"Curse of the Faceless Man" was hardly the first film to deal with the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, and the subsequent destruction of the city of Pompeii. Indeed, following English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1834 novel "The Last Days of Pompeii" (itself based on a painting by Russian artist Karl Briullov entitled "The Last Day of Pompeii"), no fewer than six versions of the book appeared on film (in 1900, 1908, 1913, 1926, 1935 and 1950) prior to the "Faceless Man"'s release in August 1958. But unlike those earlier pictures, this one was set in modern-day Pompeii, and dealt with a centuries-old survivor of that ancient cataclysm. The film initially appeared as part of a double feature, paired with the sci-fi cult favorite "It! The Terror From Beyond Space," and although its status and renown are hardly in the same league as its co-billed item, it yet has much to offer to the viewer of today. And thanks to the fine folks at Cheezy Flicks, a nice-looking DVD of the movie just might find the Faceless Man a new legion of admirers.In the film, the petrified, stone-encrusted body of a victim of the Pompeii disaster is excavated in the Egyptian section of the ruined city. The head of the Naples Museum, Dr. Fiorillo (Luis Van Rooten), calls in American doctor Paul Mallon (Richard Anderson) to examine the body, and for good reason: The truck driver who had been transporting the body had been mysteriously murdered, and his blood is soon discovered to be on the stone man's hands! Even more strange is the fact that Mallon's artist girlfriend, Tina Enright (Elaine Edwards), has been having dreams about the so-called Faceless Man (the disinterred body in truth looks very much like a stone mummy), and is being compelled by some agency to paint his portrait. Before long, it is revealed that the Faceless Man is nothing less than a 2,000-year-old Etruscan slave named Quintillus Aurelius, brought back to life by dint of ground radiation, Egyptian preservation methods and volcanic heat (!), who believes Tina to be the reincarnation of his Roman beloved, Lusilla Helena! And he will do just about anything to get his stony mitts on her...."Curse of the Faceless Man," though preposterous sounding in synopsis, is actually a well-put-together little film (and I do mean "little"; the entire affair clocks in at a brief 66 minutes) that manages to maintain its dignity, as well as a serious tone. Though the film features a cast of relative unknowns, it is surprisingly well acted by one and all. The picture is a bit on the talky side but is never dull, and the Faceless Man himself is a very pleasing creation; again, like the Mummy, but with a rocklike crust. He is at once both sinister and mysterious, and more than capable of engendering chills. DOP Kenneth Peach has done a marvelous job of shooting this B&W affair; the scenes captured by the ocean (the so-called Cove of the Blind Fisherman) look especially fine, and his use of extreme close-ups is inspired. And director Edward L. Cahn does a terrific job at keeping the mood both eerie and tense, which should really surprise no one; Cahn, in the period 1955 - '59, helmed a remarkable number of these "psychotronic"-type films, including "Creature With the Atom Brain," "The She-Creature," "Zombies of Mora Tau," "Voodoo Woman," "Invasion of the Saucer Men," "It! The Terror..." AND "Invisible Invaders"! His film here provides the viewer with any number of chilling moments. In one, the Faceless Man slowly, creepily comes to life as Tina draws it in her sketchbook. In another, arms stiffly held out, the Faceless Man crashes into Tina's apartment while she sleeps. And in still another, Tina flashes back to her previous life while gazing out at the sea. And then there is that wonderful line of Dr. Fiorillo's: "It is not dead...not as we know death...."Good as it is, "Curse of the Faceless Man" is hardly a perfect film, dependent as it is on not just coincidence, but on double coincidence. I mean, it's almost too much to believe that American artist Tina should be visiting Naples just at the moment when Quintillus is dug up; the odds of her being there would seem to be incalculable. But then add in the fact that a good part of the film's action transpires on August 24th, the anniversary of the Vesuvius eruption, and you've got a double coincidence of truly mind-boggling proportions. Somehow, though, these two highly unlikely juxtapositions of time and place don't seem to make a difference, and the film remains a modestly entertaining, moody, and professionally made little picture that just might surprise those expecting a campy shlock fest. Despite the name of the outfit putting out the DVD, this is hardly a "cheezy" affair. Like the titular character himself, "Curse of the Faceless Man" would seem ripe and ready for a modern-day excavation....

