‘… On a rampage for a human bride!!’
The Curse of the Faceless Man is a 1958 American horror film, released by Robert E. Kent Productions and United Artists. It was directed by Edward L. Cahn (The She-Creature; Invasion of the Saucer Men; Voodoo Woman) from a screenplay by Jerome Bixby.
The film was originally released on a double feature with Cahn’s It! The Terror from Beyond Space.
Main cast:
Richard Anderson, Elaine Edwards (The Bat), Adele Mara, Luis vann Roote, Gar Moore, Jan Arvan, Felix Locher.
Plot:
A petrified body is discovered at Pompeii. He is found to be Quintillus Aurelius, an Etruscan gladiator-slave. An Italian archeologist, Maria Fiorillo (Adele Mara), believes that the robust body is still alive, but Doctor Paul Mallon (Richard Anderson) does not believe her. However, every time someone is left alone with the body, they die of a crushed skull.
Meanwhile, Tina Enright (Elaine Edwards) begins to have strange visions and believes that what she knows about the “faceless man” is true…
On February 16, 2016, the film was released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber with audio commentary by horror cinema historian Chris Alexander and trailers.
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Reviews:
“Curse of the Faceless Man is too endearingly simple-minded not to find a warm place in the hearts of monster movie lovers. Pretty much near the bottom of the spectrum of real Hollywood filmmaking, it is barely feature-length, uses almost no sets and for thrills relies almost completely on a reasonably good monster costume.” DVD Savant
“Holds attention by straightforward presentation of its story.” BFI Monthly Film Bulletin
“Unpretentious monster movie which never outstays its welcome.” Alan Frank, The Horror Film Handbook
“The pacing is quick, many interiors look decent (it even feels genuinely like Italy), and the monster really looks like a living statue with an eroded face. But the story offers nothing engaging until the final minutes.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers
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“The talky script by Jerome Bixby of Star Trek and Twilight Zone fame is bound together by superfluous expository narration, something that could be chalked up to director Edward L. Cahn’s slashing of the much larger script to correspond with the miniscule budget. That said, Anderson is great as the lead, with a scene in which he takes on the title creature with an axe being an obvious standout moment.” Shock Till You Drop
We are grateful to Greggory’s Shock Theater for additional pics.
