Curse of the Faceless Man is a 1958 independently made American low-budget black-and-white horror film, produced by Robert E. Kent, directed by Edward L. Cahn, that stars Richard Anderson, Elaine Edwards, Adele Mara, and Luis van Rooten.
The film's storyline concerns a Roman gladiator, buried alive in Pompeii during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, who returns to life in modern times to find the reincarnation of the woman he loves.
En route to the Museo di Napoli, the body comes to life and kills the driver of the truck that is transporting it.
Meanwhile, Dr. Emanuel translates the Etruscan writing found on a bronze brooch that was inside the jewel box.
The police investigating the truck crash discount Paul's comment that the driver's blood is literally on Quintillus's hands, and Inspector Rinaldi orders the museum closed until the murderer is caught.
His being more-or-less alive is explained by Fiorillo, who says that he was preserved by radioactivity in the volcanic ash and that he has been revitalized by the X-rays used to study him.
The film was produced by Vogue Pictures during late March 1958 on a seven-day shooting schedule and a small budget of just $100,000.
[8] Filming locations included the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, used as the set for the Museo di Napoli, and the beach at Portuguese Bend, standing in for the Cove of the Blind Fisherman.
[17] Reviewers have pointed out a degree of poignancy on the part of the monstrous Quintillus as he searches for the reincarnation of the woman he loves.
[6] American film critic Bryan Senn agreed, writing that "while little more than a walking statue, this Vesuvian villain's doomed motivation and unique appearance combine to make it a monster both poignant and creepy".
[6] To Warren, Curse of the Faceless Man was primarily a "pedestrian, preposterous film that works up a little interest by the end, but it is too late and not enough to save the picture".
[6] While Senn wrote that Anderson's performance "creates one of the dullest and least appealing heroes" of the 1950s, he also said that cinematographer Kenneth Peach's "moody lighting" produced shadows which highlighted "the alien-ness of [Quintillus'] hardened crust appearance".
[1] He described the film as being "saddled with an unsteady script [and] occasional dull stretches" and called the direction "pedestrian".
[1] British film critic Phil Hardy wrote that although "the plot is little more than an ingenuous reworking of The Mummy (1932)" the film is "tolerably gripping thanks to a lucidly economical script by [Jerome] Bixby (a short story writer of uncommon wit, oddly neglected by Hollywood)" and has "a neat twist at the end" when Quintillus dissolves.
[18] American film critic John "J.J." Johnson wrote that the Quintillus make-up "did not elicit many chills and thrills from its audience.
[9] Allmovie gave the film a positive review, stating "Gerald Fried's music, especially the twisting suspense theme accompanying Quintillus' awakening and wanderings, keeps the tension high, and the costuming and special effects make the picture work far better than its budget or its reputation would lead one to expect".