Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) watch online HD

A high minded German scientist [in the 1950's??] is duped by a vengeful, deported gangster into creating atomic-powered zombies from the recently deceased, stolen from the local morgue, in order to wreak revenge upon his enemies.[Whew!] Now that is a dynamite combination! Never mind how they got six or seven bodies out of police custody; or where they got the radioactive isotopes they are waving around. This one is fun!

A classic, know-it-all police MD, with a pre-women's lib, blonde bombshell wife, and just-too-cute little daughter, is on their trail. He patiently tracks them down with the help of another scientist and his doomed police captain boss. The pipe smoking scene is hilarious; as is the inevitable science film: a trained dog being stimulated with electrodes. The villains give the doctor some scary moments. They even tear his little girl's favorite doll limb from limb. But since the German scientist is radioactive, he cannot escape the ubiquitous geiger counter that appears in all of these films. The climactic battle between the police, the army, and the zombies is to be savored time and again. This one is a classic, and worth your while!

I first saw this film when I was about twelve years old on T.V., and at the time I didn't think it was anything special. I saw it again recently for the first time thanks to modern miracle of video. I must admit that I remember many scenes from this minor little picture more vividly than much better films I saw as a kid: atomized Karl "Killer" Davis busting into a room to break the back of a gangster, the scene where Richard Denning discovers his partner has become a zombie, and the films climax where an army of creatures with atom brains do battle with the police. Oh! and I almost forgot, the scene where walking dead "Uncle Dave" tears Richard Denning's daughters doll to shreds. In retrospect, the scene makes little sense, but it came as quite a shock.

Most of the cast is acceptable. Edward L. Cahn's direction is perfunctory but he keeps things moving. Seen today by younger audiences influenced by MST3K or cheaply cynical critics like John Stanley and Randy Dreyfus, CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN probably looks pretty bad. However, if one views this film in the right frame of mind, it is very entertaining.

Apparently CREATURE WITH ATOM BRAIN has effected a lot of people over the years. Clips from this film have turned up on few TV shows and movies. Roky Erikson (13 Floor Elevators) wrote and titled a song about this movie on his album "The Evil One". He even incorporated lines from the movie in his song "Creature With The Atom Brain."

I finally bought a copy of this movie off of eBay because I had heard the Roky Erickson song of the same name like a billion times. I expected a cheesey flick, but instead watched a good, solid feature. It's definitely a B-movie, but that didn't mean "bad" back then. It just meant unknown talent and lower budgets. This is a decent story about an exiled mobster and a German scientist who reanimate the recently deceased with atom rays, and control them to take revenge on those who once testified against the mobster. A well-done but obscure flick.

Having just seen this for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised; this is a solid, well-acted and scripted, somewhat tongue-and-cheek but scary horror/sci-fi film with a premise simutaneously nightmarishly banal/outrageous: a petty American criminal (looking like a cheap burley thug, the kind who would "threaten" George Reeves on the cheap sets on the t.v. Superman) hooks up in Europe with a German (read: Nazi) scientist experimenting with neural stimulation, and uses the doctor to seek revenge on his enemies by having the doctor's lab subjects become zombiefied killing machines, all via t.v. screens and microphones. The scenes of the gangster and the conflicted scientist constantly standing in front of the screens is at once deliberately "boring" and yet so weirdly disturbing. Even more disturbing and nightmarish are the two of them constantly donning radiation suits to crawl through what looks like some sort of embryonic white plastic tunnel to get to the lab and work on the zombies brains. The science fiction is contrasted humorously with the white-picket fence-ish 1950's domesticity of Richard Denning and his little family. Ah, Richard Denning! Golden wavy-haired, stalwart, fine-figured, supremely handsome, serious yet light-hearted, flirting with his wife yet always ready at a moment's notice to follow up any lead as a police doctor. One of the delights of this movie is a sort of spoof of pipe-smoking! Denning and a detective constantly light up so much that the detective offers Richard to "try my special blend". We also get the much used and appreciated staple of 50's sci-fi movies, the educational film strip, although here it is a bare, er, "bones" demonstration, with just a little doggy who has electrodes on his head. (I do NOT recommend this film for children say, under 12 years old!) The climax has a very "modern" Night of the Living Dead feel to it. The plot moves along at a satisfying pace and never lags. The dialog is punchy and clever. The villains are definitely memorable in a strangely "unmemorable" way. (the genius of the movie, I think!) I highly recommend this to all sci-fi/horror film buffs.

