(thanks, All Classic Video!) 

One of those crazy 50’s “B” sci-fi/horror flicks that sticks in the mind thanks to the performance of its lead, The Indestructible Man is also one of those forgotten gems that modern audiences would most likely laugh out of a theater or change the channel after a few minutes of dialog during a slower moment. Of course, I grew up seeing this flick countless times on TV, so it was a formative part of my misspent youth. Combining sci-fi, horror and film noir elements and featuring a creepy performance from Lon Chaney Jr., this is one of those short, snappy little movies that makes for a nice jolt as well as few unintentional laughs.

Chaney plays Charles “Butcher” Benton, a convicted killer and thief who’s been given the gas chamber treatment, but has his dead body illegally sold to a scientist for research purposes. Of course, it being the 1950’s and a “B” movie and all, that scientist happens to be studying the effects of electricity and his own chemical concoctions on dead subjects and ends up quite thrilled when Benton is brought back to the land of the living. Naturally, when you beef up a dead man with voltage and vitamins, his first response will be to kill you and your assistant then take off with intent of wiping out just about anyone who sent him behind bars. Maybe that stupid scientist should have invented a time machine so he could pop up today and read this post, then zap back and get better prepared…

The film is a sort of modernized Frankenstein with a dash of Chaney’s role in 1941’s underrated Man-Made Monster, the aforementioned film noir look and a mix of campy and deadly serious performances. It’s also a wonder of stock footage shots of Los Angeles during that era including the old Angel’s Flight funicular railway, so yes indeed – it’s another film with historical value worth watching. Granted, you’ll most likely want to watch it for Chaney’s now VERY hard to kill killer doing his mean thing and he certainly doesn’t disappoint. When he’s about to go more nuts than a revived murderer needs to, the film cuts to a closeup of his eyes and you’ll want to go hide under or in something dark and cool when this happens.

Living up to that title, Benton takes on all comers on his vengeance tour and takes a few bullets, a bazooka round and even a flamethrower blast that only makes him uglier (some nice makeup there, by the way) and meaner. As the film clomps along to its shocking climax (ha ha), you already know Benton’s not going to make it (the film is told in flashback), but it’s pretty wild to see him meet his end in the same way he was brought back to the land of the living. Hell, Chaney is the best thing about the film anyway, as most of the supporting cast plays it too hammy or comes off as slightly goofy for people who should be in more fear of impending death.

On the other hand, this is one of the reasons the movie works so well and that Mystery Science Theater 3000 version needs to be taken out back and shot (or at least beaten with a pack of dry ramen). Hey, as I’ve said a few times, I do love that Satellite of Love and its crew… but on some occasions they’ve absolutely wrecked some otherwise interesting flicks that deserve much more than a few too many jokes written at their expense. If you can, check this one out in its original form (you can grab it for free on YouTube or the great Internet Archive) along with Man-Made Monster just so you can see them as they were meant to be (well, on a big screen would be optimal, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon, right?)