(There are Spoilers) Found in the ruins of ancient Pompeii is this mummified man with a box of jewelry buried next to him. It's soon discovered by the eminent historian Dr. Emenuel,Felix Locher, of ancient Roman Greek and Egyptian times that the body is that of a Roman slave and gladiator named Quintillus Aurellus, Bob Bryant. Aurellus was killed, along with thousands of fellow Romans, when Mt. Vesuvious blew its top in 79 AD and destroyed the city of Pompeii!After spending some 2,000 years in limbo the ancient Roman slave/warrior Aurellus came to life, with the help of a modern x-ray machine, looking for his long lost love a daughter of a Roman aristocrat Lucila Lucia. As we'll later find out Lucila has been reincarnated and is now American artist Tina Enright, Elaine Edwards, who's fiancée Dr. Paul Mellon, Richard Anderson, is involved in the archaeological expedition that dug up the long dead and buried Quintillus Aurellus!The faceless man, Quintillus Aurellus, suddenly comes to life and cause havoc all over the Italian city of Naples, the sister city to ancient Pompeii, in looking for his lost love the now pretty American artist Tina Enright. Tina does have an inkling to just who this stone man, or mummy, is in a number of dreams she has of him. This causes her to paint a portrait of the stone man without actually knowing who he is and what she has to do with him!The stone, or faceless, man himself is so slow and uncoordinated that it's miracle that he could catch up with, as well as kill, anyone in the movie. Yet he's responsible for at least a dozen attacks that results in some two, a truck driver and museum security guard, deaths!Finally getting what he wanted, his his long love Tina/Lucla, the stone man ends going up the river, or Mediterranean Sea. This has to do with the stone man miscalculating the time that he's living in: 1958 AD not 79 AD. That cause him to self -destruct by not realizing that his escape plan, with Tina, was the wrong path for him to take! Since the long inactive Mt. Vesuvious is no longer a danger to him and the woman, together with the population of Naples, he's so insanely in love with!Nothing that out of the ordinary for a 1950's horror movie if that's what "The Curse of the Faceless Man" is supposed to be. What's really good about the movie "the Curse of the Faceless Man" is its opening and closing soundtrack together with the stock footage of exploding volcanoes that are supposed to show Mt. Vesuvious' 79 AD eruption! There's also actor Filex Locher as ancient historian Dr. Emenuel who that same year-1958-will achieve motion picture immortality in him staring as the daffy and overzealous Dr. Carter Morton in that all time bad movie classic "Frankenstein's Daughter".

I guess the age of Camelot is dead. Modern viewers don't seem to appreciate a love story about a petra-fried beau trying to save his gal from Vesuvius. Ah! His love was hotter than the volcano; but, unfortunately, he was combustible. The artist feels drawn to her centuries old beau and murder ensues in this awesome-effect B movie. The film is reminiscent of the mummy genre. The title character is hideous and scary. There is a love triangle that is quite poignant. Performances are acted with affection and the cast is solid. Direction is typical for the 50's (and that's a good thing!) Excuse the pun; but, this film is definitely not a 'potboiler'.

Watching CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN transports me back to the days of "Chiller Theatre" on Saturday nights. The premise of a man saturated with Egyptian embalming fluid and then sealed in volcanic ash and preserved by the radiation from deep within the earth is certainly an unusual one. (Notice how they sneaked "radiation" into the plot once again?) It is also a movie you have to think about. Quintillus "sees" through a sort of ESP and recognises the reincarnation of the woman he loved. Alas Richard Anderson is a little too hard headed as the hero. Even after he sees Quintillus alive he refuses to believe his fiancee could have had a past life as the stone man's beloved. Gar Moore, who had worked with Roberto Rossellini in the late 1940's, does not have much to do apart from spount some scientific jargon and looked concerned. Bravo to Felix Locher as Dr. Emmanuel. Mr. Locher, real life father of actor Jon Hall (Charles Locher) did not begin acting until he was 76. Look for him also in HELL SHIP MUTINY and in his most famous film, FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER. The Faceless Man is played by Bob Bryant who usually did westerns. The narrator sounds a lot like Morris Ankrum, could someone tell me if it is really him? The "Museo di Napoli" is actually Griffith Observatory and a stretch of beach in Venice, California not Europe, stands in for the Cove of the Blind Fisherman. Okay so it is not full of CGI and the plot is predictable. We watch B-movies to have fun, right? So let's watch it have fun like we did when we were kids.