| The Brute Man | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jean Yarbrough |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Dwight V. Babcock |
| Produced by | Ben Pivar |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Maury Gertsman |
| Edited by | Philip Cahn |
| Music by | Hans J. Salter |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Producers Releasing Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 58 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $125,000[1] |
The Brute Man is a 1946 American horror thriller film starring Rondo Hatton as the Creeper, a murderer seeking revenge against the people he holds responsible for the disfigurement of his face. Directed by Jean Yarbrough, the film features Tom Neal and Jan Wiley as a married pair of friends the Creeper blames for his deformities. Jane Adams also stars as a blind pianist for whom the Creeper tries to raise money for an operation to restore her vision. The film is a prequel to House of Horrors (1946).
Universal Pictures produced the film near the end of their horror film period. As the result of its pending merger with International Pictures, Universal adopted a policy against releasing any more B movies, so they sold The Brute Man for $125,000 to the low-budget Producers Releasing Corporation, which distributed the film without any mention of Universal's involvement in publicity or credits. (Universal did in fact continue to produce a few more small-budget productions, but these commitments had begun in 1946 and had to be completed over the next year.) Universal may have concluded that the exploitation of Hatton's deformity for the third time (in which evidence of his impending demise may be foreshadowed in his acting) to be detrimental to its corporate image, but did not want to take a financial loss by simply shelving the film.
The film was released to home video in 1982. The Brute Man received generally negative reviews, drawing particular criticism for Hatton's poor performance. The film was featured in a 1996 episode of the movie-mocking comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000. Members of Mystery Science Theater later expressed discomfort in making fun of the film due to Hatton's illness.
- ^ "U's 'Brute Man' to PRC but Hangs on to Two Others". 23 October 1946. p. 7.
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