Fans of late night 1950's science fiction (insert Cleveland's "Goulardi" show here) remember this not as "Creature with the Atom Brain" but as the movie with Uncle Dave. John Launer (in his first movie role) played police Capt. Dave Harr, whose niece was seven year old Penny Walker (Linda Bennett). Care is taken early to show that Penny adores her Uncle Dave and late in the story (in the most famous scene in the whole 50's sci-fi genre) he visits her on her birthday. But it is the re-animated Uncle Dave, whose changed voice Mrs. Walker credits to a cold. She leaves Penny in the living room with Dave and goes into the kitchen. Penny then gives Dave her doll Henrietta. Cut to Mrs. Edwards startled face when she hears Penny screaming in the living room. Poor Henrietta!

Launer pretty much steals the film from the rest of the cast, both before and after he is killed. As Captain Harr he cracks wise in every scene and his dialogue is actually extremely funny.

The premise, to quote Penny's father (Richard Denning): "Remote-controlled creatures, their brains powered by atomic energy, roaming the streets, directed from a central point".

The background involves the deportation of Frank Buchanan (Michael Granger), an American gangster who vows revenge and finances a not so mad German scientist (Gregory Gaye) who is developing a process (based on then trendy radioactivity) to animate dead bodies. They set up a laboratory in the lead lined walls of a LA mansion, steal a few bodies from the morgue, and begin a cottage industry of wiping out Buchanan's list of enemies.

The scientist spends most of his screen time complaining about the corruption of his noble experiment for evil means. The set design for the lab is unexpectedly elaborate and the sequences of the two men crawling around in a 1950's idea of radiation suits are especially effective.

One of their creatures in the climatic scene looks a lot like Treat Williams. This scene has a "Night of the Living Dead" flavor. Although the authorities have discovered that the bodies are controlled by electrodes surgically planted in their brains, they conveniently fail to mention this to the police and national guardsmen who are fighting the monsters; allowing the climatic scene to continue until other means are found to deactivate the creatures. Up until this scene, the movie deliberately used almost entirely wide master shots, much like the "mise en scene" (limited editing cuts within a scene) technique of some Hitchcock films. Probably done for budget reasons, it serves nicely to set up the climax, which is full of sudden cuts to extreme close-ups of the walking dead. This must have been quite frightening on the big screen, particularly after being accustomed to the more distanced style of the first sixty minutes of the film.

I suggest that potential viewers ignore the IMDb voting, this is a scary horror/sci-fi film done with a trace of self-parody. Another one of Producer Sam Katzman's money making B-movies; where he exploits the growing fear of a nation learning to deal with the atomic age, and its fascination with the concept of radioactivity.

I saw Creature With The Atom Brain when I was 11 years old. To this day, no horror film has scared me more. The opening credits are shown over a view of one of the creatures lumbering through the woods with the accompanying sound of a beating heart. At the final credit we get a closeup view of the creature's face complete with the telltale stitches across his forehead. The carnage has begun I guess it was that these seemingly unstoppable creatures looked so ordinary, except for their awkward gait and gruesome stitches, that made them seem so scary. I had to walk (run) by some woods in the dark on the way home from this movie and I was quite convinced that one of these guys was going to stroll out from among the trees and break me in half just as the first creature, Karl 'Killer" Davis, did to his gangster victim in the opening scene. Nobody should enter his garage without checking to either side of the garage door to make sure one of the creatures isn't lurking there waiting to rip the steering wheel from your car before throttling you with one hand. This was not a high tech movie nor was it overly bloody, but the threat of bodies raised from the dead being able to bend the bars on a window as if they were well done noodles and take multiple gunshots without noticing was more than enough to scare the pants of of an 11 year old. Once the creature had you zeroed in, there was no hope.

