Underrated

Yup-it is underrated. Better than a lot of the sci-fi movies of that era and rather graphic too-those monsters were pretty gross, especially when they died.
For a B rated movie it was above average.

Hey, I just noticed that FWAF eas made the year I was born........grooooooooooooooovy!!!

"I have seen and heard things in my life that are best left UNTOLD!"

Yup it is very under rated. Most sci-f/horror guides call it a BAD movie. The commentary on the DVD even has the filmmakers kinda not really being proud of it.

I LOVE this movie, it was scary as hell when I was a kid. The fiends are cool and vicious and the sound they make when they are slurping your brains out is really disturbing. The actors being attacked are also great in the acting as if they are being slurped alive department. Especially great is the actress playing the farmer's wife at the beginning of the movie, her screams and the look of pain on her face is terrifying.

Excellent stop motion and physical effects too.

Great acting -- No
Great Cinematography -- No
Great Direction -- No

It's rated about right.

But it's in my list of 10 best Sci-Fi films because those brain things scare the begeebies out of me.

--- CHAS

You ain't lying! No one who has EVER seen this can forget what is really one of the most memorable monsters ever put on screen. I loved that horrid noise when they got killed and disintegrated! This movie had it all, nutty old professor, excellent hero and gorgeous heroine! And the little flying brain monsters were THE BEST. I hope no fool ever tries to remake this!

Yes, it is underrated and under-recognized. It is another sci-fi that uses, like Forbidden Planet, the Shakespeare play The Tempest, with its genius madman having created the evil out of his own thoughts.

I doubt an Air Force Major would enter the home of a single woman unless he suspected foul play. Then he would contact Constable Gibbons before entering.
The fight between Major Cummings and Gibbons is poorly set up and staged, both men acting unprofessionally. Barbara's change of heart toward Major Cummings is not established (perhaps that is in the missing minute between the UK and US version [of course, it could also contain the missing "boob shot" mentioned in another post. If you look at the picture gallery included with the "The Day the Earth Caught Fire," you will find a topless shot of Janet Munro" missing from the US print. Likewise, a topless shot of Annette Vadim in "Blood and Roses" and both films were released in the same era as "Fiend Without a Face"). The aforementioned destruction of Gibbons' mind; if he had been attacked by the brains, there should have been a puncture mark; and no other victim showed evidence of radiation burns. Finally, the hilariously unscientific set up regarding control rods. Control rods become radioactive, so they would not be removed from a reactor. Damaging them would cause the reactor to "go critical," which is exactly what the brains wanted. Only one brain came down the chimney, yet the other brains used their available energy to brake through the improvised wooden shutters. When Major Cummings was locked in the mausoleum, he hits the door with the flashlight, probably smashing the bulb. He then throws the flashlight, shattering the lens. Again, unprofessional behavior, particularly since the flashlight was Barbara's property. Also, pretty stupid, since the burning candle exhausted his available air much more quickly. Blowing up the control room has already been mentioned, so I will not elaborate. Also, what military installation stores explosives outside its perimeter, protected only by a lock more appropriate for a school locker? However, Barbara says at the end of the movie that "Jeff has been gone for hours". Yet, clearly the base could have only been a few minutes away from from the Professor's home. Otherwise, everyone in the home would have been dead long before Major Cummings could have blown up the control room. Finally, a minor quibble; The pinups in Captain Chester's office would not have been tolerated; again, a sign of unprofessional conduct. In fact, any unofficial posting of a photograph or graphic image must be enclosed in a frame. At least, this was true when I was in the USAF in the mid 60s.

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