ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

_____

This is an extremely rare and unusual movie from the 1950s, one which escaped my notice for over fifty years. Director Edward L. Cahn also made several low-budget (but enjoyable) horror and sci-fi films, including It! The Terror from Beyond Space.

Curse of the Faceless Man starts with a detailed discussion of the history of Mt. Vesuvius and the fact of Pompeii. It goes on to describe the way the bodies of the victims of the eruption were preserved.

The "monster" in this unusual movie is a citizen of Pompeii who survived the eruption and returns to life in the 20th Century.


_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

The movie might be a turkey, but the trailer is a powerhouse of a sales job. Enjoy!

________________________________


____The Curse of the Faceless Man - Trailer 1958


__________
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

________________________________

I recently learned that this movie was co-billed with the classic shown in the newspaper ad shown below.

Did anybody see these two together?*



_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Keep Watching the Skies! Bill Warren

"A lot of thinking went into Curse of the Faceless Man," said Jack Moffitt, "and very little of it was any good."

That describes the situation rather well; the story is hopeless. Curse of the Faceless Man is a sluggish slumgullion of fantasy and science fiction.

The movie was directed by Edward L. Cahn who managed to give it elements of mystery. He was able to create a sense of mood and had a hint of style in some of his films such as It! The Terror from Beyond Space.

The script is loaded with clunker lines, there's little or no characterization.

Charles Gemora built the suit for the Faceless Man. Gemora really made an effort to make the Faceless Man look like one of the cinder-and-ash-encrusted bodies found in the ruins of Pompeii, and while it is effective in long shots, in closer shots he looks more like he was made out of flannel.

The actors are usually of little importance in films of this nature, built around a gimmick and not much else. Here, most of them act as if they know it.

The Curse of the Faceless Man is primarily a pedestrian, preposterous film that does manage to work up a little interest by the end, but it's too late and not enough to save the picture.

Thoughts: Saw this many years ago on television. Thought the Faceless Man body suit looked frightening then. Can't remember anything else from the movie that stands out.

[scotpens]