Indestructible Man ** (1956, Lon Chaney Jnr, Robert Shayne, Marian Carr, Ross Elliott, Casey Adams) – Classic Movie Review 3132

‘The Screen’s 300,000 Volt SHOCKER!’ Or better still: ‘The scream that shocks the screen with 300,000 volts of horror! Inhuman! Invincible! Inescapable!’

Director Jack Pollexfen’s entertaining low-budget 1956 horror movie shocker casts Robert Shayne as mad doctor Professor Bradshaw, who uses electricity to revive electrocuted convict Butcher Benton (Lon Chaney Jnr). Now mute and impervious to bullets and easy death, The Butcher then proceeds to go on a murderous rampage against those whom he believes betrayed him, Squeamy Ellis (Marvin Press), Joe Marcelli (Kenneth Terrell) and Paul Lowe (Ross Elliott), who are hiding out in Los Angeles’ sewers.

Casey Adams [aka Max Showalter] plays Police Lieutenant Dick Chasen, who remains doggedly working on the case.

The familiar old yarn makes for an expectedly trashy film, but, despite the movie’s lack of fresh imagination and new ideas, it’s horribly watchable in its bargain-basement sort of way. Chaney Jnr brings much glee to his performance, though he deserves better material.

It was originally released in a double bill with World without End.

Also in the cast are Marian Carr, Stuart Randall, Marjorie Stapp, Peggy Maley, Robert Foulk, Reita Green, Roy Engel, Madge Cleveland and Marvin Ellis.

Chaney Jnr’s 1941 film Man-Made Monster and Boris Karloff’s 1936 The Walking Dead have similar plots.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3132

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