Fiend Without a Face

Rather noisy, at least for their size, "mental vampires" (which look to be a cross between escargot and the central nervous system) are "boosted" by atomic power and then start lunching on the townsfolk. A mercifully short pastiche of bad dialogue, cheap effects and budget-saving stock footage (though it does contain the inadvertently funniest monsters ever to grace a 1950s horrorshow), Fiend Without a Face merely serves to illustrate how much better B-movies have become. Nevertheless, Criterion has given this one their signature loving attention, with a fine video transfer and an equally impressive audio one, which brings every brain-sucking sound effect to the forefront. Still, the bigger question remains: "Why?" A weak optional purchase for its camp appeal. (S. C. Sickles)