Creature with the Atom Brain is a 1955 American Sci-Fi Horror film initially distributed by Columbia Pictures.
A series of mysterious murders are being committed across the city. The police have no leads, except for the fingerprints of dead men and traces of radiation. The culprit is Frank Buchanan, a gangster who was deported years prior and has come back to avenge himself using the radioactive dead. Can the police stop him in time?
It has been released on DVD by Mill Creek Entertainment and Sony.
This film contains examples of:
- Asshole Victim: Buchanan's first victim was the crime boss of the city.
- Badass Boast: Buchanan has one as he prepares to off Hennessy:Buchanan (through the atomic zombie): I told you I'd come back! Remember Buchanan?Hennessy: B-But you're not Buchanan!Buchanan: I may not look like him, but I am him! Don't you recognize my voice? I promised to see you die, and I will!
- Big Bad: Frank Buchanan, the gangster controlling the zombies.
- Dressing as the Enemy: Buchanan has a corpse dress as a cop and pretend to be his accountant's guard so he can kill him more easily.
- Forced into Evil: Dr. Stein, the creator of the zombies, wants to use them to do menial labour so humans can live in the lap of luxury, but is forced to participate in his gangster boss's vengeance quest in order to get funding for his experiments. He gets sick of this near the end of the film, to which Buchanan promptly murders him.
- Heel–Face Turn: Buchanan's hitman and accountant both went straight after testifying against him.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: The climax takes place on the hero's daughter's birthday.
- Our Zombies Are Different: These are corpses resurrected by radiation and beholden to their master's will. Their fingerprints, footprints and blood also glow.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: A gangster uses zombies to annihilate the people responsible for his deportation.
- Sarcastic Confession: Chet Walker gets the press off his case by simply telling them that an atomic monster did the crime. Eventually they figure out the truth, and latch onto their scoop.
- The Sociopath: Frank Buchanan, a gangster who believes that being deported for his crimes is such a grave insult that he's justified in sticking zombies on everybody involved, and is perfectly willing to kill innocents to ensure that he succeeds.
- The Starscream: Hennessy was The Dragon to Buchanan when he controlled the city, and testified against him to get him arrested and take over.
- Villain Opening Scene: Buchanan controlling a zombie to break a banker's back.
- Would Hurt a Child: When the police refuse to cooperate with Buchanan, he responds with a series of mass murders, including a school bus.
