writtenbymkm-583-902097 This little low-budget sci-fi/horror flick is fun, enjoyable, and often hilarious. Don't expect great acting or expensive visual effects, or even a very coherent script, but it's still a good time for anyone who loves old sci-fi movies. Did Joel and the Bots do this one? They should've. There are mistakes everywhere, if you want to be picky. Just one example, late in the movie several characters start firing automatic pistols at the "monsters" and they just keep shooting and shooting and shooting without ever having to reload. It doesn't matter, it's still funny. I would like to correct another reviewer. Someone said this was one of the first real science-fiction thrillers. "Fiend" was released in 1958. The following movies were released before that, starting in 1951: The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing From Another World, Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Invaders from Mars, It Came from Outer Space, The War of the Worlds, Them!, Earth Versus the Flying Saucers, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Forbidden Planet. One other note, if you can get the Criterion Collection DVD, there are several good extras, including the original trailer and a wonderful bit about how they first released the movie in Detroit and then what happened in New York City, almost better than the movie itself.

robertguttman In 1957 Hollywood produced "The Brain from Planet Arous" so, in 1958, the British replied with several brains from Manitoba.A number of mysterious murders have occurred in a small town in Manitoba which, naturally, the locals blame on a nearby U.S. Air Force Base. Why an American Air Force base should happen to be in Canada in the first place, when Canada has an Air Force of it's own, is not explained. But then this is a British production, and perhaps the British were unaware of that fact. In addition, since this is a British production, the Canadians are depicted as a bunch of ignorant, superstitious yokels who scarcely have a brain between them. Well, actually they do. The problem is that they are unaware of that fact because the Townies cannot see them, because the brains are invisible. Those invisible brains, which have been committing all the mayhem, are the creation of a mad scientist (English, naturally), who also has settled down in the remote Canadian community in order to pursue his irresponsible scientific experiments unhindered. Without a Face is classic 1950s sci-fi horror at it's best (or worst, depending upon your point of view). Either way, check your brains at the door, and enjoy.

MrGKB ...from the paranoid Fifties, "Fiend Without a Face" never achieved quite the iconic status of films like "Forbidden Planet," from which it cribs unashamedly, or "Invaders From Mars" or "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers," ditto, but its disembodied stop-motion brain monsters left an indelible impression on countless young viewers, myself included. The vantage point of a half century renders its script bemusing at best, right from an opening scene of an Air Force guard sneaking a smoke while on duty to the climactic attack of scads of carnivorous flying brains whose repeatedly flatulent expirations by bullet serve well to illustrate the silliness of the goings-on. The cast is mostly competent, the contrived romance has the good sense to stay out of the way of things, and the production does fairly well with its slim budget. Like others, I am bemused that Criterion picked this one up, but thankful they did a nice job with it. Notable for its themes of military incompetence, fear of atomic energy, and the hubris of scientists. Recommended.

TheExpatriate700 Fiend Without a Face rises above the typical 50s matinée fare with decent special effects, a suspenseful plot, and some surprisingly gruesome violence for the era. At an isolated Alaskan Air Force Base, people begin turning up dead with their brains and spinal cords removed. What follows is a confrontation with an invisible and deadly force.Despite a silly concept which strains the bounds of even fifties science fiction, the film manages to create a genuinely suspenseful atmosphere. The director gives us numerous shots of experimental jets flying through the sky ominously, while the setting adds a sense of isolation and foreboding in many respects similar to John Carpenter's The Thing.The film also benefits from some surprisingly graphic violence for its time period. When a monster gets shot, blood flows. All in all, this is an entertaining fifties creature feature that is definitely worth a look.