One might think with the extremely low budget, the lack of true star power, and a title like Creature with the Atom Brain that this project would be nothing more than many of the same types of science fiction/horror films grinded out in the 1950s, but it is better than you might expect. Sure, it looks pretty cheaply made. Yes, Richard Denning is it when it comes to a name your average 50's movie fan might know. Like other movies of its era and genre, the film is fast-paced and to the point without a lot of expository information given to the audience. What makes this film a bit different is that the story, even though quite ridiculous in and of itself, is rather inventive and the script keeps to that inventiveness quite nicely. Both the story and script are the work of Curt Siodmak, the famed horror/science fiction writer of such films as The Wolfman, I Walked with a Zombie, and so many others. The story is simply that a gangster who had been run out ten years ago comes back with a German scientist that has discovered how to reanimate dead bodies with uranium. The gangster then commands these dead bodies with a microphone and looks at what they see through their eyes on a big screen as they are sent to avenge those men that put Frank Buchanan(said gangster) in exile. The dead bodies have super human strength but otherwise look somewhat normal except for cutting lines around their foreheads. Some of the scenes with the dead are very persuasive, and director Edward L. Cahn knows how to keep the pace tight and the action relevant. The acting including lead Denning as the man able to solve the mystery of the dead rising and taking their revenge is adequate with S. John Launer as Captain Harris, Denning's partner, standing out in an interesting role. Angela Stevens as Denning's wife has little to do, but she looks very nicely doing it nonetheless.Michael Granger and Gregory Gaye play Buchanan and the scientist respectively and are also adequate. But the real stars of this film are the script and Cahn's solid direction with limited resources. The hideout for Buchanan and the way they crawled through these blowing tubes were really inventive uses of limited means. While not a great film, Creature with the Atom Brain is a solid 50's sci-fi addition and quite possibly even a forerunner to movies like The Night of the Living Dead.

This movie scared the crap out of me when I was a little boy of just 8 years. My mother had to come into my bedroom and check under the bed every night for at least a week. The plot was unique too. I mean, a gangster (where was Edward G. when they made this?) employing a crazed/mad scientist (I guess there were a lot of them left over from the Los Alamos days) to make nasty looking dead old men crawl through tunnels made of industrial plastic wrap and go kill people. The fact that the scientist could talk to the 'dead guys' and make them do his bidding was the thing that scared me most (Kinda like conglomerate broadcasting of today). These guys were real 'working stiffs' and walked like it too. Excellent blank stares, unsuspecting victims, the 50s-ish people... I guess looking at this movie now, it would seem kind of funny, but in those days, it was a horror movie!

Released by Columbia Pictures in 1955 and without trying to mention it's low budget format, Creature with the Atom Brain is quite a sophisticated attempt to resurrect the dead using atomic energy and electronic circuitry. The idea of using a TV screen to receive images from the creatures "eyes" is fantastic. This movie reminds me of fast paced comic book story with a taste of film noir. Richard Denning,the star of this film, made a number science fiction movies in the 1950's before coming over to TV as the governor of Hawaii in "Hawaii 5-0." As far as I know, this movie is not available on the market as a retail product. You can, however, probably get it from a private collector.I think sci-fi fans will enjoy it!

This is a pretty weird sci-fi/cop film, but because it is well written and carried off very well, it works. However, with such a strange plot, it could have easily just been a grade-z film.

The film begins with a robbery and murder. How the perpetrator was able to so easily snap the neck of the victim stumps the cops as well as the strange glowing trail left following the attack. A short time later, another man is killed in a similar manner. With the second murder, a pattern has emerged. Both men had testified years earlier in a trial of a mobster--who has since been deported to Europe. When a third man, also involved with this trial, is killed, it's certain why the killings are occurring--but how?! The police have a crazy idea that dead men are being reanimated using atomic power--making them robotic zombies!! As I said, it sure sounds like a plot that COULD have made for a dumb film.

