cinemassacre.com/2010/10/06/fiend-without-a-face/ "Fiend Without A Face (1958)."] ''Cinemassacre'', 6 October 2010. Retrieved: 4 November 2014.</ref> [[Leonard Maltin]] noted the film's "horrific climax, [and] good special effects."<ref>Maltin 2009, p. 450.</ref> Marcella Papandrea of ''The Super Network'' said, "While the film gets off to a bit of a rocky start, it finds its footing fairly quickly though and it becomes quite immersive and intense."<ref>{{Cite web|last=supermarcey|date=2020-10-04|title=[31 Days Of Horror '20] Mini Reviews: The Corpse Vanishes (1942) and Fiend Without A Face (1958)|url=https://supermarcey.com/2020/10/05/31-days-of-horror-20-mini-reviews-the-corpse-vanishes-1942-and-fiend-without-a-face-1958/|access-date=2020-10-06|website=The Super Network|language=en}}</ref> ==Box office== According to MGM records, ''Fiend Without a Face'' was released on a double bill with ''[[The Haunted Strangler]]''. Together, the two films earned $350,000 in the United States and Canada, and $300,000 in England and elsewhere. The estimated production budget for ''Fiend Without a Face'' was £50,000<ref>Internet Movie Database box office/business</ref> (${{#expr:({{to USD|{{inflation|UK|50,000|start_year=1958|end_year=1960}}|GBR|year=1960}}/{{inflation|US|1|start_year=1958|end_year=1960}}/1000 round -1)}},000); MGM realized a profit of $160,000 on the movie.<ref name="Mannix">"The Eddie Mannix Ledger." ''Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study'' (Los Angeles). Retrieved: 4 November 2014.</ref> While ''Fiend Without a Face'' was not a major hit, it was one of the more successful British films released in the U.S. in 1958. Unexpectedly, it performed better in the South, Midwest, and California than in the Northeast, where U.K. imports were usually more well-received.{{#tag:ref|An unusually large portion of the movie's North American box office receipts came from Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, as well as southern California. The film did "okay" in New Jersey, but the only states in the Northeast in which it did "very well" were Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island; it also was successful in the very small markets in Maine.<ref name=Cinefq>Cinefantastique by Clarke, Frederick S Oak Park, Ill., F. S. Clarke, 1998 - Horror films Periodicals</ref>|group=Note}} MGM was also surprised by market research showing ''Fiend Without a Face'' to be a "stronger draw by far" than its companion release, ''The Haunted Strangler'', which failed to generate much audience interest.<ref name=Cinefq /> ==Remakes== On 22 March 2010, [[Roy Frumkes]] confirmed to ''[[Fangoria]]'' magazine that he planned to produce a remake of the film in 2011.<ref>Gingold, Michael. [http://www.fangoria.com/new/exclusive-photoinfo-fiend-without-a-face-sequel/ "Exclusive photo/info: "Fiend Without a Face" remake."] ''Fangoria'', 23 October 2013.</ref> The online website [[Dread Central]] offered an October 2013 update from Frumkes on his ''Fiend Without a Face'' remake: {{blockquote|I've wanted to do this film for 40 years, so I already had it all in my head, and it wasn't hard to write. What I didn't have was the technical information; I'm no science buff. Now I'm interviewing scientists, getting the technology straight. It's set in a think tank in the [[Berkshires]], and it's not about young people. It's a mature film, but it has a ''[[Street Trash]]'' sensibility, so the people who like my work will not be disappointed.}} The website also posted a still from a fundraising trailer that Frumkes had shot for the remake with director Franco Frassetti. As of January 2019, that remake has yet to materialize. [[Montreal]]-based filmmaker Rémi Fréchette produced, co-wrote and directed a [[web series]] (2013) and a horror comedy feature film (2014), both called ''Les Jaunes'', which shared the themes and images of ''Fiend Without a Face'', including the military aspects, rural setting, and energy-based brain creatures. In ''Les Jaunes'', an epidemic of yellow crawling brains threatens the lives of the inhabitants of Fort Vince, a reclusive Northern Quebec town.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3243904/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 "Les Jaunes (2014)."] ''IMDb''. Retrieved: 4 November 2014.</ref><ref>Vallet, Stéphanie. [http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/television/201302/05/01-4618474-les-jaunestv-linvasion-de-la-releve.php "The Jaunes.tv the invasion succession."] ''La Presse'', 5 February 2014. Retrieved: 4 November 2014.</ref> ==Home media== [[The Criterion Collection]], a video company known for its painstaking restorations of various film classics, released a deluxe [[DVD]] edition of ''Fiend Without a Face'' in 2007, having previously released it on [[LaserDisc]]. A [[high-definition video]] transfer, created on a [[Spirit DataCine]] from a [[35mm movie film|35 mm]] film print, was struck from the film's original negative. Thousands of pieces of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. For optimal image quality, Criterion also encoded the dual-layer DVD-9 at the highest possible [[bit rate]]. The film's original [[monaural]] soundtrack was remastered at [[24-bit]], and audio restoration tools were used to eliminate clicks, pops, hisses and crackles. Criterion added these bonus DVD features to their release: * A new widescreen 1.66: 1 transfer with a complete digital picture restoration enhanced for 16×9 hi-def televisions. * Audio commentary: a conversation with executive producer Gordon and genre film writer Tom Weaver. * An illustrated essay on British science fiction/horror film making by film historian Bruce Eder. * A collection of [[movie trailers]] from various Gordon films: ''Fiend without a Face'', ''The Haunted Strangler'', ''[[Corridors of Blood]]'', ''[[First Man into Space]]'' and ''[[The Atomic Submarine]]''. * Rare still photographs and [[ephemera]], with audio commentary. * Vintage advertisements and lobby cards. * New English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired. * A new DVD cover art design by David Cohen. ==Notes== {{Reflist|group=Note}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} * Maltin, Leonard. ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2009''. New York: New American Library, 2009 (originally published as ''TV Movies'', then ''Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide''), First edition 1969, published annually since 1988. {{ISBN|978-0-451-22468-2}}. * [[Bill Warren (film historian and critic)|Warren, Bill]]. ''Keep Watching the Skies, American Science Fiction Movies of the 50s, Vol II: 1958–1964''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1986. {{ISBN|0-89950-032-3}}. Warren's original double-volume work was revised and new material added, including a foreword by Texas science fiction writer [[Howard Waldrop]]. It was reprinted in 2009 by McFarland as a single, oversized hardcover "21st Century" volume of 1040 pages. * Weaver, Tom. ''The Horror Hits of Richard Gordon''. Albany, Georgia: Bear Manor Media, 2011. {{ISBN|978-1-59393-641-9}}. {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Wikiquote}} * {{IMDb title|0050393}} * {{tcmdb title|3809}} * {{Amg movie|17131}} * [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/93-fiend-without-a-face ''Fiend Without a Face''] an essay by Bruce Kawin at the [[Criterion Collection]] {{Arthur Crabtree}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiend Without A Face}} [[Category:1958 films]] [[Category:1958 horror films]] [[Category:1950s science fiction films]] [[Category:1950s science fiction horror films]] [[Category:British science fiction films]] [[Category:Films directed by Arthur Crabtree]] [[Category:Films using stop-motion animation]] [[Category:British monster movies]] [[Category:Mad scientist films]] [[Category:Films set in Manitoba]] [[Category:Films based on science fiction short stories]] [[Category:Films about invisibility]] [[Category:1950s monster movies]] [[Category:1950s independent films]] [[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]] [[Category:1950s English-language films]] [[Category:1950s British films]]'