We all have atom brains. Even the non-creatures among us. All of our brains are made out of atoms. Our minds, on the other hand, might partake of more than mere material components.
Putting aside the mind/brain distinctions, in “Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955), we deal with something more technical than any old creature with a brain composed of atoms. We deal with creatures with radioactive brains.
Will a pair of henchmen rework corpses into atomic assassins – and get away with it?
An Italian mobster is betrayed by his associates and deported. He bumps into an unemployed Nazi scientist studying the Frankenstein-ian problem of reanimating dead tissue; sneaks back to America with him; and funds a secret, lead-lined lab for his R&D.
“Creature with the Atom Brain” (1955)
Director: Edward L. Cahn
Writer: Curt Siodmak
Stars: Richard Denning, Angela Stevens, S. John Launer
It turns out the missing secret ingredient to reanimation is (you guessed it) atomic radiation. (It also endows dead men with super-strength. Who knew?)
With the power of the atom and a bit of neurological rewiring, corpses can be commanded to obey their masters. And a viewfinder can be conveniently inserted behind the retinas of said corpses in order to televise the zombies’ perceptions back to the villain’s hideout.
Thus, the mobster can fulfill his promise to avenge himself on the D.A. and his betrayers one by one, remotely conducting his pet creatures. After dispatching each victim, the zombies conveniently return to the lab on autopilot.
Radiation, however, leaves a telltale luminous trail which gives a crackle to every Geiger counter. You just need to be a smart enough detective to follow the tracks back to the mob lab.
Radiation and more radiation
Enter: police scientist Chet Walker, Ph.D. He’s played by Richard Denning from “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954) and “Day the World Ended” (1955) as an undernourished, hard-nosed “Father Knows Best”-type. Dr. Walker’s domestic life with his wife, his daughter and her doll gives this protagonist some depth. We like him.
“Creature with the Atom Brain” might look like a throwaway B-picture, but its dialogue is snappy. Its pace is nicely calibrated. It deftly combines ingredients from horror and sci-fi with police procedural flavoring, folds in a generous helping of cheese, adds mild tension, spices it with zombie stares, then tops it off with a sprinkling of camp. It’s all right.
It’s also incredibly dated. Chet quips: “The only time my wife talks is when I’m ready to go to sleep” before banishing her to the kitchen so he can enjoy his martini with his boss. “All right,” she complies, smiling. “I’ll get dinner.”
Brains and more brains
Later, the police captain returns to the house as a zombie. There is a genuine level of apprehension as he interacts with the trusting Walker daughter while Mrs. Walker bakes a cake. It’s the aliens-among-us tension that director Edward L. Cahn likewise developed to good effect in “Invasion of the Saucer Men” (1957).
The zombie makeup effects fall short. They’re rotten. But there’s a surprising level of craftsmanship among the cardboard acting techniques and techno-babble explanations for the origins of the atom monsters.
A few years later, writer Curt Siodmak took another stab at brain plots with … “The Brain” (1962). But this film is decidedly superior to that later effort. “Creature with the Atom Brain” qualifies as watchable, especially for lovers of bad films.