Here are some of the reasons for the film working. First and foremost, the idea works because the writing is crisp and works well. Second, while the actors in the film are mostly unknowns (with only Richard Denning being recognizable to only a few discerning viewers), they did a great job--and the director did a good job eliciting good performances from all, though I must admit that the little girl in the film was a bit of a weak point--not terrible but not particularly good. Another minor problem is that the reanimated folks talk just like robots BUT no one seems to notice this!! After all, this is a dead giveaway that something is amiss, but time and again none of the living seem to notice! Overall, this is a great film for lovers of 1950s sci-fi/horror/cop films. The rest may just find it all a bit silly, but if you give it a chance you might be surprised to see it's pretty good. It sure ain't Shakespeare...but it is entertaining.

Richard Denning is an actor who can turn any movie into a pleasant experience. Creature with the Atom Brain is one of those movies. This movie has been copied many times, but this is still the best. Written by Curt Siodomak (The Magnetic Monster) it deals with the resurruction of the dead with atomic energy.Sci-fi cult fans should really enjoy this one from start to end.

A mafia boss returns illegally from Europe with his mad scientist friend -- to get revenge on those who betrayed him by using an army of reanimated corpses he guides by remote control. Only the police scientist (Denning) suspects the truth, but he easily convinces the army to help hunt down the villains.

Not much going on here (but it might amuse those who have never seen a lot of B films), with standard Columbia production values (looks like an episode of "Beverly Hillbillies", in other words) and merely adequate direction by pro Cahn -- the real value of this kind of B-movie has to come from the script, and in this case it's fairly standard, although there is some fun dialogue. Writer Siodmak specialized in "living brain" stories after the success of his superior "Donovan's Brain." ----------------------

additional note, 10/07

I just rewatched it in the theater again and the entire theater was convulsed in laughter at this movie. Even more amazing, most of the jokes were obviously intentional. Denning's character is just absolutely brilliantly written, BIG kudos to Siodmak here. I don't know how I missed it on my first viewing (in the same theater). I love his attitude towards his wife... well not that I love it but it's hilarious. "My wife only talks when I'm ready for bed." WOW! The audience was laughing so hard you couldn't understand half of the lines of dialog. And the best shot was courtesy of Cahn -- Denning comes home and his wife is bent completely over the doorstep, just an absolutely perfect apple shaped backside. The camera ogles that view for about 5 seconds and then cuts immediately to Denning with a HUGE smile on his face! Hilarious! Absolutely a gem that I would recommend to people in the Halloween season if they want some laughs, and it's actually a pretty disturbing movie on some levels as well.

"Creature with the Atom Brain" is a decent little film. Not on par with some other films of the era but still fun to watch. Richard Denning plays a Doctor who works for the police-basically a forensic guy(way before CSI). He does well in this role. The rest of the acting is good, the direction is fine and the film moves along slowly in some parts and flows well in others. A bit more action and this would rank higher. A crazed scientist implants dead criminals with a radioactive solution and keeps them moving via radio control. The creatures kill to get even. There are some chilling moments, especially at the beginning of the film. All in all, not a bad film. One to catch for fans of 1950s Sci/Fi.

***SPOILERS*** Far out yet down to earth sci-fi thriller about a number of mindless atomic zombies being used by a vengeful gangster to get even with those who had him deported into exile in Italy. Gangster Frank Buchanan getting involved with ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Wihelm Steigg has him create a number of zombies from corpses, that he stole from the local city morgue, to go out and kill those who had him sent away.

By rejuvenating their dead brains cells with high doses of atomic energy Dr. Steigg is able to make the dead rise again as their sent out to kill those whom Buchanan commands them too. Leaving a trail of radiation in their wake the zombies ,like the sparrows flying back to Capistrano, go back to where they came from their base in Dr. Steigg's laboratory. Buchanan, who's illegally and happily back in the USA, conducts his zombie search and destroy operations out of Dr. Steigg's secret hideout outside the city via a TV monitor that receives transmissions from the Zombies brains.

With the murder of hoodlum boss Hennessy and D.A MacGraw a patten is discovered, by police lab supervisor Dr. Chet Walker, in their deaths. Both were involved in putting Buchanan behind bars and on a boat out of the country. It's now becomes apparent to Dr. Walker that former Buchanan Gang members Dunn & Banning, who gave evidence against him at his deportation trial, are the next to be knocked off and are given a round the clock police protection.

