Fiend Without a Face.

Review #853: Fiend Without a Face.

Cast:
Marshall Thompson (Major Jeff Cummings), Kynaston Reeves (Professor R. E. Walgate), Michael Balfour (Sergeant Kasper), Kim Parker (Barbara Griselle), Terry Kilburn (Captain Al Chester), Gil Winfield (Captain Warren, M.D.), Shane Cordell (Nurse), and Stanley Maxted (Colonel G. Butler) Directed by Arthur Crabtree.

Review:
This was an independent movie made in England (though set in Canada) based upon the short story "The Thought Monster" by Amelia Reynolds Long, about an invisible life form that feeds upon atomic power...and brains. As hokey as this could have been, there is a sort of enjoyment in watching stop motion effects being utilized with this invisible "fiend", and a plot that moves fairly quick...which does indeed have monsters carried by thoughts. There is something interesting about this invisible monster and that strange sound it makes when moving around and stalking these people, which is slightly amusing but also clever. Thompson isn't too bad of a lead, being as fine as the movie allows him to be. The rest of the cast is alright, though the real fun is the climax, where they battle the monsters. The last 15 minutes is when the movie gets really interesting, in part because of the fact that the monsters become visible...as brains with spinal cords. The movie never comes off as too serious or ridiculous, falling around the middle with enough sense to let itself be and show some wonder and delightful horror, especially when one of the monsters gets hit with a hammer. There's just something weird and wild about this climax that just makes for so much fun, much like good b-movies do. The liquid effects are also pretty clever, in a movie that manages to be nifty and workable in being a serviceable atomic flick workable for anyone.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: It! The Terror From Beyond Space.

Review #331: It! The Terror From Beyond Space.

Cast
Marshall Thompson (Edward Carruthers), Shirley Patterson (Ann Anderson), Kim Spalding (Van Heusen), Ann Doran (Mary Royce), Dabbs Greer (Eric Royce), Paul Langton (Calder), Robert Bice (Purdue), Richard Benedict (Bob Finelli), Richard Hervey (Gino), Thom Carney (Kienholz), and Ray Corrigan (It) Directed by Edward L. Cahn.

Review
Ah yes, a 50s flick, and from 1953, the year that has had three reviews: One of Peter Pan (#178), another of... a Ro-Man (#266), and one of a House of Wax (#271), so the track record is moderately well. From what I've heard, this story premise would later be the inspiration for the 1976 film Alien, but if I compared the two, they really don't look familiar. Yea, both have the alien inside the spaceship that hunts them down, but this film is significantly shorter (Lasting barely over an hour.) and with odd things, such as "Mars is almost as big as Texas", and the odd suspicion against the main character in the beginning even though everyone watching knows there is going to be a monster, so why would you waste time with a character who thinks there ISN'T one? The title says there's a terror, so yea. Then again, there have been far weirder things that have been reviewed on this site, like toasters, Santa in space, Ernest, talking rabbits, Spongebob, and others.  The acting is okay, not great or anything, but it works for what its worth. The monster looks fine, slightly scary, though that may be due to the black and white (Much like in Gojira), but still. Decent stuff that works...at the midnight slot. (Comments are welcome here)

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.