CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN On Blu-ray From Arrow

 

The first film included in Arrow's COLD WAR CREATURES: FOUR FILMS FROM SAM KATZMAN Blu-ray box set that I will be writing a blog post on is CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955).

Mr. Evelyn Ankers, aka Richard Denning, stars as Chet Walker, the head of a police lab in a large U.S. city. Walker investigates a series of strange and brutal slayings, and discovers that the man behind it is a crime boss with the overtly ordinary name of Frank Buchanan (Michael Granger). Buchanan had been deported, and while in Europe he came across German scientist Dr. Steigg (Gregory Gaye). The gangster funded the doctor's experiments with brain control, and the result is a mini-army of reanimated dead, who Buchanan uses to kill his enemies. 

CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN is a bit different than the usual 1950s sci-fi B picture, with a mob boss as the main villain, non-supernatural zombies, and a hero who is both a law officer and a scientist. The film was written by genre specialist Curt Siodmak, and he gives the story some unique angles. Chet Walker's home and Frank Buchanan's hideout are both in the suburbs, which gives the sense that ordinary America is under attack. Underlying this element is a sequence where Walker's cop buddy (S. John Launer) is turned into a zombie. The former best friend turned threat then becomes a menace to Walker's wife and little girl. 

This is one of Edward L. Cahn's better directorial efforts, with a climax involving a group of zombies, cops, and soldiers battling it out on the front lawn of Buchanan's hideout. Richard Denning does the film very well with his down-to-earth but determined portrayal of Chet Walker. The quick running time (only 69 minutes) keeps the audience from wondering too much about the crazy plot details. 

All the films in this Arrow set have a number of fine extras. CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN has an introduction with genre expert Kim Newman, who discusses how the movie mixed a classic-type monster such as the zombie with nuclear science. A brand new audio commentary features Russell Dyball, who admires the film and gives out plenty of info and analysis on it. There's a Super 8mm version of the movie included, and a trailer and stills gallery. 

The main extra is a full-length feature program on the life and work of Sam Katzman by Stephen Bissette. It feels almost like a Zoom presentation, but it is very well done, with Bissette narrating a mini-bio of Katzman while different stills and promotional materials from the producer's movies are shown on the screen. 

The disc cover sleeve is reversible, and I prefer the original advertising artwork (as shown above). The film is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and both picture (it is in black & white) and sound are crisp and sharp. 

I had actually seen CREATURE FROM THE ATOM BRAIN for the first time a few months ago courtesy of Svengoolie on his MeTV program. It's not a superb work of art, but it does what it was made to do: give the viewer a little over an hour of unusual entertainment.