Review of The Brute Man (1946) by James R — 04 Jun 2008

Few people in Hollywood were exploited more than poor Rondo Hatton, whose face was disfigured by the disease of acromegaly and was billed as the only horror movie monster who didn't need makeup. Unfortunately, despite his famous appearance (paid tribute to by the large henchman in "The Rocketeer"), most of the films he appeared in were just forgettable quickies like this one, which wants to achieve the depth of "Frankenstein", but is undermined by its cheap production values and stupid characters.

However, it's worth watching just to see the character of Mr. Harkins, the grumpy old storekeeper who's so crotchety that when this film was featured on "Mystery Science Theater", Mike Nelson could not contain his laughter when he was on-screen.