Customer Reviews

Indestructible Man [VHS]

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In the 1950s, there were tons of sci-fi/horror films. A few of them were outstanding (The Day the Earth Stood Still, Creature From the Black Lagoon), and some stinkers (Plan 9 From Outer Space, Bride of the Monster), but the majority of them were solid, middle-of-the-road flicks. Indestructible Man falls in this category.

The film was no challenge for Chaney from an acting standpoint. He only had a few lines at the start of the film before he was rendered mute after being brought back to life in an experiment. However, he did come through by some of his facial expressions that told the viewer what he was thinking. For instance, he arrives at the office of one of his victims to find it empty. He appears frustrated, but then, he hears the elevator coming, and a satisfied smirk comes over his face.

The film was definitely low budget, and Chaney was probably doing it for a payday, but it does have some good moments. The scenes in the Los Angeles sewer were suspenseful, and in some of the killings, Chaney's body language and his brutality lived up to his character's nickname of "The Butcher."

It is a shame that Chaney enjoyed true stardom for only a few years with Universal in the 1940s as he played nearly every movie monster they had. He was then cast aside in character roles and movies such as this. He was a much better actor, and his talents were wasted. But, like a true professional, he took his medicine and continued to work hard, making several movies throughout his career.

Indestructible Man is not for every one, but if you are a Chaney fan and love these types of movies from the 1950s, then it is a worthy addition to your collection.

Stepping out of his father's shadow, Lon Chaney Jr. found initial fame and acclaim in 1940's films, 'Of Mice and Men' and 'One Million Years BC'. As a result, he was swiftly catapulted into Universal's top drawer, playing most of their classic monsters of the time. Only as the poor, tortured Larry Talbot (aka The Wolf Man) did Chaney ever find true success, and in the mid-forties, his time as top-billed status was over. Then came many film roles like this. In the thankless and mostly mute part of 'The Butcher', Chaney is brought back from the dead with 'terrifying' power. He then kills those responsible for his demise. And that's the plot. Of course, he is destroyed at the end, after being horribly scarred by an attack by a flame-thrower. But the film is stagey, with no real commitment. The supporting players don't really seem to have their hearts in it, and matters aren't helped by the 'Dragnet'-style narration that explain several less-than-vital-scenes. For Chaney, there was worse to come, but even this film is for completists only.

Like it or not, this is one of the most loveable bad B- sci-fi-horror films of all time AND a great travelougue of 1950s LA. What else would you expect this film to be but low-grade schlock? Go in with that mind-set and you'll love it. I got my copy out of a bargain bin for $1 and have since inspired three other friends to get their own copies through Amazon. They love it for everything from Chaney's pitifully bad performance (oh, those close-ups of his quivvering eyes!) to the footage of Angel's Flight in all its filthy 50s LA glory. Get a copy, chill out and enjoy this film for what it is: BAD and FUN!

By the time this one was filmed, Lon Chaney Jr. was long past his prime. Aging and beset by a serious problem with alcohol, he was reduced to taking almost any role which became available, which explains his presence here. This one is not as bad as "The Alligator People", but it's not much better. The formula is familiar, with a hokey plot featuring an executed murderer (Chaney) being brought back to life to avenge himself against those responsible for his conviction, all the while being pursued by a not-too-bright detective, as an annoying narrator drones on and on, in pseudo-docudrama style. Chaney is in bad shape, and he looks it; fortunately, his character has very few spoken lines. The supporting cast is none too talented, which is about par for this sort of poverty-row fare. In fact, it's almost bad enough to have been an Ed Wood film. This one is recommended only for those who enjoy "bad" movies. For fans of Chaney in his heyday, it is a sad testimonial to the personal and professional decline of a once-successful actor.

A brute killer returns from the dead and goes after the crooks that double-crossed him. Robert Shayne is a scientist with good intentions that accidentally creates a monster. Classic TV fans will recall that Shayne played Lt. Henderson opposite George Reeves's Superman. It gets better. Joe Flynn, Captain Binghampton of "McHale's Navy," is Shayne's owlish assistant. Picture Igor in horn-rimmed glasses. They steal the executed Butcher Benton (Lon Chaney), and juice him with 287,000 volts using Frankenstein-type lab equipment. Butcher is resurrected and on the rampage. The massive electric jolt made him indestructible, steel flesh and all. Nothing can stop him. Police Lt. Chasen (Casey Adams), a Joe Friday clone, investigates the robbery that led to Butcher's execution. Chasen does a "just the facts" narration that only Jack Webb could love. Chasen hangs around the burley-Q house, questioning one of the strippers, Eva. He thinks she may have a clue to the still missing money. He wants to pump her, but only for information. Yeah, right. Hot on the tail (oops! trail, I mean) Chasen invites Eva out for dinner. In a Freudian moment, Eva tells Chasen, "I don't even know your first name." Chasen slowly replies, "It's...Dick." Butcher searches the seamy side of town for his victims. The floppy dummies that he throws around are great examples of cheesy special effects. The rest of the cast is as obscure as the dreary B&W photography. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. Check out the old Rambler police cars. This '50s hybrid of crime thriller and horror flick is entertaining low budget nonsense. Have fun. ;-)