Creature with the Atom Brain
Creature with the Atom Brain
NR | 01 July 1955 (USA)
Creature with the Atom Brain Trailers

Murders, with victims dying from spines broken by brute strength, erupt in the city and the killers, when encountered, walk away unharmed by police bullets which strike them. A police doctor's investigation of the deaths leads to the discovery of an army of dead criminal musclemen restored to life, remotely controlled by a vengeful former crime boss and a former Nazi scientist, from the latter's laboratory hidden in the suburbs.

Reviews
Hellen

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Ehirerapp

Waste of time

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Ezmae Chang

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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Billy Ollie

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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dougdoepke

A gangster uses a German atomic scientist to turn cadavers into man-killing zombies in order to wreak revenge on those who deported him.Actually, the 60-minutes is better than the title suggests, not much, but some. I don't know who Clover Productions is, but they managed a bigger budget than usual for a drive-in special like this. Note the well-stocked crowd scenes, the detailed atomic lab, and the effective use of location shots. Sure, it's a cheesy plot, dispatching atom-brained zombies to carry out revenge killings. Plus, the zombies really look like they're having a bad skin day, and totter forth like it's exam day at school. And catch the shuddery crack of that back-breaking episode. It's scarier than anything else. Then too, getting Denning for the lead lends a touch of class to the proceedings. But who is that nightmare hulk who dispatches the first victim. No need for gruesome make-up on him. Plus I'm still wondering why the cops hang around to get killed when it's obvious their bullets have no effect. Oh well, Hollywood does work in mysterious ways.Anyway, the producers got pretty good bang for their few bucks, even if the results fall just a teensy bit short of Oscar bait.

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Scott LeBrun

"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.

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Lee Eisenberg

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!

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MartinHafer

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.

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