With police Captain Dave Harris kidnapped killed and mind controlled by Buchanan and Dr. Steigg he's then sent back to his police station to finish off both gangsters Dunn & Banning, who are there in protective custody, in order to get his revenge on the whole lot: Hennessey MacGraw Dunn & Banning.

By now Dr. Steigg is scared stiff that Buchanan's mad actions will lead the police to his hideout and wants to call it quits. Only to have the gangster kill him and take over the control of the atomic zombies. It's the mine controlled Capt. Harris who leads the police Army Marines and Air Force back to Dr. Steigg's and Buchanan's hideout as Buchanan sends them, his gang of atomic zombies, out to do battle with the US Armed forces. Winning the first round against the US Army the zombies also start causing havoc all over the state with them, by using their atomic brains, having planes fall from the skies trains derail and cars and trucks lose control on the highways and slam into each other.

Just when it looked like curtains for the US Army and local police with the zombies, and Buchanan, about to take over its then when the mind numbed and brain dead Capt. Harris comes back to life. Breaking into Dr. Steigg and Buchanan's laboratory Capt. Harris nukes Buchanan, with a blast of atomic energy, and destroyed the machinery that controls the rampaging zombies causing them to drop harmlessly like flies.

Captain Harris is the big hero in this film even though he never knows it with his brain in limbo only being, for a time, able to take orders from Buchanan. Harris somehow seemed to be able to get it all together in the end realizing, if only by instinct, that by following Buchanan's orders he was doing himself as well as his country, the USA, serious harm. You can't say that Captain Harris gave his life for his country in being destroyed together along with Buchanan and Dr. Steigg's zombie-control machinery since he was already dead. But at least he made his brief yet explosive stay on earth, as a living dead man, a rewarding one in putting an end to the evil Buchanan/Steigg atomic zombie menace.

I'm glad that Skin-amax aired this monster movie from the 50's. In my opinion, this is not your typical cheesy b-movie material for MSTK3000 because the plot is surprisingly good and the atmosphere is beyond cartoonish. Well, you can't ask for spectacular f/x (or even decent ones) but this movie delivers.

The acting is beyond regular. The cinematography and the plot are the strong points of this b-movie. I highly recommend it for fans of old monster movies.

The effort deserves a mention mainly because the plot is well crafted and actually delivers some chills. Not in the likes of "The Elephant Man" but still it makes you imagine scary things.

This is a b-movie that deserves some little respect.

This is one of the more interesting sci-fi films from the 1950s. It seems remarkable that the story wasn't plundered for all that could be had by AIP and other studios during the later years of the decade. The Sci-Fi Channel aired this one some years ago and although I had never even heard of the film, I taped it for my collection. Strangely, I don't think this film has ever been aired since, by Sci-Fi Channel or anyone else for that matter. That's a shame because it is a unique film. After all, any horror/sci-fi movie with an actor named "Coffin" in the cast can't be all bad!

Evil mob boss Frank Buchanan (a perfectly nasty Michael Granger) has ex-Nazi scientist Dr. Wilhelm Steigg (a nice turn by Gregory Gaye) reanimate the bodies of recently deceased criminals so Buchanan can get revenge on his enemies. Shrewd, hard-boiled police investigator Dr. Chet Walker (an excellent and engaging performance by Richard Denning) becomes determined to stop Buchanan. Capably directed by Edward L. Cahn, with a clever and compelling script by Curt Siodmak, a brisk pace, sharp, moody black and white cinematography by Fred Jackman, Jr., genuinely creepy zombies, a spooky, rousing score by Mischa Bakaleinikoff, a tight 69 minute running time, and a thrilling conclusion, this nifty little quickie provides an inspired and entertaining blend of snappy straightforward horror and gritty film noirish crime thriller. The fine supporting cast includes S. John Launer as Walker's amiable partner Captain Dave Harris, Angela Stevens as Walker's lovely, concerned wife Angela, Pierre Watkin as the irritable Mayor Bremer, Lane Chandler as the ramrod General Saunders, and Tristram Coffin as the ill-fated District Attorney MacGraw. A fun flick.

