Fiend Without a Face (1958)

Fiend Without a Face
Directed by Arthur Crabtree
Written by Herbert J. Leder from an original story “The Thought Monster” by Amelia Reynolds Long
1958/UK
Producers Associates/Amalgamated Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Maj. Cummings: It’s as if some mental vampire were at work.[/box]

The best part of this one are the creatures.

The setting is an American military base on the border with Canada.  Nuclear power fuels its radar experiments.  The local cows are off their feed and the populace is not a fan of the base.  Then various folks are found mysteriously murdered.  Base personnel are blamed.

The audience knows better.  Invisible forces are at work.  These are the result of a professor’s research into mind control.  The forces are mortal and need to be materialized before they can be destroyed.

The creatures turn out to resemble brains with attached spinal cords.  What makes them creepy is the way they move and the sounds they make.  They are like disgusting marauding insects.  They also die in a gruesome manner.  It’s all pretty tame now but at the time this was thought to be so graphic that the filmmakers had to be concerned about the censors.  The plot is standard 50’s fare.  Worth a watch for fans of the genre.

Trailer