SCRIPTS FROM THE CRYPT #10: THE BRUTE MAN (paperback)

ISBN  9781629334738

Best Book of the Year - Classic Images

He made the Universal back lot his own personal preyground: Rondo Hatton, who attained B-movie stardom at the very end of his life via the role of the spine-snapping serial killer The Creeper. The victim of a disfiguring disease, Hatton needed no makeup when he played this night stalker in The Pearl of Death (1944), House of Horrors (1946) and The Brute Man (1946).

A lot of misery and physical pain were packed into Rondo Hatton’s 51 years on Earth and he met his challenges with courage. This book tells his full story and pays tribute with a biography chapter, the lowdown on The Brute Man’s production and theatrical release, artist George Chastain’s tribute to other “brute men” of the movies, and more. Also: Rondo’s miraculous 21^st-century “rebirth” as a coveted award for the finest in Monster Kid achievement.

"The SFTC gang strikes again with The Brute Man, another superlative mix of rigorous scholarship and genre-movie fun, this time delving into the life and hard times of unlikely horror star Rondo Hatton, a former journalist at once felled and elevated by a disfiguring case of acromegaly. Scott Gallinghouse leads the way with an in-depth biography, followed by the complete script of Hatton's signature film The Brute Man (1946), a tale that incorporated elements taken from Hatton's real life and experiences. Also present are the movie's producton history and theatrical release patterns, artist George Chastain's homage to other "brute men" of the movies, and much more, including contributions from series editor Tom Weaver. Monster Kids will want to make room for Rondo on their bookshelves. Also new from BearManor is Gary D. Rhodes and Robert Guffey's essential horror-film history Bela Lugosi and the Monogram 9 (more next time), an ideal companion to Tom Weaver's Poverty Row Horrors."

 - The Phantom