I have seen this movie on several occasions. Mostly as a filler for the time after the local news and the start of prime time.as a kid and as an adult i have always look forward to the old movies and this is one good flick for its time.I am trying to find this on DVD and would appreciate if some one who reads will help me find it although it will probably pretty tough.When Tris movie was on the TV i would always make an effort to see it.Although seemly laughable i still think it is a worthwhile investment for what is still a good scare.When the zombies come out to do battle with the police is still a shocker even by todays standards

It feels very much like a precursor to Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (1985), even though the original stories that was based on predates Creature by at least 30 years.

Still, with a luminous serum, and re-animated corpses, it would be like if you had Dr. Hill funding Dr. Herbert West from the beginning and what would follow in their wake (anybody that knows Re-Animator knows that West couldn't stomach the idea of someone controlling his research, but let's say that he put up with it. This feels like that what if scenario playing out, which of course, is fun for someone like me).

In the place of Dr. West is the ex Nazi scientist, Dr Chet Walker and in place of the Hill character is the mob boss, Frank Buchanan. Chet does the re-animating, and Frank controls the corpses with some kind of communicator (sound familiar?) for them to basically do his bidding. He not only sends them out to kill select targets, but also to terrorize the town. The final act involves a big blow out showdown with the corpses rising, facing off with the cops.

Hot on their trail are police detectives trying to track them down and stop them. And other than the series of assassinations via animated corpse, the film focuses a lot on the investigation, rather than the Dr. Chet/Frank characters (they get a fair amount of screen time, enough for this film). While on the other side of the spectrum, Re-Animator focuses on the character who would pretty much get wrapped up into assisting Dr. West in his experiments and Dr. West himself and the rivalry between West and Hill becomes a key plot point as well. Also, in Re-Animator, West and Hill are both so much more alive and wonderfully over the top, and therefor, far more watchable than the Chet/Frank characters of Creature (which is why focusing less on these characters in Creature isn't such a downside. They're not bad, just not as entertaining, but they do a sufficient job).

Re-Animator is also a much smaller film, sticking to a few key specific indoor locations (including its really awesome finale in the hospital morgue) and characters, while Creature is much more broad, expansive, with plenty of outdoor sequences (including the final epic showdown) and tons of characters floating around. So, the films are very different storywise and feel very different, but have some really key similarities that make it fun watching and comparing them.

In the end, Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator is the better film, but Creature With the Atom Brain is still a lot of fun, even if slower paced (which is not to say slower paced is a bad thing at all, but just to give a heads up to those who might consider watching this), and the final moments with what the girl names her dolly and how she feels about it just makes me smile for no real reason associated directly with anything else that goes on in the film.

I could totally see these two films as an awesome double bill, maybe at a drive in theater. I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

"Creature with the Atom Brain" is fun for what it is, a quick and amusing B picture with a cool premise courtesy of Curt Siodmak. It's agreeably performed, has a good mixture of talk and action, features some decent makeup effects, and it builds to an interesting climax. It hits the ground running and runs just over 69 minutes.

The story has a vengeance crazed mobster named Frank Buchanan (Michael Granger) hooking up with a mad German scientist, Wilhelm Steigg (Gregory Gaye) who is able to reanimate dead bodies using atomic energy. Granger sends these zombies after his enemies while police lab doctor Chet Walker (Richard Denning) and the cops try to solve the gruesome crimes.

Zombies and gangsters prove to be a diverting mix, and director Edward L. Cahn, a prolific director of movies such as this, guides it all with efficiency. The handsome Denning is an engaging hero, while fine supporting performances are supplied by Granger, Gaye, S. John Launer as Chets' colleague "Uncle" Dave Harris, and Angela Stevens and Linda Bennett as his family. It's enjoyable trivia that this was one of the first movies to use squibs to indicate gunshot wounds, and the aforementioned finale with the cops taking on the zombies is a hoot. In fact, the movie does have a not-entirely-serious tone to it that makes it quite irresistible, especially the part where pipe smoker Chet is encouraged to try the "special blend" that another character offers!

