A thoroughly creepy 50s treat. Combining the paranoia over nuclear power and a scientist overstepping his limitations, "Fiend" is part camp horror and part psychological thriller. It unleashes the unknown and malevolent in true shock form.
The tone and pace are set right at the beginning with a mysterious murder and builds through a methodical series of events. Not showing the creatures in the first half is classic good horror, and reminds one of more high-end films like Jaws or Alien.
When you do finally see the creatures you almost wished they stayed invisible. They are a truly surreal and nightmarish image, complete with an unnerving crunching/heartbeat sound.
As for the special effects, yes, almost every sci-fi and horror film from the 50s has dated FX by today's standards. Personally I found the stop-motion animation only heightened the creepiness. It wouldn't have worked as well if done with CGI.
It's worth a viewing with friends for both a chuckle and a scare. You'll go to bed hoping that sound in the other room is only someone eating chips (crunch-crunch-crunch ).
The tone and pace are set right at the beginning with a mysterious murder and builds through a methodical series of events. Not showing the creatures in the first half is classic good horror, and reminds one of more high-end films like Jaws or Alien.
When you do finally see the creatures you almost wished they stayed invisible. They are a truly surreal and nightmarish image, complete with an unnerving crunching/heartbeat sound.
As for the special effects, yes, almost every sci-fi and horror film from the 50s has dated FX by today's standards. Personally I found the stop-motion animation only heightened the creepiness. It wouldn't have worked as well if done with CGI.
It's worth a viewing with friends for both a chuckle and a scare. You'll go to bed hoping that sound in the other room is only someone eating chips (crunch-crunch-crunch ).