All in all, this is a charming diversion from the golden age of science fiction and it's over before you know it.

Seven out of 10.

Ah, the era when the atom became a major inspiration for B movie plots. Edward Cahn's "Creature with the Atom Brain" was one of the neatest results, focusing on an exiled gangster who hires a German scientist to figure out how to implant chips in people's brains and make them go kill his enemies.

Yes, at this point people still had a lot to learn about atomic energy and radiation (check out the suits that the gangster and scientist wear), but the point is to luxuriate in the sheer silliness of the movie's concept. Admittedly, the housewife is very much a pre-feminist caricature, but we shouldn't expect any differently in one of these movies. As a whole, the movie is a very fun experience.

In conclusion, don't let your doll out of your sight!

This movie was the most frightening film I saw as a child; I was 9 when it came out and was scared for a full year afterwards! Now I can laugh at most of it, but there are stlll scenes that recall my youth and panic.

I went to see this film with my cousin Stanley and my Aunt Priscilla when I was ten years old. The only reason I went to see it is because it was the second feature after "It Came From Beneath the Sea." I had always loved Ray Harryhausen-type monster movies, but I had a dread of seeing "Creature With the Atom Brain" right from the start. "Creature..." came on first, and I was so upset about what I was expecting to see that I put a handkerchief over my eyes so I wouldn't view the carnage. In the very first scene Karl Davis (as the first creature) lifts a gangster over his head and literally breaks him in two. I knew what was coming, but even with the handkerchief over my face,I had to close my eyes.

It didn't help when I heard the audience screaming in what can only be described as unbridled fear. I turned to Stanley and asked him, "What happened?" My cousin, who was usually a pretty nice fellow, seemed to get a great deal of enjoyment out of my discomfort, and he snickered, "he broke him in half." That did it for me. "I want to go home," I whimpered. Aunt Priscilla got went to a pay phone*, called my mother and my mother swung by and picked me up.

To this very day I have not even attempted to watch this film, although I have heard from many sources that it is not nearly as gruesome as I thought it was when I was ten years old. Even so, this is one film that I probably will never watch again.

*This was in the year 1955 B.C.P. (Before Cell Phones.)

This is a classic 1950s Sci/Fi film.

I originally saw it when I was nine, and had nightmares for six weeks, thereafter.

My rating for this film is 8 out of 10, primarily because of the impact it had on me as a child. I can now look at it and smile, but also recall those dreams which invaded my sleep.

Enjoy; It is worth a viewing.

With the advent of CGI, movies have become merely formulaic exercises in headache inducing and needlessly complicated special effects. This is especially true as regards the horror genre. Nowadays, directors operate under the erroneous assumption that STARTLING an audience is the equivalent of inducing tension and dread in an audience. "The Creature With The Atomic Brain" was the second part of a horror double-header with "It Came From Beneath The Sea" as the main attraction. As kids, we came to the theater to see the giant octopus. It was touted in numerous television ads,as was the custom with horror movies in the 50s. Part of the success of "The Creature With The Atomic Brain" was that we had no expectation of what was going to transpire and the plot developments presented had not as yet, in the mid-50s, become trite. This double feature was intended to get preteen kids to drag their parents to the movie theater. This we did. By 1955-1956, when this movie had its run, we had seen "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms", "Creature From The Black Lagoon", "House Of Wax", "Them". The only film that induced the same level of fear & dread in kids was "Them" because ants are everywhere and the god-awful noise the giant ants made in the the movie is replicated by engine noises emanating from ill-maintained auto engines. If you were an eight year old kid walking alone at night and you heard that peculiar warbling noise in the distance, you soiled your pants,ran home and locked the door. The atomic brain creatures were similarly fearsome because they could be anyone, anywhere. The only way to avoid them was to discern the incision scar around their foreheads and, if you saw such a scar, to haul ass out of there. This was a very minor unpretentious horror movie that succeeded in providing its juvenile audiences (and the parents they dragged along) with the delight of experiencing capably induced tension & fear.